Motherly Love (Naruto story, Gaara)

[Starry_Screamer]

Wheeeee I'm back~!

This time it's more Naruto. No real pairings or anything, but massive amounts of hurt/comfort and angst. Because Gaara. And sick Gaara.

Kizuna is my own character who I'm planning to make a whole big story about with Gaara. Before the Chunin Exams she married the Fourth Kazekage, and tried her best to be a great mother to all the Sand Sibs, but mostly Gaara. Which... went about as well as you might expect it to go.

Then they arrived back from the Exams, after Gaara's battle with Naruto. It seems that poor Gaara is feeling a bit under the weather, and it's a good thing Kizuna is there to take care of him like a real mother would...

Written in first-person point of view for Gaara, which is a change for me! Hehe. I don't often write sneezy stories in first-person, but for whatever reason this felt right.

This is a big lengthy, doesn't have a whole lot of sneezing in this part, and will probably definitely have a part 2. That might be it though, unless I get a lot of demand.

Also, I just got my wisdom teeth pulled out like three days ago. This is what I've been doing to make myself feel better. XD So sorry if it doesn't make a lot of sense, I'm on ridiculous amounts of pain medicine and antibiotics. Also, I'm very tired because I basically have to wake up every three hours at night to take a pill. So yeah, forgive me if some parts of this are a bit weird.

Hope you enjoy, guys! Part 2 coming soon!

PART 1

My stepmother Kizuna is a unique person in that she’s constantly seeking others’ approval, as if she’s in need to verify her own existence - just like I am, but through different means.

As such, she had gone to the trouble of preparing everyone’s favorite dish for our first meal back in Sunagakure. It was a lovely gesture, and I found myself beginning to appreciate her more. After the tumultuous events of the Chunin Exams, during which I’d been injured for the first time, and Kizuna had lost her husband, our father... well, I thought that maybe something like a “family dinner” was just what I needed. To feel some semblance of family, of normality.

The problem was that sometime before dinner, I’d begun not to feel so well.

I’d been stretched out on the couch, as I often was when I was bored or had free time, just thinking about everything that had happened. There wasn’t much else I could do at the moment, since I was still in a fair amount of pain, courtesy of the wounds I’d received from Naruto. A while before Kizuna had called us all into the kitchen, I was struck by the fact that I actually felt quite sick. My head was aching, I was unbelievably tired, every muscle in my body was sore, there was a horrible tickle in the back of my throat, and my eyes had begun to water. All that was without mentioning my biggest complaint, that my sinuses were completely stuffed up, to the point that I could barely smell or breathe, and I was no longer confident in my ability to go more than five minutes without sniffling - or, worse, sneezing.

I was hoping that I could at least get through dinner without anyone noticing. After that I could slip away to the roof for another sleepless night, except this one would be full of coughing and sneezing.

I was the last one to file into the kitchen for dinner, sitting across from my stepmother. We were at the heads of the table, while Kankuro and Temari sat across from each other in the middle. Kizuna served us all before sitting down herself, mumbling something none of us really heard before looking up and cheerfully announcing, “Idatakimasu! Enjoy, everyone.” That was more like her, the version of her I had first met. The sweet, bubbly quality was everywhere in her demeanor still, yet not quite in her eyes as it had been before the Exams.

No one talked much. I certainly didn’t speak up; mostly I just focused on my food, pushing it around my plate and picking at it. Truthfully I wasn’t very much in the mood to eat, but I was making an honest effort not to cause pain to other people. If I didn’t at least take a few bites, I knew it would hurt Kizuna’s feelings. I didn’t want to seem ungrateful - I could realize now that she worked very hard for our sake, and the only thing she wanted in return was for us to be happy.

She tried to keep the conversation going, asking Kankuro who he’d battled and Temari if she’d met any cute boys in Konoha. She seemed to like that sort of thing, playing the role of a real mother and caring for us. Asking and saying things that she didn’t need to say but wanted to. After a while though, she ran out of topics for the moment. An uncomfortable sort of silence descended on the kitchen, with only the sounds of chopsticks against plates and quiet chewing being heard.

And of course this was the moment when my illness would decide it needed to make its presence known to my stepmother. It began as an irritation pricking at my sinuses, that I tried to combat by sniffing and rubbing a knuckle against my nose. Kankuro noticed it, but wisely chose to ignore it and say nothing.

My actions seemed to only make it worse, and after a few seconds I couldn’t hold it back any longer. I quickly ducked my face down into my fist. “Hih’eeetschhoooo!! H... Heh’ngktt!!” Both sneezes caused a sort of sharp pain in my ears, briefly making me so dizzy that I could hardly even look up. When I did, however, I saw that Kankuro and Temari were both looking down at their plates, as if to avoid mentioning the fact that I’d sneezed - something I rarely did. Noticing that my nose had started to run, I grabbed my napkin and held it up over my mouth and nose, feeling my face growing hot with blush. “... E’cuse be,” I muttered, wincing at how congested I sounded. “I-I’b sorry...”

