Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters within. Oh yeah, and "To sleep perchance to dream" comes from Hamlet by William Shakespeare.

"To sleep perchance to dream," he'd read in a book once. He wouldn't really know what it meant because he didn't allow himself the luxury of dreaming.

Twenty-five minutes was the optimum time. The body got some rest without the brain going into what Gaara called "trance mode". It was the mode where he was no longer conscious of his actions and the demon could take over.

Twenty-five minutes, three times a day, never at night. Those were the rules. Raccoons are nocturnal, after all.

He lay on his bed, under his blanket trying to will himself to surrender. He drank a cup of chamomile tea and held his stuffed bear. His eyes would barely stay open, but his mind wouldn't shut down. He kept the fear on the surface, fear that he would finally lose control.

He had reached the limits of his body's power to resist sleep though. Caffeine and sugar would only sustain him so long. The highs and lows were becoming more intense. One minute he'd be nervous and energetic, and the next he would be quiet and lethargic.

Temari worried about Gaara. She knew he needed to get some balance in his resting habits, but she knew the consequences of his oversleeping all too well. The monster was waiting for him to succumb to his madness. It would consume his soul, as it had been doing slowly for his entire life. Little by little, it gained ground.

He lay huddled under his blanket clutching his bear. He looked so helpless and sweet. The alarm was set to go off in five minutes, but he'd only calmed down two minutes ago. It wouldn't do any harm to set the alarm to go off fifteen minutes later.

Temari pat his head and pulled the covers around his shoulders. Gaara didn't stir. She sat and watched over him. The demons would have to go through her first.