"The Halo Effect" by AShyBunni

(A/N: This is a rewritten version of "The Halo Effect" by WinglessAngel (also me) that was posted on Lunaescence. The one in Lunaescence was a reader/Gaara fic, but this one I decided to change the main character a bit so she resembles more as the woman who I have seen with him in pictures on Pinterest. I made up her name as well as her backstory, and her friends' names. I'm trying to keep my story as canon as possible with the manga which is why a few scenes in the beginning of this fic might be familiar to Naruto fans. I really like Gaara and when I saw the episodes of Gaara's childhood I have always thought of the "what if" scenario of someone wanting to be nice to him when he was trying so hard to be liked. The rating for the story will be around MA just in case...there will be a couple horrific scenes (well in my eyes) in this story.)

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Naruto or the universe he resides in.

Chapter One

Awe

"Here!"

A small group of children kicked a ball around in the playground at Sunakagure. Airi was asked by Jadon if she wanted to play with them, but she was never the active type. Airi was an observer, always taking every piece of information in her little head. She sat against the wall of a building, watching her friends quietly, noticing a little boy with brilliant red hair on a swing holding a teddy bear. Airi looked at him and blinked; by the way he was looking at her friends, it seemed to her that he wanted to go over there and play with them but was too scared to ask. This happened a few times before, and one time, Airi asked her friends if he could join.

"Airi, don't you know who he is?" Tara asked, looking at Airi as if she had grown another head.

She blinked and shook her head. "No…who is he?"

Jadon pointed at him. "He's Gaara no Suna…a monster…" Airi still look confused as she watched the boy look very uncomfortable, as if overhearing their conversation, leaving shortly after. Airi look at her friends skeptically.

"Well…if you say so…"

So here she was, watching her friends and wondering why they were playing near him if he really was a monster. Sure, he has blazing red hair and clear blue eyes, but that doesn't make him a monster. Maybe they were taught that at the ninja academy; Airi wouldn't have known because she did not believe in violence and ninjas had to learn how to fight.

Airi looked down and played with the sand in her hand. 'I'm so bored…but I just don't want to play ball…' she thought. Airi glanced over at the so-called "monster" and smiled a little. 'I want to talk to him…maybe he's not a monster…'

"Pass it!"

Airi got up, dusting the sand off her bottom, and looked at her friends as Jadon kicked the ball onto the roof of a building. He gaped, a bit shocked at what he did. "Oh crap!" Airi went to them and all of them looked up at the ball. "What do we do?"

Cason blinked. "We haven't mastered wall climbing no jutsu yet…"

Airi and her friends then saw the ball start to float, sand holding it and floating downwards. Airi rubbed her eyes, not sure if her mind was playing tricks on her. She looked at where the ball was and saw that it wasn't there anymore. She looked in the direction the ball was headed and saw Gaara holding the ball. Airi stared at him, amazed, wondering how he did that. Her friends were stunned at seeing Gaara.

"Y-you are…" Jadon stuttered, her friends ready to run.

Gaara was holding the ball, trembling.

Tara stammered, "Ga-Gaara…"

Ruri gulped, "It's Gaara no Suna…"

Airi smiled a little and opened her mouth to thank Gaara as Cason turned away and yelled, "R...RUN FOR IT!" Ruri and Jadon grabbed Airi's arms and dragged her away as everyone screamed. Airi blinked blankly, not sure what was going on.

Gaara called out, "Wait!"

With his hand reaching out, Airi saw it; sand starting to form around her friends as well as herself. Airi screamed as the sand pushed Jadon, Ruri, and herself down to the ground. Airi struggled as she watched the sand start to cover her. 'What is going on!?' Airi thought franticly as her friends called for help, sand starting to cover their bodies. Airi screamed again as sand flew to Cason who fell on the ground and looked at the sand as it flew right at him. "Cason!" Airi closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to watch her friend get buried alive. Then she heard a voice as the sand stopped moving.

"Gaara-sama, please calm yourself down!"

Airi opened one eye slowly, seeing a young man holding his arms crossed in front of him as a shield, a gash above his eye and a gash in his arm clearly visible, blood dripping from the wounds. Airi blinked and looked at him then at Gaara as the young boy looked down, Airi's friends groaning under the sand, Cason trembling with fear. Airi kept her grey eyes on Gaara, wondering how he can use sand like that…when he was just about her age. Right then, Airi knew why he was called a monster and she wanted to see what else he could do. She knew he was not a bad monster; he helped bring the ball down. She became intrigued by him, wanting to know more about him.