Hullo- I am Valentine!
-Ever wondered what Gaara got up to before he became Kazekage? Well this is what happened in the mean time i.e. the best damn filler you're ever gonna see so pipe down!
-it begins half way into his journey…enjoy!
The rogue sat on his lonesome, only the moon was his company that evening. The streets beneath him were busy, full of light and the excited chatter of city people. But none of it appealed to him; being atop a roof made him feel far from those people and he had never been close to any other person anyway. He sat slumped forwards, breathing in the slight scent on the air; the fragrance was swaying away from the flowers beneath him and as it rose up to him he felt a calm feeling of serenity by himself. He glanced up to the moon with a smile small; its beauty soothed him and its silver light bathed him. Yeah, this life was a hell of a lot better than his old one; making his own rules and his own path in life was an exhilarating freedom Gaara had never felt. Suddenly his contemplation and peace was interrupted by shouts below; Gaara looked angrily to see who had disturbed him and he saw, running through the streets of the town, a hooded figure chased by young shinobi. Gaara rolled his eyes; would he have to teach these kids a lesson too? He stood up wearily and many people pointed up to the silhouette stood on the roof. He pulled his hood over his head to hide his face and jumped. He landed lightly on the ground beneath him. Many shouts of alarm were thrown his way but he ignored them and there was a determined, intimidating way in which he walked that made people quiet and stays well away.
There had been rumours of a rogue running in these parts of the city. He'd been travelling the country and the trail of broken bones and, some had heard, broken hearts that he'd left behind had created him a name; what it was he didn't know, he hadn't heard yet but he knew he had some name. Gaara scoffed as many people were too terrified of his lone figure to even get a close look. Some girls however were braver than some; his brother had warned him that this benefit came with becoming a rogue but Gaara couldn't understand it. Back when he was a kid he'd been reckless with a thirst for violence, a rogue was the same thing wasn't it? And yet when he was younger no girl ever looked at him in that way, but now he knew his eyes had softened, perhaps that was what made these girls so tempted. None of it swayed him; girls were no prize, he'd travelled the country looking for decent opponents to crush, to gain new skills. And so far it had worked out well. Even though, every now and then, he had to sort out a few kid shinobi who couldn't handle themselves. He turned a corner and came into an alleyway; the group that had given chase didn't even acknowledge him but instead focused their attention on their prey.
"Give it here!" One, with what sounded like a bad cold, shouted to the hooded figure. Gaara leant against the wall of the alley; these kids were a few years younger than him and he wanted to watch for a while to see how intimidating they could be but it seemed their prey wasn't too impressed either.
"Yeah, it's ours!" Gaara had to appreciate the way their victim kept quiet; as though responding to them was beneath them, it added a nice, adult, touch.
"You know, you really should learn to say please." Gaara said quietly but his voice carried in the alley and the young shinobi turned to him instantly. They took in his figure; they could tell it was a man and for a moment they looked happy until Gaara took his fighting stance. They looked at each other nervously; evidently they though their victim would be now trouble, this was more than they could handle. "What, to scared to say anything back?" Gaara tried to look at the figure behind them; he could tell from the curves it was a girl. "Thanks for getting them to come here." He called to her and could've sworn, from the darkness of her hood, a small smile spread on her face.
"No problem," she replied and Gaara was surprised to find a rather deep and husky voice come from her. "Just thought it'd make it easier for you." Gaara smirked and spread his arms, getting ready to attack the kids and he could see the person, that the shinobi thought was his partner, retrieve a katana from her robe. The shinobi looked from one to another, trying to way up their options but it was clear they were still Genin.
"You!" Gaara commanded from the one closest, "what were you after?" There was something in his voice that made the child respond immediately.
"Sir, her necklace it was!" They shrieked and huddled together. At the sight of them cowering Gaara thought he'd had enough fun. He dropped his arms and pointed out of the alley. "Go." He said in what he thought was an adult voice, "NOW!" He added when they didn't move but they ran out of the alley in an instant. There was a moment of silence as the stranger put her katana away and Gaara tried to see her face but he didn't have to as she removed her hood. Gaara looked her up and down; there was no way she was a rogue like him, she looked to perfect. She was pretty and all, with dark hair and violet eyes, but by perfect he meant her hair was flawless as was her tanned skin. She looked like a doll someone dressed up everyday. He caught a glimpse of the necklace; pure gold, he could tell from here, with rubies and emeralds; no wonder the kids wanted it. Come to think of it, he'd been running low on money recently and he figured her necklace would fetch a fine price.
"Speak your name." She said and it surprised him that her voice wasn't deep and harsh like before but light and there was something almost aristocratic about the way she spoke. He looked her up and down once more, wondering if he could trust her, before he removed his hood as well. She saw her eyes look up to the mark on his forehead and she smirked but when his eyes caught hers they were so intense, of colour and feeling that she stopped smiling immediately. She'd heard of the attractiveness of rogues but had never anticipated this.
"Kaze." He said after a minute and she smiled; it meant wind, rogues usually went for names like this. She said and began to walk towards him, he found he was looking at the way her hips swayed when she walked before he blushed and looked back at her face. She stopped a few meters away from him.
"Your name?" He demanded and she blushed at his harsh tone.
"Ame." She said quickly, it meant rain; she'd just thought it up on the spot. "You know," she said quietly and walked towards him in a shy manner, "the wind and rain are usually spotted together," she muttered and was so close to him now he looked down to see her violet eyes glitter up at him. He leant in further and saw colour rise in her cheeks as he bent down to whisper in her ear.
"That's true," he whispered back and felt her shiver as his breath touched her neck, he put a hand around her neck and felt her flesh burn beneath his touch. "What're you suggesting?" He asked and moved away from her. She stood, slightly breathless for a moment before she responded.
"That we travel together-"
"I travel alone," he said quickly and was already walking away.
"Why?" She asked and he stopped walking, cocked his head back to her.
"See those doves?" He pointed to some doves nestled on a rooftop above them, she nodded. "I am like one of them; fly down, eat, sleep, and fly off again." He said and turned fully to her now. "You are this." He pointed next to him and the girl had to move to the right to see a stone statue of a girl reaching out into the night; she was the symbol of freedom in this city. "Constantly reaching for the stars but too scared to jump to them." He whispered and the girl shook her head; this boy thought he knew her so well? "I'm taking my leave," he pulled his hood back over his face and left the alley. The girl stood for a moment and rubbed the back of her night.
"Stressful evening?" A woman jumped down from the roof above her and landed softly. The young girl appraised her guard; the woman's emerald eyes flashed intently in the darkness and she brushed long red hair away from her face impatiently. The girl nodded at her. "Shall we go home your highness?" The woman enquired; the pair had known each other so long she knew what all of the princess' gestures meant. They were about to walk out of the alley when the princess felt her neck again.
"No," she muttered before looking, wide-eyed at her protector. The red-headed woman waited for the princess to explain, "my necklace it's- he took it!" She shouted and was about to run after him when her guard caught her arm.
"Your father will be looking for you by now." She said wisely, the princess nodded before following her guide, a small smile on her face.
Back on the streets of the city Gaara wondered aimlessly, reminiscing about that violet eyed girl; she seemed familiar but he couldn't quite place the face. No bother, he'd probably never see her again. He passed a stall selling drinks and decided that his encounter with her left him thirsty, but upon going to retrieve his pouch of money he found out it was no longer there. He thought desperately for a moment….he almost shouted the word "no" before smiling. When he had leant in to take her necklace he felt her hand near his wais; she'd stolen from him! He changed his mind; maybe he would be seeing her again.
So...what did you think?
Be nice!
Review please!