Kizuna looked right at me for a minute, seeming to see straight through my soul. Her expression was both confused and focused, her eyebrows knit together. Finally she returned her gaze to her food, clinking her chopsticks against her plate. “Bless you, dear.”

I sniffled, which seemed to clear up the congestion some. “Thank you, Kizuna-san...” I mumbled, folding up my napkin and continuing to wipe at my nose. The material was rough though, making my nose sore and red. Well, at least I didn’t sound completely ridiculous when I spoke anymore... although I had clearly given myself away.

Even not looking up, she seemed to notice my pain. “It sounds like you’re getting a cold, Gaara.” She glanced up for a brief second, just long enough to meet my eyes, then took a bite of her food and tossed some hair over her shoulder. “Doesn’t seem like you’ve got much of an appetite, either.” She stood up, walking over to my end of the table. Lightly putting a hand on my back, she slid the plate away. “Why don’t you go lie down on the couch? I’ll put this away for you to eat when you’re feeling a little better.”

She made sense to me. If I wasn’t feeling well, I should be resting even if I couldn’t sleep. Why was I sitting up and trying to eat dinner and pretending that I was perfectly fine when I was feeling so badly? What point was there in it? All I’d succeeded in doing was probably making myself sicker.

Coughing into my napkin, I managed to push myself up from the table, though my legs wobbled a bit under me, almost like it was my first time standing. I’d never felt so weak before; I couldn’t remember feeling so helpless even when I was a child. And here I was feeling both helpless and like a child. “O-Okay...”

“Be careful,” she warned, beginning to cover the plate with plastic wrap. “You just lie down, I’ll be in to look you over in a minute.”

I nodded in response, feeling the tickle again and managing to bury my face in the napkin as I walked into the living room. “Heh’iiitschhuuu!! Huh’tshhhoooo!!” This clogged my ears even further, making the headache pound tightly against my skull. I could barely focus on walking straight.

“Bless you again, sweetie,” came Kizuna’s voice, following me into the living room.

I groaned and basically fell down onto the couch, curling up as well as I could before a coughing fit shook me up. It was fairly brief, but it did some damage while it lasted. Now in addition to all my other symptoms, and still feeling like I had to cough more, my throat was wrecked too. I could scarcely even swallow, and the room was spinning.

I just lie there in misery, squeezing my eyes shut and trying not to cry. My injuries still weren’t fully healed, and now I was sick? Life just wasn’t fair. I couldn’t ever remember being so sick or feeling so poorly. Even the couch felt soft, cool, comfortable while I was lying there. I remembered the couch being lumpy before the Chunin Exams, but for whatever reason I was actually resting quite nicely there at the moment.

I tried desperately not to fall asleep, as the last thing on my to-do list today was to get my soul gnawed on by my idiot demon. But I was so tired, and dizzy, and my eyelids felt so heavy. I did close my eyes; I just didn’t let myself slip into unconsciousness.

After what seemed like forever, I felt Kizuna’s gentle hand shaking my shoulder. “Gaara? Honey, you can’t fall asleep.”

Her voice barely penetrated my blocked-up ears, but it was still a soothing sound all the same. When I opened my eyes she was knelt down beside me, rubbing my shoulder. She smiled kindly at me, her eyebrows knitting together in a concerned way.

I sniffled, noticing that much to my dismay I seemed to be horribly congested again. “I dow,” I replied exhaustedly, blinking slowly. “I’b t-tryi’g dot to...”

“Aww, listen to you, babe. You sound all stuffed up.” She moved her hand to my forehead, her cool palm feeling comforting against my hot skin. “Feels like you’ve got a fever too.” Brushing my bangs back a little, her fingers grazed lightly over the ai symbol on the left side. “I’ll go get you some tissues, plus I want to take your temperature. You look absolutely miserable.”

Well, she was being generous, because I was sure I looked better than I felt; I felt horrible, awful, terrible, every negative adjective I could think of. I coughed a few times, shifting my head and trying to find a position that didn’t make me feel queasy. “I’b so sick, Kizuda-sad,” I mumbled, shivering violently. Out of nowhere I was just completely freezing.

“Ohhhh, I know, sweetie. I’m sorry.” She stood up and stroked my cheek for a few seconds with her thumb. “But don’t you worry, okay? I’ll take care of you; it’s my job to make sure you feel better. Alright, I’ll be back in a few minutes. I’ll get you some tissues and a thermometer. Sound good?”

I nodded weakly, not able to do much else. “Y-Yes...”

“Okay.” She patted my head, giving me a sad smile. “Temari! Kankuro! I’ll just be upstairs for a minute - one of you come in here and watch your brother while I get him some things!”

I don’t quite remember much, although I do remember that it was Temari who came to sit with me. She had her hand on my upper arm, rubbing it slightly, until Kizuna returned, seeming to try and comfort me. She isn’t really the motherly type though, so she didn’t talk much. I think she did ask how I was feeling, but all I could do was groan because my head had begun to swim a little and I couldn’t focus on words just then. I’m sure she got the drift that I wasn’t feeling so hot.

