DISCLAIMER : I only own the plot and my OC :)

Naruto and all its characters were the great (AWESOME) work of Masashi Kishimoto.

First

One-shot

:)

…

Echoes of my small feet pounded on the ground, footsteps crunching against grains of sand, a silent hissing of sliding sand across uneven ground could be faintly heard. My teeth chattered together from the blowing, harsh evening winds of Suna as my small hands fumbled clumsily over the bland sand colored scarf that had snaked its way around my neck earlier during the day and had now clung loosely on my shoulders. With much effort I was able to tighten it around me once again, as my papa had done so earlier.

I blink, this time, my trembling hands reach up towards my eyes to rub at them furiously. I was starting to hate this place now. It was so…big—it was altogether a colossal place to a small girl like me. And all this...this...sand! It has gotten everywhere where my skin was exposed, from the betweens of my toes to the hairs on the skin of my arms—everywhere my face, it had gotten stuck on my lashes countless of times already too!

The night was getting darker; the wind blowing earlier had become harsher, and had gone quite colder too. I walk across the downtrodden streets and I frown. I think I might have had wandered too far off earlier. Reluctantly, I entered an alley—i know that our house was on the exit of one. I bite my lips, now I didn't know where I was anymore. Identical sand buildings towered above me. It was eerily silent, even as I purposely drag my foot against the ground. I knew where my house was—really I did! I just had this really nasty habit of walking aimlessly every time I spaced out. I always had my eyes to the ground too—ooh why did I have to be so pathetic.

Now I was lost—I don't have the heart in me anymore to deny this. I was alone.

I shivered as another swift breeze induced with specks of sand passed me, searching through my hair tangles, clinging to them, and giving my skin goose bumps, making my hair on them rise into a rustled straight. I blink furiously as grains of sand irritatingly got caught on my lashes once again.

It had become pretty late once the thought finally had the chance to sink in—I was alone.

I hated this feeling the most.

"Pa-papa?" I whimpered, stuttering and nervous as my eyes scanned my surroundings. Shadows seemed to dance on what little corners of the alley where the light from the moon managed to find itself in. They seemed to creep up at the road and towards my feet. I gulp.

I repeated my whimpering sentence only to hear the same stutter and chatter of teeth behind it but nothing more. I blink tears of frustration away. I sniffle.

Where was I? Did I turn a wrong corner? I really, really want to go home. My eyes start to sting as tears once again babble into existence and my lips part as they tremble. The shadows around me seem to stretch longer and longer towards me, and for a moment my over imaginative mind starts morphing them into strange, ominous shapes—hands—claws, queer figures crawling towards me. My eyes widen, and I bring my hands cautiously together at my chest. The wind starts howling then, whispering coldly at my ears and coloring my chubby cheeks red with its coldness.

Like a turbine finally heating up, I hasten my phase, all the while frantically looking all around me at the dark, tall and imposing sand buildings and the dark, dark shadows that kept following me, jumping slightly at the slightest howl of the wind. After recovering from tripping from a rock on the ground, I immediately jump in my haste to get away from the shadows, and bolt into a sprint. Without thinking any of where I was going, I turn a corner, and suddenly I am stumbling, and stumbling—falling backwards into the ground, as I had, in my haste and running, bump head first into a wall of gritty, cold sand.

Grains of sand peppered my cheeks, and the feel of the wall's granular surface becomes evidently present all over my body which had come in contact with it with every second that I had wasted falling out of my balance. I scream.

I had been walking with papa earlier that afternoon towards the park. I was so happy. It was so warm. This village was my papa's. My ma and I used to live somewhere near the village hidden in the mist. We had just recently transferred here. I welcomed the change of the cold, wet climate for the warm, humid temperature of this new village. Besides, it didn't matter that everything was new here. I was just so happy that I was with papa again, and my family was complete once more.

My heart felt so so warm that time as I looked up to the tall figure of my papa smiling down at me—it felt as if it was going to burst from happiness any moment then. There had been many kids that time, though I was always too shy to go over and play with them. I had always been that—the shy stuttering kid in the background. Just thinking about approaching them made my five year old heart skip a beat. I look up from the ground. There was a man standing next to my father now. They talked in hushed voices. Noticing me, my father beckons for me to come closer to them. He kneels down so that we were eye to eye.

"Ne, Chiaki, papa's got to go for a little while. You go make friends with the other children. You can stay here until only four." He smiles. "Okay?"

I peered warily at the man standing next to him, frowning at having to lose the time I'll spend with my papa to an unknown stranger. I look back at my papa. He laughs. "Now, don't give me that look. I'll drop by our home on my way and ask Mizuki to find you later, do you want to go home now?"

Stubbornly I shake my head, raising my fists in front of my face. "Of course not pa. Don't call on that stinky onee-chan either. I know my way. I'm not scared to go home on my own." I say haughtily. "I'm a big girl now."

