Chapter 10

I tried so hard not to fall asleep after that but simply couldn't keep my eyes open.

Gaara ended up moving a chair up to my bedside so he could hold my hand. The only thing he managed to say in his shock was that there was much he wanted to tell me but couldn't figure out how to put the words together. It didn't surprise me. The fact that he cried like that, right in front of me, is enough to prove he's not been doing well these past eight months. His voice has this desperate tug to it, too, like he's scared I'll fall back into a coma at any moment.

When I awoke next, Gaara's hand was still in mine. As I opened my eyes, I realized he was fast asleep with his head resting on his other arm. His other hand held a loose grip on the thin blanket over my stomach. Before last night, this room felt so cold and empty, but just his presence made me feel so comfortable and warm.

A loud crash filled the room, scaring me half to death and waking the red-headed man at my side. We both turned to see Temari, Kankuro, and Shikamaru in the doorway. Temari's hands were out in front of her as though she'd been holding something, and when I looked down at her feet, I realized it'd been a vase of fresh flowers. Its shattering was what caused the terrifying sound.

"Matsuri…?" The woman's usually firm and blunt tone was soft and unsteady as her green eyes stared at me in disbelief.

Kankuro shoved past her, his surprise not freezing him, and he came over to the opposite side as Gaara leaned over to kiss the top of my head, tears falling quietly down his tanned face. Then he crouched down and pulled my free hand into both of his, "Hey, Matsu. It's good to see ya."

"Get out of my way, idiot!"

Temari pulled him aside and all but climbed onto the bed to hug me, making me wince when my sore muscles protested the movement. Her chest shook as she sobbed, "You little brat! How dare you make us worry like that!"

Everyone in the room was crying, me included, except Shikamaru, but even he looked like he was fighting with all he had not to. Instead, he busied himself with picking up the vase Temari had shattered.

The Subaku sister eventually calmed down and pulled away, coming around the bed to stand behind Gaara's chair, anxiously trying to smooth his messy hair out despite knowing it was useless. It seemed to just be something to redirect her nervous energy.

"When did you wake up? Just now?"

I opened my mouth, but her younger brother cut me off before I could attempt to speak, "Last night. She can't talk yet."

"Actually, she woke up around thirty hours ago. I was just about to start making phone calls." We all turned to see Dr. Tsunade come into the room, shooing Kankuro out of the way so she could check my vitals.

Temari barked angrily, "Why the hell didn't you call us immediately?"

The doctor gave me a warm glance before shaking her head at the Subaku woman, "Matsuri needed a moment to breathe. You wouldn't have been able to see her anyway."

She met my eye again, "We'll start your physical therapy tomorrow, so you can see your friends today, alright?" I blinked twice, ready to begin the process of getting back on my feet, so I don't feel like such a vegetable. Shikamaru and Kankuro went into the hall to ask the doctor a million questions, leaving me with Temari and Gaara.

After obtaining her own chair, the Subaku woman pulled my hand into hers, opposite her brother, and gave me a devastating glare, "You've got some explaining to do."

I gave her a confused look, and she glanced at her brother, who was still trying to get himself to stop crying with his free hand against his forehead as he stared down at the sheets in a daze. Then she turned her stern gaze back onto me, "What was with that "give Gaara a message for me," bullshit? I could've killed you right then and there. I was so mad!"

My eyes widened, and my mouth fell open in surprise. I completely forgot about that! I looked at the redhead in question and back to her, panicking internally. Did she…?

"Of course I told him! You asked me to, and none of us knew if you'd ever wake up!"

She's really living up to my previous thoughts, where I imagined her as an overbearing big sister. Temari's not pulling any punches and is confronting me right in front of him about it. How mortifying.

Her eyes overflowed with tears again, and she wiped at them angrily, struggling to speak properly through her sobs, "It was such an awful thing to have to do, Matsuri. Why did you make me do it?"

"Stop. Now's not the time," Gaara bit at his sister.

She glared at him, "Shut the hell up! You've been scaring us this whole time, too!"

His jaw flexed as he gritted his teeth, but they stopped arguing after that, leaving me there with my head spinning. He knows I love him. She told him what I said, word for word, I bet.

An hour later, others began arriving. Kiba was first and was accompanied by one of his friends from before The Program and a pretty blond girl, both of whom respectfully waited outside since I didn't know them. The Inuzuka man was just as upset with me as Temari and Gaara, reprimanding me through tears for not listening to his warning about staying out of trouble while we were apart.

Next, Ino, Sakura, and the Uchiha brothers showed up. Apparently, Sakura's been interning under Dr. Tsunade while she works on finishing school and has even helped her with some of my treatments over the past couple of months, so she's a bit more familiar with my current condition than the rest.

What surprised me was the fact that she and Sasuke were already engaged. Ino and Sai were as well. Both brothers seemed lightyears warmer and more approachable than I last remembered. I'm so happy to see everyone doing great after all that trauma.

Neji and Tenten came by, surprising me even further because they were also engaged and even had a wedding date picked out.

Last but not least, Hinata and Naruto showed up, her little sister in tow with the baby in her arms. It didn't shock me to find out they stayed together, of all the couples. I'm sure everyone else felt the same.