When Kizuna came back down, she thanked my sister and told her to head upstairs, as she wouldn’t want Temari to catch my cold. She then carefully moved my legs so she could sit beside me, lightly holding a couple of tissues over my nose. “Give me a little blow, honey,” she said quietly, pressing softly on one side. “It should help clear up that congestion.”

I did as I was told, grimacing as I could tell that the mucus was soaking through the tissues a bit. I hoped it didn’t totally disgust her; it was nice to be taken care of for once, and I’d despise myself if I did anything to drive her away. “Ugh...”

“There we go, good boy.” After doing the same with the other side, I could breathe a little better, and she seemed happy to notice that. Standing up, she tossed the used tissues into a small bin I saw she’d brought down for me. “Use that trash can to throw them in, okay? Don’t be leaving them all over the place.” With her other hand, she placed a nearly-full box of tissues between my arm and my stomach for easy access. “You just let me know if you run out. I’m sure we have a few more boxes.”

“Th-Thank you.” I nodded, quickly grabbing several more tissues as the tickle had made a fierce return. Clapping them over my face, it actually hurt my chest somewhat to sneeze. “Ihh’eeetschhhh!! Huh’tschhhiiuuu!!” Ugh, was this the pain normal people were in when they sneezed too? I couldn’t remember the last time I’d sneezed more than once at a time, and even then it didn’t hurt. Maybe it just hurt because I was sick. “Hiih’ieetschhhooooo!!” Urgh. It was a pinching, burning sensation against the bridge of my nose, like a flaming feather inside. It was so unbearable...

“Bless you, Gaara.” Her response was nearly immediate once she was sure I’d finished sneezing, as she ran her clean, cool hand over my forehead again. “Poor thing - that sounds like it hurts.” Her hand hovered for a moment, as if she were contemplating something else, then she slowly drew it away. “I’m going to go wash my hands, then I’ll come back and take your temperature. If you’re running a high fever, I’ll have to take you to the hospital.”

I pouted as she walked off into the kitchen. I didn’t want to go to the hospital. I hated the hospital, and I hated doctors. Doctors always found something wrong with you, and on top of that they managed to make it sound worse than it was. Kizuna used to be a non-shinobi medic; she could treat me just fine from the comfort of our own home.

I was still trying to rest when she came back, sitting beside me again. Her hands smelled like soap when she poked the edge of my lip with her thermometer. “C’mon, open up. I need to see how high your fever is, sweetie.”

I complied, sniffling wetly as I took the thermometer under my tongue. Lovely. She’d just went to the trouble of helping me blow my nose, and now I was stuffed up again from the sneezing. Could this get any worse? ... Shut up, you’ll jinx it, I mentally berated myself.

She was very understanding about my whimpers as we waited, running her fingers through my hair and humming. She handed me the remote and I surfed through a few channels, but nothing looked very interesting at the moment. When the thermometer finally beeped, Kizuna gently took it out, using a tissue to wipe off the excess saliva as she looked at the screen. She clicked her tongue a few times, shaking her head. “101.4, hon. You’re alright for now... but if it gets above 102, I’d like to take you to the hospital. I’ll keep checking every few hours to see if it changes.”

I could barely even nod; my neck was getting sore. “Th-Thagk you, Kizuda-sad.”

“Tsk. You’re getting all stuffy again, Gaara.” She began putting the thermometer away. “Blow your nose, you sound like you can barely breathe.”

She wasn’t wrong. Stupid sneezing blocked my nose up again. I grabbed a few more tissues and blew my nose a few more times before sniffling and throwing an arm over my eyes. This was probably just going to happen all over again; blowing my nose, sneezing myself silly, getting congested, having to blow my nose again. Like some vicious cycle that’d keep repeating till I wasn’t sick anymore.

“Awww, my poor baby,” she shushed, using a very light touch to caress my arm. “I’m so sorry you don’t feel well. I’ll do my best to take care of you, alright? This may be my first experience as a mother, but I know what’s good for you.”

I coughed into my tissues, trying to take in as deep a breath as I could. It was getting hard to do, my chest was becoming rather sore. “W-Will you stay wi’f be, Kizuda-sad?” I muttered, feeling my cheeks heat up again. I couldn’t believe I had actually asked something like that. It was so selfish of me... she had other things to do around the house besides sit here, hold my hand, and wipe my nose. I sounded like a whiney, clingy little child instead of the thirteen-year-old that I was.

“Aww.” Patting my shoulder, I could hear the sweet smile in her voice. “Of course I will, sweetie. You’re my stepson - it’s my job to take care of you.” She ran her hand through my hair again, a very relaxing gesture for me. “Can I get you anything?”

I sniffed. She wasn’t wrong earlier when she commented that I didn’t have much of an appetite. I wasn’t very hungry at all. In fact, the thought of food now was just making my stomach turn. All I really wanted to do was sleep, but I couldn’t even do that. Mostly I just wanted to be able to rest, to have her with me.

