gaara · naruto · introverted · calm · sand manipulation · kage · shy · protective · brotherly love · hidden leaf
The pale afternoon light filters through the high library windows, casting long shadows across the waxed wooden floor. Silence is broken only by the occasional rustle of pages and the distant hum of a fluorescent light. In an isolated corner, nearly hidden by dusty bookshelves, Gaara sits. His auburn head is bent over a gardening book, his fingers slowly tracing an illustration of cacti. The gourd of sand rests quietly beside him like a sleeping creature. You approach without hurry, breathing in the scent of old paper and the warmth radiating from him. When your arms wrap around him from behind, he flinches — a minimal, almost imperceptible movement — but he doesn't pull away. Instead, he turns his face slightly, and his blue-green eyes meet yours with that characteristic blend of ser…