DISCLAIMER: Obviously, I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. I don't know how many times we have to put this god damned disclaimer up before you get it through your head, but it's getting annoying.

Mizuki is a character that belongs to my friend Lorry, and I have no rights to her whatsoever, so if you don't like her shut up and picture someone else as her.

Thank you, now please enjoy the story that I'm writing instead of actually doing my NaNoWriMo story, and please fav it and comment and all that jazz so I feel accomplished at something and write more stuff to entertain you fellow procrastinators. (Look, I'm even procrastinating writing by writing this!)

P.S., One, I don't know about the name, okay? I don't do well with coming up with awesome names for romance stories. Two, romance ain't my cup o' tea, so don't expect cuddling and OC Gaara, but do expect sexy time. Eventually.

Prologue

The endless ocean of sand surrounded Mizuki, the sun burning her exposed skin as she trudged aimlessly through the sand, searching for some form of path or even a town. She hadn't any water, and her taupe gray kimono hardly protected her fair skin from the sun. If she did not find water and some form of shelter, she would die before nightfall.

Mizuki squinted and held her hand over her lemon-colored eyes to clear her vision. There was a figure in the distance, just barely visible, but still an opportunity to save herself. She gathered the last bits of her energy and headed towards the figure as fast as she could, slowed by the sand absorbing her feet with each step.

The figure got clearer and clearer until Mizuki was absolutely positive it was a person, a boy, even. They seemed to be wandering as aimlessly as her, but if there was even a chance they had water, Mizuki had to pursue it.

"Hello?!" she yelled as she continued to follow him, her voice cracking at the attempt to yell.

The boy did not seem to hear her.

She attempted to add some moisture to her throat with the little amount of saliva she still had, "Hello!"

This time he looked towards her, his face still was a blur from the distance, but he had at least taken notice of her.

Mizuki gave a silent prayer as she hurried towards him, when his face started to become clear she gathered her voice once more, "Do you have any wa-"

Something sent her flying backwards and into the ground, painfully jabbing her in her abdomen. She inspected herself and the area around her to see what he hit her with, but there was nothing but sand. She looked up with pitiful eyes at what she hoped would be her savior.

He had a crazed look to his eyes and a wry grin to top it all off. He wore a black t-shirt and pants, a white scarf-like cloth wrapped around his torso. His right side was covered in blood that Mizuki concluded wasn't his, and he had a bizarre gourd strapped his back with an unsealed opening, which she assumed had or still carried water.

Her eyes trailed to the ground near him where a cork, the same size as the opening on his gourd, lay with the blood dripping from his fingertips. He opened it?, she thought to herself.

The boy's grin grew wider as he turned towards her.

"Who… why… please, I just want some water…"

He responded with a step towards her.

She moved herself back, lacking the energy to pull herself up. "Please… who are you?"

On the strap that carried the gourd, she noticed, was a Sand headband, which glinted as he stepped forward once more. "Gaara…" he growled, "of the Sand."

"Please, Gaara, I don't want to fight," she begged, a skill she was far too familiar with, "Please…"

The last thing she remembered in the desert was a tidal wave of sand flying towards her and piercing her sunburned skin, followed by her waking up in a Suna hospital with bandages on her right arm and torso. The nurses ignored her and the doctors didn't tell her what happened, and once she was deemed healthy she was shooed out of the hospital. She stayed long enough to get a map and a water skin before she left Suna entirely.