Ever since I’d had that battle with Naruto, I’d been thinking much more about Kizuna, and how she was actually a very comforting presence. I much preferred to have her around now. I got no motherly love as a child, and she was trying to give it to me. How callous and stubborn was I back before the Exams... that I didn’t even want to accept the one thing I required, the one thing I craved, that was right in front of me?

A few little tears squeezed out from the corners of my eyes, and I sobbed just a little. I curled up a bit, not even able to make the tissues up to my face before I was caught in another short but painful sneezing fit. “H’iieeetschhhhuuu!! Huh’eehhhtshhhoooo!!” Maybe if I was lucky she wouldn’t notice that I was crying; she’d think it was just tears welling up from the sneezing. “Hih’tchhhhiiiee!! Heh’ssshhhhiiuuuuu!! H... Huh’nngkktt!!” The last one stung something awful, feeling like it rang through my entire sinus network. It seemed to do the job for the time being though, even though it just intensified my headache.

“Bless you again, honey.” The smile was still in her voice, and she was giggling a little. “Sounds like you’ve got a nasty case of the sneezes there! You sure I don’t have anything in here that you’re allergic to or something?”

I nodded, sniffling with a rather disturbing liquid noise. “I do’t have bady allergies. Sniff! Ugh... bostly just grass a’d flowers. I do’t thi’k you have ady of thad id here, do you?”

“Nah. I figured you guys were allergic to pollen and stuff, so I generally try to avoid bringing it into the house.” She slid her hand down to my cheek, her cold palm feeling very soothing against my warm skin. I hoped my fever wasn’t getting worse; her touch even made me shiver a little because of the sudden icy sensation. “So, do you need anything right now, sweetie?”

I shook my head, sniffling and snatching a few more tissues out of the box. Damn it, I could barely breathe. “D-Do. Sniff... c-cad you just sit wi’f be for a while... please?” It was so embarrassing asking for something like that. I wasn’t used to requesting affection at all, nor was I accustomed to receiving it; I just felt like it was something I had to do. Something I desperately needed right then.

“Aw, Gaara, I’d be happy to. That’s what I’m here for, baby.” Reaching down, she took the tissues from me and gently wiped my nose, something I didn’t think anyone had ever done for me in my entire life. She was risking catching whatever I had, and it was probably the most degrading job someone could have - wiping another person’s nose. She wasn’t even getting anything in return for such a risk. “I’ll just sit here and take care of you.” When he lifted my arm up, I could see she was giving me a soft smile, her eyes full of what looked like...

Like...

Love.

I had to take deep, quick breaths just to keep from bursting into tears, tough it wasn’t doing anything positive for my congestion. Was this what having a mother was like?

A Japanese translation or two, I think? XD

Idatakimasu = Let's eat/dig in/eat up

-san = Mr./Miss/Ms./Mrs. (although Gaara's pronouncing it as "-sad" at the moment)

I've developed a random addiction to Gaara's stuffy talk. I have no idea why. XD Probably because it would be like the most adorable thing EVER??

Hope you all enjoyed!! Shall I continue? ^^

[Akahana]

Awwww~ Gaara deserves a mother, I'm glad you had a mother OC instead of a Garra x OC story, it's quite intriguing!! It really sucks that they had to include the whole Gaara never being able to sleep thing in the show though... poor Gaara :,(

[Starry_Screamer]

Akahana: Thankies! He needs a mommy in his life. ^^ I have a couple OC's to romantically pair with him, but I wanted to do something like this for a change. Ah yeah, I always felt bad for him not being able to sleep. Poor baby~! Hope you enjoy this next part!

Well, I decided that I'm going to do at least two more parts to this, but they're going to time skip around a little bit. Next part Gaara's going to be about 15-16, and as for the last part, well, I'm not telling quite yet~ IT'S A SURPRISE LOL.

Teensy bit of messy noseblowing somewhere in the middle there... sorry if anyone doesn't like. |D You'll probably be able to recognize it so maybe just skip over it if you don't like? XD

Hopefully I was successful in mixing LOTS of hurt/comfort with a segment chock full of Gaara's adorable sneezing. He's so cute!!

So yeah, this is super hurt/comforty and sweet and probably tastes like diabetes. And also INSANELY OBNOXIOUSLY LONG, so sorry about that. XDD

Hope you enjoy guys!

PART 2

Kizuna sat with me for about an hour, taking my legs onto her lap and gently stroking my knees. It was a nice relief to me, as my joint aches were intensifying. She didn’t speak much, just took my legs and began to rub them. She used a light touch with her cool, smooth hands - starting at my toes and ankles, working up to my knees. Never going any higher than that, alternating legs, and humming quietly as she did it. I didn’t know the song, but it was comforting just to feel the vibrations going through her whole body into mine. It was something new, something I’d never felt before, and... it wasn’t necessarily bad.