Papa stands in his full height and ruffles my hair afterwards, to which I only respond with sticking out my tongue and wrinkling my nose distastefully, I cross my arms.

"Alright. Alright. You're a big girl now. I know."

My lungs hurt. I was still screaming—I was crying too, tears poured down over my scarf now. Surprisingly though, I didn't hit the ground—sand slithered over me, gliding behind my legs and back, leaving behind goose bumps on their coarse wake, and then afterwards, steadying me.

"I-I'm sorry." I hear a small voice say, wavering in nervousness. "I-it's okay. Please…please don't cry anymore. I-I didn't mean to-" The voice stuttered. It couldn't find any more to say. I think it was lost for words.

The voice whimpered.

I open my eyes. For a moment, i just stood there motionless-cascading tears and all tracing pathways on my cheeks-until suddenly, the torrent of tears altogether stopped spilling from the brims of my lashes. My lips were quivering now. The sight sort of gave my thundering heart a bit of relief-though it shouldn't really should have. There stood in front of me, in all of my surprise was a red headed boy(the sand child).

I—I wasn't alone in the dark anymore! I wasn't alone! It didn't matter to me that he was the boy nicknamed as the monster child—I wasn't alone anymore!

I really hated the darkness—and I hated being alone more—I was scared of it more than anything else.

Hic. Huc. I hiccupped. Relief washed over me and tears of joy replaced the earlier ones. I couldn't help the foolish grin that was starting to plaster itself onto my face. I jump at the younger kid, pouncing on him and placing my arms over his shock of red hair, and over his thin shoulders in a tight embrace.

"You found me! " I say, grinning and crying at the same time. "I'm so happy! I'm so so happy!"

The monster boy was so small—I thought at that time—so small, and so fragile. As we stood there, I could somehow feel, fascinatingly, through the fabric of my woolly clothes and knitted scarf, the sand child's thundering heartbeat, I could feel him breathing in and out, almost...almost as if he were gasping desperately for air..somehow, something didn't feel quite right here. After some time, I noticed how tense his body was, how rigid he has become. He wasn't saying anything too. Suddenly, my eyes widen, and realization seemed to have just struck me then. I just hugged a stranger! And it was the sand boy too!

For a moment I felt my spirit flowing out of my mouth as I mentally flailed my hands backwards. Boy. Did Reality struck hard.

Quickly I stumbled backwards away from him, almost falling on the process. Biting my lips I quickly bowed down low, I felt my face getting warmer; the redness of my cheeks stung all the way to my whole face, then towards my neck. This was the sand child we were talking about. I was such an idiot!

But I didn't want to die yet!

"I—I'm so-sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry." I could almost feel my tears resurfacing back.

When nothing had happened to me yet, and I didn't feel myself being dragged away, and he still hadn't uttered a word after some time, I looked up nervously. The little boy stood there, wide-eyed, with his right hand over his chest, clutching the fabric over it so tightly as if it were his life line. His knuckles were bone-white. What surprised me that time, besides from the redness of his flushed face (which comically resembled his hair) and the wideness of his eyes, and the deep emotion painted over his face, was the color of his eyes. It reminded me of water—of the light cerulean, blue (and light white-green) of the sky. Reminded me of all the too many pictures Mama had of the sea from back home. His eyes reminded me of the green-blue sea foam, fresh and liquid, tantalizing and wonderful—just quite wonderful to my eyes. I had always wanted to go to where my ma and pa used to live. Always wanted to deep my feet under water and see what was underneath the cold, unforgiving dark depths. Unfortunately I never had.

The cerulean color of his cornea was intensified by dark rings smote around his eyes. It was my turn now to blush even brighter. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen…It didn't matter what my playmates said or what ever scary, terrifying stories that that stinky Mizuki onee-chan would tell me…He was…cute.

I gasp—what an embarrassing thought! I hadn't even meant to look directly onto his eyes. I cover my face with both of my hands and closed my eyes, wishing to just disappear then and there.

"I'm sorry!" I say once more.

"It's…o-okay. I just—" The little boy gulps. I open my eyes to his still flushed face; his face and eyes downcast now.

"I just…don't get hugs…nobody really ever…gets near me at all—that's why—that's why—" He looks up shyly at me. "I feel ha-happy…too."

And then he smiles.

"Thank you."

The fingers on my hands twitch. I don't know if it was just me and my delusional five year old mind playing tricks on me, but I swear during those few moments, I felt my heart stop beating.

I swear it did.

Just want to say hi and thank you to tsubame. hayakaze! Thank you for your uplifting review~made my heart flutter with joy X). I've also just recently read chapter 1 of her Obscured by Mist story-and I just loved it! I mean you would too, if you've read it. Her writing style is just sublime :')

Better go read it guys!