Yashamaru put the dishes in the sink to do after Xavyn got settled in. "Xavyn, if it's ok with you, I'd like you to stay here for the next few days to make sure you're all healed." Xavyn opened his mouth to object, not wanting to be a burden on the only people willing to help him, but then he remembered what his dad said, and he gripped his shirt. "Is something wrong? I...I know your dad kicked you out, but if you'd rather not stay, we can find some other place-oof!" Xavyn threw himself on Yashamaru, and hugged him as tight as his little body would let him. "Th-thank you so much!" He fought tears, and felt arms wrap around him, he shook with the force of his stifled sobs, and allowed himself to have a moment of vulnerability. "His dad kicked him out?" Gaara turned to his siblings, and filled them in on what happened to his friend, a look of shock on their faces as they finally understood the full effect of Xavyn's fear. Yashamaru let the boy hug, and cry on him until he calmed down before he got set with making a bed for Xavyn.

The youngest two went outside to play tag, and use sand walls to hide behind, Gaara kept making new ones in front of of, and beside Xavyn to make him dodge at the last second. The air was filled with laughter, and sand, the sky was cloud-less, blue, and glaring bright with the sun. Xavyn was hiding behind a wall, and panting quietly, sneaking a peek from behind it, and found more sand, Gaara nowhere to be seen. "Ya-ha!" Xavyn yelped, and jumped so high he could grab onto the wall, and he looked down to see Gaara laughing, and using sand as a lift to bring him up to his friend; he reached out, and poked Xavyn's shoulder. "Got you." Xavyn giggled, and climbed on top of the wall so he could poke Gaara back. They poked each other until Xavyn fell off the wall but Gaara used sand to catch him, and ease him down to the ground. Xavyn landed on his butt, and grunted from the impact, but couldn't keep the goofy grin off his face. Temari couldn't stop herself from smiling as she watched her brother, who used to be afraid, and alone, play, and run around with someone his own age.

The boys played until long after the sun went down; Gaara built obstacle courses with the sand, and they raced through them, Xavyn climbed everything Gaara built, finding a knack for it he didn't know he had. Gaara had been chasing Xavyn since he was 'it' in tag again, and he noticed his friend had started to wobble, and wasn't running as fast. He came up to him, and put a hand on his shoulder, concern lacing his voice. "Are you ok?" Xavyn nodded, and mumbled that he was tired, collapsing to his knees on the ground. Gaara knelt down, and played with Xavyn's hair until Yashamaru came, and scooped the young boy up. "Come on, Gaara. He's had a long day." Gaara walked happily to his bedroom, and found another bed made next to his. It was just a sleeping bag stuffed with every pillow they owned, and a sheet on top of it, Yashamaru gently laid Xavyn on his back on the sheet, then moved his body to put the sheet over him. "Can you tuck yourself in?" Yashamaru turned to Gaara who was already in bed. "Alright, good night, Gaara. Sweet dreams." "Night night."

Gaara got in his own bed, and got comfy, leaning over the side to watch his friend sleep. As creepy as it may have seemed to anyone else, Gaara found it fascinating to watch others do what he couldn't. As Xavyn slept, he didn't dream, but could feel a presence near him as if he was being watched from the shadows. It didn't feel threatening or scary, but he still tried to reach out to that feeling to see what it was or where it was coming from. Sometime later, he felt something warm, and soft pressed against his back, and he, again, tried to reach out to search for it. Something grabbed his hand, and interwined with his fingers, it was comforting, and he felt himself go limp against it, trying to snuggle against it but felt no room to move. The scenery changed to a dense forest, packed with trees so close together, there wasn't room to move between them, only one path ahead was clear of trees, and brush, and was made of bricks. With only one option, one direction to move in, Xavyn started walking, looking left, and right to check out the world at his sides.

The path was so narrow, he could barely put one foot in front of the other. Though nothing changed no matter how long he walked, he still felt at ease, not worried that the path seemed more, and more endless. "What are you doing?" His friend's voice came from his right, but there was no one next to him when he turned to look. "I'm walking, what are you doing?" "Don't you know? I'm waiting for you. I've been alone so long. I don't wanna lose you when I just got you. I don't want to be alone again." Xavyn stopped, and turned around to look behind him, and he saw something that chilled him to the bone. His friend was kneeling in front of him, a sick, and twisted grin stretcthing to his ears, and revealing pearly white, large, inhuman, pointed teeth, his mouth so big, and elongated, he drooled openly. Sand was coming from behind him, and taking the form of a giant monster; Shukaku. Xavyn knew of it, the demon that rested beneath the surface of Gaara's skin, but had never seen it with his own eyes. A cruel laugh left Gaara's lips, and his eyes shone with angry tears, he looked up at Xavyn, and slowly stood.