She let me watch anything I wanted, though at the moment nothing looked particularly appealing. I just turned it to a cartoon, not paying much attention. I rested my head on the arm of the couch, trying to take in deep breaths through my mouth. I still could hardly breathe through my nose; no matter how many times I kept blowing, the congestion always came back.

I think I almost fell asleep several times, so she nudged me each time to keep me awake. If she noticed me starting to nod off, she’d hold my hand and give it a squeeze, or gently tap the tip of my nose, which more often than not just made me sneeze again, but it did the job of not letting me sleep. After that I would sigh and lean my head back, usually coughing as I lamented in my head that I hated not being able to sleep.

Most of the time was spent with me blowing or wiping my nose and dropping tissues in the trash can. Once I muttered something about a slam dunk before shooting and missing the can completely. That made Kizuna laugh as she bent down to pick the tissue up. As she left to wash her hands, I think she made some comment about how even when I was sick, I was funny. (I had no idea that I was funny normally, but I wasn’t feeling up to a debate.)

I guess I was blowing my nose a little too hard for her liking, thanks to the fact that I could barely breathe. After I blew my nose hard enough to launch me into a coughing fit, I felt her patting my back. “Ohh, Gaara,” she spoke up softly. “You keep doing it like that and you’re going to make your nose bleed. Are you still stuffed up, honey?”

I nodded, closing my eyes. “Y-Yes. It’s... sniff... getti’g worse, too. I have to breathe through by bouth.”

She clicked her tongue. “Oh, I can hear that. Poor dear.” Carefully, she lifted my legs off her lap and felt my forehead again. “Alright, I’m going to take your temperature again. Then I have an idea that might help your stuffy nose.”

“Okay,” was my simple reply. My throat was feeling extremely sore now, affecting my desire to talk at all, but I had to give her an answer.

She was perfectly gentle in taking my temperature the second time; I think she could tell that my throat was hurting. The results showed a fever of 101.6, having climbed .2 degrees higher. She seemed dismayed by this, patting my head and saying “shh” over and over. I think she was more trying to quell her own worry than mine, as she was clearly very concerned about me.

She wrapped up the thermometer in the plastic bag again, then cautiously helped me sit up. “Okay, Gaara,” she remarked, rubbing my back. “My idea is... why don’t you go take a hot shower? The steam might break up that congestion, help you breathe a little better. How does that sound?”

I sniffled deeply, managing to make myself stand up. My legs were still weak and wobbly, though thanks to her massaging them, it wasn’t quite as bad as it had been. “It sou’ds... dice.”

“Good.” She was guiding me toward the staircase, shaking me a little as if trying to get me to perk up. “I’ll walk you up the stairs here, and while you’re in the shower I want you to be very careful. I know you’re dizzy. I wouldn’t want you slipping and hurting yourself.” Once we reached the top of the stairs, she shot me a grin, attempting to inject some humor into the situation. “You have enough problems already, kiddo.”

I returned the gesture, smiling weakly as I pushed the bathroom door open. “I’ll watch byself, Kizuda-sad... snf... I probise.”

“Okay then, you’d better or else. I’m going back downstairs, so just call me if you need anything.” She seemed almost reluctant to leave, but she did start to head back down. “And if you need anything while you’re actually... you know... in the shower, I’m sure Kankuro would be happy to get it for you.”

Nodding, I walked into the bathroom. “Okay. Thagk you.”

“Alright... well, take as long as you need.” She waved a little as she walked back down the stairs. “I hope it makes you feel better, sweetie.”

I grabbed a few towels and decided that I might as well change into a set of pajamas. I rarely used them, and I’d heard they were more comfortable to wear than regular clothing when you were sick. After also getting some washcloths, I finally got undressed, started the water, and climbed in. I’d made sure to get it fairly warm, but not scalding hot. I didn’t want to burn myself, after all. I suppose the sand would have stopped it anyway, but being ill I wasn’t up to taking chances.

I didn’t even start washing right away; I just stood in the middle of the steam for a few minutes, breathing in as deeply as I could and hoping it would help me breathe. It didn’t take long for my nose to start running, so I had to snatch up one of my washcloths and use it as a handkerchief. I honestly would have preferred a regular handkerchief, as the material of the washcloth was just as rough as the napkins from downstairs. It was horribly scratchy, doing more harm than good as it just served to make my nose raw with each touch.

I could handle the feeling, until I realized that the mucus running down was also creating an unbearable tickle in the back of my nose. Wiping my nose, I managed to stay in one place, so as not to fall if I leaned against the slippery tile. “H... Huh...!” Oh brother. Here came what felt like one of the most awful, irritating sneezing fits I’d ever have in my life, made worse by my runny nose. “Huh’tcchhhhuuuu!! Hih’tssshhhhhiiii!!”

I held the washcloth over my face, not sure whether I should just blow my nose or keep sniffling. I didn’t know which would be more likely to help my situation. I settled for just rubbing as hard as I could, while twitching my nose and trying to dispel the tickle. Unfortunately, it wasn’t working as well as I would have liked it to. “Heh’ssschhiiuuu!! Huh’tssssshhhhhh!! H’tttssssshhhhhiiii!!”

