Holding An Offered Hand

It had been two days since he fell into this strange world. During that time, he never went out of the room he woke up in, relying on the food the strange people gave for sustenance and cleaning himself up in the small bathroom connected to the room.

And, although the old man called Arima often came by to talk to him, those conversations never lasted long with Gaara's lack of response while the gold eyed teenager only seemed to stare at him with gradually increasing eyebags.

Gripping the edge of the sink, Gaara tried to splash water on his face, finding his reduced height troublesome as his fingers brushed against his forehead across a strange vertical slit at the center which was no doubt a new addition, and ended up on his self inflicted scar.

The only thing he was thankful for in this situation was the fact that it still existed, to remind him of everything it stood for.

If it wasn't for it, he would have continued to sink into the same pit of despair and loathing that he had sunk into long ago, before his sun found him and pulled him out.

But, now that the sun wasn't with him, he had to pull himself out and carry on living.

And, despite not willing to carry on anymore, he knew he had to. Because 'he' would want him to.

'In order to exist you need a purpose, to exist without a purpose is the same as being dead.' Gaara seemed to have said those words at some point, yet, it completely fit his situation right now.

'If you don't have a purpose, then you can just make up one for yourself and live by it!,' 'He'd' probably say something like that.

He always did find ways to say just the right words to lift people up.

So, even if he couldn't live for himself, Gaara decided to live for 'him' instead. Until the day came where he'd be able to find his own reason to live.

With that decided, he pulled the door open for the first time since he got there and took his first step outside.

...

"I think I understand now." Chisaki muttered suddenly from where he was sitting, bidding the older man to look up from the documents he was sifting through. "You were right, like always."

"The existence of that boy made me realize a lot of things." Chisaki continued, taking Arima's silence as a sign that he was listening. "I used to view quirks as a sickness which I needed to get rid of in order for the yakuza to rise again. But, I recently learned that quirks weren't a disease. It never was. It was fated and inevitable, an evolution, per say. It is laughable, how foolish I was."

"You learned, that is good enough." Arima said with a faint smile of approval. "The quirks were never the problem. Like the coming of quirks, the downfall of the yakuza was something fated as well. It was already apparent even before quirks appeared."

"I'll tell you a secret." Arima chuckled to himself as Chisaki sat up straighter. "The first person to receive the death sentence in Japan was a Yakuza boss. It happened before the dawn of quirks. Speaks a lot about the bleak fate of the yakuza, doesn't it?"

Towards those words, Chisaki felt himself settling in a grim mood.

"With the advancement of technology, the remnants of the past get left behind and those who refused to advance with the times are the first to get cut off. And the yakuza, with its stringent management and old-fashioned conduct which was no longer accepted in modern society, was hit the hardest." Arima fiddled with an old wooden wax seal which was always placed on his desk but was never used.

"It was actually the sudden appearance of quirks which allowed the yakuza to still be able to exist to this extent." Arima chuckled wryly. "With the whole nation focused on quirks, the advancement of technology slowed down as well as hindered the creation of new laws which could cripple the foundation of yakuza groups. Everyone had their eyes on quirks for so long that the yakuza just flew under their radar. Funny, isn't it?"

Chisaki sat silently, his expression blank as he tried to take in all of this information. In a span of a few days, everything which he believed to be the absolute truth ended up being torn down so quickly. "Then... What now?"

"We deal with it like we always have. With one problem at a time, and a chivalrous bearing." Arima smiled, the stern lines on his face softening.

Just then, a rhythmic knocking interrupted the pleasant atmosphere between them.

"Come in."

...

"Excuse me."

A red haired boy said politely as he entered the office, carrying a tiny potted cactus with him. It was right outside the door of the room he found himself in, as if it was just waiting for him to open the door to meet it.

"I was told that I would be able to find you here." Gaara said, meeting two pairs of eyes staring at him, one in muted amusement and the other in silent contemplation. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything."

"No, no. Of course not. You came just when we were finishing our conversation." Arima said, dismissing his worries. "Is there something you wanted to talk about, Gaara?"

"There is... indeed, something." Gaara replied hesitantly. "I want to know what you've decided to do with me."

"You've provided me with food and shelter for two days without asking me anything aside from my name. I do not understand. What would you get from caring for me? I have nothing to offer you." Gaara stated in genuine confusion as both Arima and Chisaki listened to him quietly. "I no longer have anything."

"Mortal possessions are exactly what they are; mortal. They do not last for eternity. In fact, nothing ever lasts for eternity." Arima spoke thoughtfully. "There is no use in thinking about all the things you once had and lost. Instead, it is better to think of the things you can gain in the future."

"We do not expect you to give something back for sheltering you. Just the satisfaction knowing that someone in need was saved due to our actions is enough repayment." Arima smiled gently. "Chivalry and Honor, that is what the Shie Hassaikai stands for."

"Shie Hassaikai?" Gaara mused. With the way Arima phrased it, Shie Hassaikai was most likely a group or organization of some sort. Was it something like an organization of shinobi? But chivalry and honor was more of a samurai's code than the shinobi.

"If you wish, you can stay here for as long as you want. We'll accommodate you until you figure out what you wish to do next." With the same genial smile, Arima welcomed Gaara, a person he had just met, into his home unhesitatingly. And, with Gaara's experience as a Kazekage for two years, combined with living a life like his where he learned to read a person's true intentions from a young age, he knew Arima meant every word he said.

"It seems that we haven't gotten in the right foot before, and for that, I apologize. Allow me to do it over." Gaara stood straight, his face impassive as always yet, his eyes showed respect towards the older man. "I am Gaara of the sand, the fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure. Thank you for sheltering and providing for me these past two days."

"It is a pleasure meeting you, Gaara. I am Arima Kenji, the twelfth oyabun of the Shie Hassaikai." Arima smiled as he stood up to shake Gaara's much smaller hand, his eyes reciprocating Gaara's respect equally.

It was a strange sight, seeing a tiny child shaking hands with an old gentleman with a serious expression.

...

"We initially thought you were 5 years old because of your height but, the doctor told us you were actually around 8. Physically, at least." Arima said as he sipped on his tea.

"I have always been smaller than most within the same age group due to being born prematurely." Gaara replied, lightly blowing on his tea to cool it off before taking a tentative sip. "Though I died at the age of 17, so I can't understand why my body has turned out this way."

Suddenly, from beside him, Chisaki began to cough violently, having been taken aback by Gaara's words.

"Ah, I suggest you not to speak about the circumstance surrounding your death and... resurrection so blatantly." Arima smiled wryly. "It's not really a common matter here for people to return from the dead."

"Really? I would have thought circumstances like mine would have been more common with all the strange abilities your people possess." Gaara said in mild confusion.

"Unfortunately, it is not." Arima shook his head regretfully. "It is a sad fact but, if anyone was known to possess the ability to resurrect others, they would immediately be taken and experimented upon by those who cannot control their greed. If such people do exist, they are likely in hiding or have already been taken."

"I see." Gaara nodded in understanding. "It seems that this world is much more dangerous than I had originally thought..."

"I have to thank you for the cactus by the way. It was such a nice surprise to see it by the doorway." What a drastic change in subject.