Ever since the day she was sent downstairs during The Program with bandages over her eyes and blood all over her face, I knew Naruto wasn't going to simply part from her after everything was over.

Just the look on his face when she woke up and immediately reached out for him even though she couldn't see was enough. Sitting next to them both, I was right there, and I clearly remember seeing something *click* in his eyes. It's there now, too. As he knelt by Gaara and said something quietly to him with a big grin on his mouth, his eyes kept dancing over to Hinata, and that glint was still there.

The Hyuuga woman cried and shyly held my hand as she told me how concerned she was when she first saw me at the town hall in Suna. I don't recall seeing her, so it had to be after I lost consciousness. The Meishu kept my body moving even though I wasn't mentally present. No wonder she was concerned. My head was busted right open when she saw me.

Hanabi introduced herself, saying she's heard much from everyone else about me and how I kicked Konohamaru's ass when he was inhabited, which she thinks is pretty cool and funny. By the time sunset came around, I was utterly exhausted. Seeing everyone in one day like that was overwhelming, but it did wonders to increase my morale.

~

The next four weeks passed in one big blur of physical therapy and healing sessions with Tsunade. I became capable of moving much more easily and just needed to continue working to build up my stamina because it didn't take much to wear me down.

At the end of a check-up near the one-month anniversary of my waking up, Tsunade surprised me. "At the rate that you're recovering, I think you'll be ready to go home in about two weeks. I suggest you begin making the proper arrangements. I'll get you an exact release date in the next day or two, alright?"

My head bobbed as I nodded automatically, but it was like explosions were going off inside. How in the hell have I not thought about what I'll do when I get released? Well, I actually know how. I've been focused on regaining my strength, so I'm always exhausted by the end of the day. I never have the energy to let my mind wander before falling asleep.

The doctor patted my head before collecting her clipboard and exiting the room, allowing the Subakus to enter now that my checkup was complete.

Temari tossed herself across the foot of my bed. Luckily, my legs were crossed, so she didn't smash my feet. "Ugh, work was hell today. It was one Karen after another, I swear."

She's a beautician. Apparently a damn good one, too. She received her license in almost half the time it takes the average person and has only the highest reviews from her customers.

Kankuro scoffed, "Complain some more, why don't you?"

The elder Subaku brother said he's currently working at a construction job and doesn't like it all that much, but he said the pay is good, and it'll have to do until he figures out what he prefers. Personally, I think a job using his hands and building things suits him well, but it's not my life, so I can't choose for him.

Gaara, who turned eighteen in January, spent the time while I was unconscious finishing his last year of high school and getting his diploma. Now he's taking general studies classes at the college here in Konoha until he figures out what he wants to major in. Before all this, it was no question that college and higher education weren't an option for him, so it makes me so happy to see him finally be given the same opportunities as everyone else.

Something light and soft was placed in my lap, between my arms, and I looked away from Temari's annoyed face to see a stuffed animal, a bunny. Then I looked to see Gaara sitting back in his chair, arms crossed and slightly blushing as he averted his gaze away with a glare.

My stomach fluttered wildly when I looked down at the plush item again. A warmth rose to my face as I ran my fingers over its soft faux fur. I'm touched that anyone, especially Gaara, would get me a gift.

"Aw, cute! I told you she'd like it!" Temari giggled as she kicked her feet girlishly.

Kankuro winked at me, "I've got your back, Matsu, don't worry. I'll make sure he buys you lots of presents."

I shook my head, hugging the bunny absently, "No, don't do that! I don't need anything else." It's probably childish to love something like this so much, but I don't care. It's the only physical gift I've gotten from Gaara, and I'll treasure it forever.

That night, after Temari and Kankuro left, I couldn't fall asleep. Gaara still refuses to sleep wherever they've been staying and rarely leaves the hospital. He even does a majority of his classes online.

Since I was no longer at risk of dying without warning, I didn't need to be hooked to all those machines anymore, so the room was dead silent. I turned onto my side, hugging my new gift to my chest with a frown.

I can't stop worrying about what I'll do in two weeks when I'm released and have nowhere to go. That house in Suna, where my mother is buried, was only a rental. As far as I'm aware, I don't have any living relatives, either, so it's not like I can stay with some distant cousin until I get my feet on the ground.

I'll have no choice but to fend for myself. I truly and honestly don't mind working and taking care of myself, but the problem is that I won't have anywhere to live. If I don't have access to amenities, I won't be able to wash my clothes or shower properly, and it'll be hard to keep a job as a result. That brings me back to square one: homeless, jobless, and unsure of what to do.

My chest tightened when I lifted my gaze to Gaara's sleeping face across the room. And I can't let them find out any of this because then they might be pressured to offer me a place to stay, and I can't let that happen.

I saw their apartment in Suna, and I've seen many of Gaara's memories. The Subakus have struggled all their lives to make ends meet.

There's no chance I'm about to ask them to take me in, too. That would be like asking a starving person to feed me. Plus, they've spent the last eight months worrying about me. Becoming even more of a burden is just too much for me to take.

I'll just have to devise a believable lie and keep my distance until I figure out how to make things work.