I mentally groaned, feeling so repulsed by myself at the moment. Being sick was the most disgusting thing I’d ever experienced, and I loathed every single time I came down with something. I couldn’t stop coughing, each sneeze plugged up my ears and made me dizzy, it was impossible to move properly without grimacing in pain, and my nose was dripping constantly. Not to mention I was practically ruining this poor washcloth with my violent sneezing. It was a wonder Kizuna hadn’t taken one look at me and run for the hills; a mystery to me why she stayed.

Groping for the wall of the shower, I scarcely had the time to get another few breaths in before I started sneezing again. “Huuh’tssssshhhhh!! T’SSSSCCHHHHIIUUUU!! Ugh, dab it, sniff! I h-hate thiiihhhh... IHH’TCCCHHHHHUUU!!” I have no idea how I could keep as good a grip on the washcloth as I was, holding it firmly over my mouth and nose as I virtually sneezed my brains out. “Hah’ssssshhhhhuuuu!! H’schhhhiuuu!!”

After several seconds of sniffling and unsuccessfully trying to clear my nose, I sighed and folded up the washcloth. As badly as the material was chafing my nose, there was really only one way I could get the sneezing to stop. It might not even work, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. And I wanted this fit to be over. I despised long fits, no matter how good it felt to get rid of the tickle. It wasn’t going away quickly this time, and I was getting sick of waiting for it to stop.

I buried my nose in the cloth, blowing loudly. It felt like the material was scraping at my sensitive nose, yet it was annoyingly thin enough that I feel the mucus seeping through onto my hand. It was utterly revolting... the warm, wet sensation on my fingertips was enough to make my stomach churn. I even gagged a little, thinking for a moment that I was going to be sick to my stomach. I quickly got it under control though, and winced when I realized how obnoxious I’d just sounded. The way I’d blown my nose sounded nothing like the way it typically did, especially when I was stuffed up.

I was surprised, however, when I went to sniff and noticed that I could breathe much better. The hot water was making my nose run, but it was also loosening up the congestion and allowing me to blow my nose more effectively. It was a massive relief, even though my nose wasn’t completely clear it was still enough so that it wasn’t a battle for every breath.

I was about to relax and be grateful for the fact that I could breathe again, until I felt my nose gearing up to continue the previous attack of sneezing. Great... this was going to make me blocked up again, then I’d have to blow my nose for the hundred-millionth time. “Huh’tsssshhhhhooooo!! H’tiiissssshhhhh!! Tss’SHHHiiuuu!!” Every motion of it wracked my body with pain, nearly making me bend at the waist. I had no choice but to shove my nose back in the rough washcloth, which only made everything about a billion times worse. “Hhh’ahhSHHHIII!! Huh’tchhhhooooo!! HEH’TCCHHHHIIII!!”

Blowing my nose again, I slumped against the wall of the shower. This was torture. Utter torture. “Bless be,” I muttered with a deep sniffle, using my wrist instead of the cloth to rub at my nose. It still hurt sharply, but at least my own skin didn’t make it rawer. After I blew my nose twice more, I coughed and spit toward the drain. I honestly was wondering how much worse this was going to get. How much more abuse could my poor nose take? It was starting to reach an excruciating level of discomfort.

The remainder of the shower mostly consisted of the same thing, over and over. The steam was doing a good job of clearing my sinuses, but to do so it had to make my nose run. It seemed endless because apparently the cold was making my nose hellishly sensitive; every little thing set me over the edge. The soap made me sneeze, the shampoo made me sneeze, even just blowing my nose or wiggling it too much made me sneeze. I was getting sick of all the fits, since each one averaged around ten or more sneezes and took nearly every ounce of energy from me.

The warm water felt great against my achy muscles, almost forcing me to relax. It took such a long time to get washed, because every time I stopped to enjoy the feeling of the water melting over me, my nose would start to run again. Then I’d have to blow my nose again and wait for another sneezing fit to be over. It was exhausting, but by the time I stepped out, I actually did feel a little better than when I’d gotten in. At least the congestion seemed to have eased up so that blowing my nose actually worked.

I’d managed to dry off most of my body and pull my pajama pants on, just in case anyone would happen to walk in, before I was snatched up by another fit. It started off as my nose running again, so I quickly grabbed the roll of toilet paper and tore some off. I tried blowing my nose, but of course that only made the horrible irritation return. “H-H... Heh... heh...!” I was nearly backed up against the wall, starting to get dizzy again.

“Heh’ssscchhhhhuuuu!!” I barely managed to get more toilet paper unrolled to cover my face. This was starting to drain all the energy I had. “Ha’tssssschhhooooo!! Hih’eeeetssssscchhhhh!! HUH’TIIIISSSSSHHHH!! HUH’TTTSSSSHHHHH!!”

