When Gaara was a small child, he would lay on grains of softer, dustier sand, and sit in front of the television in Yashamaru's room. It was a delight to him, clutching his worn bear, to see the colors shifting on the screen in bright lime and orange colors. However, his favorite program featured a magical girl, with long flowing pigtails. Every afternoon, the glitter of the swirling pastel colors could be seen flickering in his jade eyes. Gaara watched as the crybaby, yet brave Usagi battled fierce demons with a flashing tiara and skirt that seemed to swirl in the lunar light.
Before the days of coldness, of rejection of those around him, he tugged on Yashamaru's sleeve and said excitedly, "Uncle Yashamaru! I want to be just like her!", when he watched the translucent ribbons swirl around the girl.
Yashamaru smiled indulgently and asked, "But she isn't perfect- you should strive to be that, Gaara-kun."
Gaara's baby face drooped slightly, but regained his zeal. "She cries, but when she becomes Sailor Moon, she becomes pretty and brave...and strong. Can't I turn into Sailor Moon too?"
Yashamaru patted the red tufts and smiled, "You can't be both Gaara and Sailor Moon,"
"I'm going to be both!"
Years later, he would rock slowly on a swing, hearing the leaves dance in the wind, with Yashamaru dead underneath a pile of rubble. It would make him feel just a little bit better, pretending that the kanji he carved on his forehead was really Usagi's tiara in disguise. It would soothe the pain from the blood that he drew that the streams of red were really the ribbons of Sailor Moon's transformation.
And when he fought for Lee, he made sure that the punches that were inflicted on the sand masked his whisper when he surrounded himself in the sand cocoon and quietly mouthed,
"Moon prism power!"
And Gaara never really gave up on that childhood dream.
A/N: It's been a while, and I won't be back writing Naruto fanfic. This was a dedication to the lovely Delightful Sin on please?