Paranoia of the Starved |Kankuro|

Chapter 1

Note: Heyo! Just so that I am not writing about 12 year olds getting mauled, I will be writing about 14 year olds getting mauled instead. So everyone in this story will be 2 years older, just to make me feel better about later chapters. 

    There were nights that I could barely sleep. There were nights that I would just stare up at the ceiling, like it would help or something. I just kept on thinking. The fire, the screams, no one wanted me here. Just like my previous life, nothing would change. No one wanted me, so I avoided everyone.

I rolled onto my side, panning the room of slumbering children. Less and less beds were occupied though, as kids were adopted by the months. The economy was growing, and more homes could afford little ones. But, to be honest, I wasn't really sure where I was in the world. My surroundings consisted of a barren dessert, and I spoke Japanese. Those were the only two things I knew.

Everything was incredibly old fashioned. It was constructed out of wood or clay, and poorly functioning electronics. I figured this place had to be under developed.

I was deep in thought, a twisting in my belly as the feeling expanded and receded. It was like a rubber band being stretched in my stomach.

I suddenly sat up in bed, drawing in a deep breath and very quietly slipping out of bed. I could hear Reena-san still working around the orphanage, cleaning and touching it up. With silent feet, I tip-toed my way over to the window, opened it up to the dry desert air, crawled through, and with that I'd escaped.

It was a wide, vast outside world. The faint lights of families surrounding their dinner table in houses made out of sandstone and adobe. The drunken laughter of men in taverns. Everything was.. Peaceful.

I quietly meandered through the streets of this desert town, watching the rows of merchant stalls selling their street food, some jewelers closing up for the night.

As I walked, I stumbled upon a park. It was a lonely little place. Reena-san has brought the other kids here to play occasionally, but I was never concerned about going. So I never did.

The park seemed vaguely familiar in my mind, like I've seen it before, but long before. It had an old swing set, and an adjacent slide. That was all the park had to offer, but it was still entertainment I guess.

There was no one, except for a single person. One tiny child. He seemed familiar, too familiar. He sat there on the swing, garbed in sandy brown clothes. The boy had pale skin and bright red hair. He, along with this park, seemed very lonely.

I trotted towards the boy, claiming a spot on the swing next to him. "What are you doing out here all alone?"

"I can't sleep well..." He replied meekly, his words trailing off to nowhere in particular.

I nodded in response. "Neither can I. Why can't you sleep?" I asked. I enjoyed being around this kid, he was quiet and wasn't annoying. He seemed a lot like me, alone.

"Whenever I fall asleep, bad things happen..." He responded softly after a momentary pause, as if he had to gauge whether or not to trust me.

I nodded, "I have a lot of nightmares too."

He remained quiet for a moment, like he wanted to say something, but he held his tongue. "So, what's your name?" I pushed further. Maybe we could be friends in the future. Friends, that would be nice.

"Gaara."

He uttered those words, and my breath hitched. I became frozen, like a statue.