It wasn’t exactly over, but for the moment all I could do was sniffle. I pushed myself off the wall, sitting down on the toilet and coughing several times. I closed my eyes, doing my best to normalize my breathing. It was getting harder to breathe through my nose again. The room was spinning, and I wished more than ever that I could just sleep.

“Gaara, sweetie?” There was a soft knock on the door, Kizuna’s voice floating in. “Are you - my goodness, bless you! - are you decent?”

“Huh’iiihhSHHHOOOO!! Hih’tccchhhhhiiiii!! SSSSCHHHUUUU!!” I snapped my head back down into the wad of toilet paper, blowing my nose yet again. It sounded so awful and disgusting; I hated being sick. I sniffled and scrubbed at my nose. “Yes.”

“Alright, I’m coming in.” She opened the door and walked inside. I didn’t miss her very worried expression as she walked over to me, laying a hand on my back. “Bless you, dear.”

I let my head fall down, supported only by my wrists. “Thank you.”

“I thought I heard you sneezing up a storm in here. I wanted to come see if you were okay.” She rubbed my back softly, grabbing my other towel from the edge of the sink. “Let’s get your hair dried off - I won’t have you keeping it wet and catching pneumonia.”

I nodded, wiping at my nose. I hoped she didn’t notice that I was blushing, because I was embarrassed that she could hear my sneezing all the way downstairs. “Okay... I think I needed some help anyway.”

“No problem.” Throwing the towel over my head, she began to rub vigorously at my wet hair. “You just tell me if you need me to stop or anything. So how are you feeling, hon?”

“A liihhh...” I shook my head, sniffing deeply. The least I could do was hold it till she was finished. “Snf! A, uh, a little better.”

“Less stuffy?”

“Yeah.” I twitched my nose, blinking. “Although I swear by dose... sniff... feels like it’s going to fall off.”

She giggled. “Aww well, I’m sorry it hurts so badly, babe. I could tell it was starting to get a little chapped from the tissues. But hey, maybe now that you can breathe, you can actually get some rest - even if you can’t sleep.” She pulled the towel up over my head, carefully drying off my neck. “Is there anything else you’d like while you’re sick? Don’t feel guilty about asking me, now. Really, that’s what a mom’s for.”

I thought for a few seconds as she continued to rub at my hair, but I couldn’t think of much. I hadn’t been a very sickly child, so I couldn’t remember much about what you were and weren’t supposed to do when you were sick. Mostly the only thing I knew was that you weren’t supposed to strain yourself, and... also that I still didn’t want to go to the hospital, which was where you ended up if you strained yourself while you were sick.

“Huh’TSCHHHOOOOO!! Hat’sssscchhhiiiii!!” I sniffled and whimpered a little, falling forward against her stomach. I didn’t even mean to... I’d just gotten so tired all of a sudden, like out of nowhere I’d lost the will to sit up by myself. “Ugh... e-e’cuse be, Kizuda-sad,” I muttered, trying to straighten myself up. “I’b so sorry...”

“Bless you, Gaara. No need to apologize.” Removing the towel, she tossed it on the floor and got on her knees beside me. “Sounds like that congestion’s sneaking up on you again, though. Come here.” She took my soggy wad of toilet paper away, throwing it in the trash, and pulled a couple of fresh tissues from her jeans pocket. “Let’s see if we can’t fix that, huh?” She held them over my nose, pinching one side shut. “Blow.”

I did, and it was forceful enough to make my eyes begin to water. And it hurt, not to mention that it did a... decent job of clearing out the stuffiness. I choked a little, as the action had scratched considerably against my sore throat.

“Oh, very good, very good.” Her voice was quiet and soothing, as she folded up the tissues and pressed them against my nose again, this time pinching the opposite nostril closed. “Other side now.”

I repeated the action, causing another sharp pricking as my eyes started watering again. I sniffled, not able to hold back as she pulled the tissues away from my face, and the next thing I knew, I had my head on her chest, breaking down in tears. I couldn’t even speak, because I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know why I had just begun to cry on her, nor how I was supposed to stop.

“Oh, sweetie.” It didn’t seem that she minded, as she gently gathered me up in her arms, positioning me so that my cheek rested in the corner of her neck and shoulder. “Shh, shh, it’s alright. I’m here.” Straightening herself slightly, she stroked my back and held me lightly. Her entire body was cool, absorbing the heat of my body and seeming to do away with the fever, even if only for a minute. “It’s okay. I understand, Gaara.”

And in that moment, I believed her. She was so sincere, holding me against her like I was the most precious thing in the world even though right now I was the most hideous. She was good and pure, while I was a demon too ill to even take care of myself. “I’m s-s-sorry,” I sobbed, burying my face in her chest as if that would solve all my problems. As if by doing that I could become a part of her and just escape everything bad that was in the world. I wasn’t even sure what I was apologizing for; everything, I guess.

If she didn’t understand, then how could she bear to do this?