But his friend looked different, older, less stable. He took a hesitant step forward, and Shukaku howled, turning to face Xavyn. "Are you afraid of me, Xavyn? Are you afraid of the demon inside of me?! Do you want to run away from me?!" "No! I told you before, I will never run away from you! You're my friend, you're the only person who ever showed me that humans have some decency left in them!" He ignored the difference in own voice, and his own changed appearance. He walked forward, confidence picking up his stride, and giving him the boost he needed. He stopped in front of his friend, they were eye-to-eye, and Shukaku towered above them, eyeing the youngest with a cautious glare, but he paid the beast no mind. He put his hands on Gaara's shoulders, seeing the wild, and uncertain look in his friend's eyes. "Gaara, I will always be your friend. I swear on my red blood I will never run away from you, no matter how many times this demon takes over you. I need to get stronger so I can run along side you rather than fall behind. You're all that I want in this world, the only one I want to be around, and all that I want to protect." He drew Gaara in for a hug, and felt the other's arms tremble as they wrapped around his middle.

"You...won't run from me?" Xavyn pressed his lips to the new symbol above Gaara's left eye in a gentle kiss. "I won't run, I promise. I'm here for you, I love you." The colors of the world began to melt, and dribble, fading away into the real world. Xavyn opened his eyes, and felt the same weight pressed against him, he peeked over his shoulder to find Gaara pressed against his back with one arm draped over him. "You were talking in your sleep." Were Gaara's first words to him. "Oh, s-sorry. W-wait how did I g-get here?" Gaara got up, and stretched, holding his hand out to help Xavyn up. Xavyn took the hand, and stretched his back when he got to his feet. "Yashamaru made your bed in here but you looked so comfy, I just couldn't help it. Does it bother you?" Xavyn blinked. "D-does what b-bother me?" "I slept in your bed with you, is that ok?" "Oh y-yeah that's ok." They got up, and trotted to the kitchen to find Yashamaru making pancakes. "Good morning, sleepyheads. Everyone accounted for? Good." The food was made, and Xavyn looked around, not finding Gaara's siblings. "They're outside, they already ate."

Xavyn blinked at Gaara. "Y-your uncle's a m-mind reader." By the time the food was placed on a plate in front of Xavyn, Kankuro, and Temari came back inside to have some water. "It's already hot out there, I feel like I'm sweating my brain out." Xavyn giggled around his food, and bit a piece off. It was silent between Gaara, and Xavyn while Temari, and Kankuro chatted up a storm, and Yashamaru told the kids he had a busy day beforw leaving to fulfill his duties. When the food was gone, and bellies were full, the friends went outside to play, they ran through the streets, and dodged between buildings, Temari, and Kankuro hot on their heels. It was an intense game of tag where two people were 'it', and had to hunt down the other two. Thanks to the training the siblings endured, they could easily catch up to Xavyn, but let him run for a while before they got him. They thought it would be unfair to him since they didn't know if he went through the same kind of training. Xavyn had been perched on a rooftop, looking for Kankuro, and Gaara so he could avoid them when Temari dropped beside him, and gave him a smile.

"You having fun?" She asked, smiling bigger at the eager nodding of her brother's friend. "Y-yeah I d-didn't know running away c-could be so fun!" A hand dropped on his head, and Kankuro's voice came from behind him. "Got you! Where's Gaara?" Xavyn turned, and didn't see the redhead there with Kankuro. "O-oh no." Xavyn carefully shimmied down the building, and looked around for his friend. "G-Gaara!" He ran North, and almost missed the bright red among the shadows, he skidded to a stop, and peeked down the alley. "Gaara?" "Hm?" Gaara was sitting with his back turned to Xavyn, and he turned a bit to look at his friend. "What's wrong?" "Hey, what happened? What are you doing here?" Temari's voice came from behind Xavyn, and she stepped forward. "Oh, I'm sorry. I saw something, and I got distracted." Three heads peeked over Gaara's shoulder to see him putting sand over a hole that had a small, dead bird inside. "Aw it died." "Yeah, it fell down from somewhere, and I couldn't save it so I...decided to bury it." Xavyn hugged Gaara from behind.

"Th-that's so sweet. I-I think it would l-like that." A suffocating feeling engulfed the four of them, and Xavyn held on tighter before he could manage to turn around. Almost a whole crowd of people stood at the entrance of the alley, and were starting to come in. "What the hell are you doing? You goddamn freak! You monster!" Whispers, and screamed insults at his only friend made Xavyn's blood boil, and he remembered his dream, feeling like the person he saw is what the villagers feared. He slowly stood, and turned to fully face the angry mob, his hands shaking as they balled into fists. "Wh-what did he e-ever do to you? All he ever wanted was a friend, and you all treat him like dirt!" The angrier he got, the less Xavyn stuttered, and he started to walk toward the other children, and teens. Kankuro and Temari put a hand on each of his shoulders to prevent him from going any farther. "You better hold that scrawny little fuck back or he's dead meat-hurggh!" The man talking got a sand blast to the face, and got knocked on his back. "Don't touch my friend." Gaara said as he stood between Temari, and Xavyn, and the people in front of them had either a look of fear or burning hatred in their eyes. "You demonic freak! Go jump off a bridge!" Xavyn ripped himself free of the tight hold on him, and he ran forward. He was blinded by his own anger, and kicked the first person he saw; one of the older kids.