“No, no, no. Gaara. No, baby.” She lightly drew away, grabbing my pajama top and pulling it carefully over my head. It was made of cotton, with short sleeves, which made me shiver but was probably designed to ward off fever. “Don’t you dare be sorry.” She gripped my shoulders, looking me dead in the eyes. There were tears in her eyes too. “You are who you are, and there’s nothing wrong with that.” Shaking me a little, a few tears spilled down over her cheek. “You... are perfect. I know nobody’s ever told you that, but you are. You’re just... a sweet, beautiful, perfect child.” She leaned forward and kissed my cheek before hugging me again. “You are all I could have ever asked for, and you’re the reason I can be a mother. And now I have you and... and...”

I wept into her shoulder, throwing my arms around her and holding her as tightly as I could. I knew where she was going with this, because I felt the same way. I’d wanted a mother for my whole life; after pushing her away for almost a year, now I had one. I didn’t want to let go of her again. I couldn’t say it, I don’t think, even though I wanted to. It was a good thing that she already knew, she already understood how I felt. I couldn’t even bring myself to tell her, but she knew, so it was alright. That just made me cry even more.

“Shh. Gaara, sweetie.” I wondered where she had gotten the strength to scoop me up in her arms, because that was exactly what she did just then. She picked me up and cradled me against her chest like I was a child, one hand under my legs with the other firmly wrapped around my back. “It’s alright. I know, honey, I know. Now let’s get you back on the couch, resting. You’re shivering... poor baby...”

I continued to cry as she carried me down the stairs, even as I could tell that Kankuro and Temari had peeked out of their rooms to see what was going on. It must have been a very odd sight, to see our stepmother carrying me bridal-style downstairs. Nobody spoke, and Kizuna was very tender in her motions depositing me on the couch, as if I was so fragile that I might slip from her arms any second. After a few minutes of silence, I heard my siblings go back into their rooms.

She took a blanket she must have draped over the back of the couch, and laid it slowly over my body. A soft, calming voice flowed from her lips as she tucked it around my body. She covered every inch of me that needed it with the blanket, around my feet and over my shoulders and under my neck.

“Close your eyes, leave the world behind... find a place deep inside... where you imagine that love never dies... in the night, when you reach for me... in your heart, hear my sigh... now and forever... will you remember?...”

Sitting next to me, she took one of my hands in hers and rubbed her thumb over the back of my hand. She reached down onto the table and handed me the box of tissues, seeming to recognize the look on my face. I had to sneeze again... this was ridiculous.

I rapidly tore several tissues from the box, clapping them over my face and shaking. “Huh’ITSHHHooooo!! Hih’tsssshhhhh!! Ihhh’eeetsssshhhhiiuuuu!!” I sniffled and wiped my eyes, closing them as I felt her hand stroke against my cheek.

“Bless you, honey,” she murmured, tracing a finger down my jawline and briefly taking my chin in her hand. She flattened the blanket against me, brushing my skin, before continuing to sing. “When you love... you’re not alone... the one you love... is there beside you... never lost... or on your own... a gentle hand... is there to guide you...”

She stood up, and when I opened my eyes I could see she was bent over me. “I’ll go make you some tea. I want you to drink it all, and then I want you to rest.”

I nodded, plucking a few more tissues out of the box to blow my nose. I think I’d almost fallen asleep, by the time she got back with the tea. She sat me up while I took the first few sips, though it made my nose run all over again. I buried my face in the tissues, managing to stifle tiredly. “H’gnnktt!! H’kkntt!! H’nnktt!! H’NKT!! Sniff... ugh... h-h... heh’nngktt!!”

“Bless you again.” She slid the cup out from my hands, and I suddenly noticed how sleepy I was. Worse than before, like I was going to just go out like a light. “Chamomile,” she added, cautiously pushing me back down and rearranging the blanket. “It’ll help you sleep.”

I shifted and yawned, slightly concerned but at the moment too exhausted to care very much. “But I can’t...” I protested weakly, even as my eyes were shutting, preparing for my first night of sleep in a long time.

I opened my eyes just long enough to see the blurry image of her smile, as she lightly cupped my cheek in her hand. “Yes you can. I’ll watch over you.” She leaned down, her warm breath lingering over the symbol on my forehead. “I won’t let him give you any bad dreams.”

I could only mumble, “Okay...” as I curled my whole body up, adding to the warmth from the blanket.

“Goodnight, sweetie.” Her lips touched the symbol, barely brushing over it in a soft, unexpected kiss. “I love you, Gaara. Sleep well.”

That was the last thing I remembered before falling asleep. It was a wonderful memory, despite everything that surrounded it.

Maybe being sick wasn’t so bad. After all... my mother would take care of me.

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.

Yeah if you're not melting you have no heart so go get that checked out. XDDD

Just kidding lol!!

Doesn't help that I was writing most of the end parts while watching Rugrats in Paris. Which coincidentally is where the song Kizuna sings is from. It's called "When You Love" by Sinead O'Connor.

Do you like? Do you love? Make sure to leave me a comment, I love getting comments because y'all are always so beautiful about it!!

Thanks for reading, tune in next time!