A/N: Same story, new beginning. I decided to write this one again, starting in the past of the OC this time and going on from there. I really hope you enjoy this, and please let me know what you think! I'm also writing a story for Levi from Attack on Titan and it'd be great if you checked it out.

Disclaimer: I'm only saying this once; I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

Warning: This story contains tragedy, strong language and lots of blood.

CHAPTER ONE:

Lonely eyes

"Pray that your loneliness may spur you into finding something to live for, great enough to fight for."

The sandy streets of Suna were empty, as usual, as the last rays of the sun hid on the horizon. The soft, warm breeze of the desert in which the village stood blew in between the curious-looking houses -all of them made by adobe.

"Mom, there's a boy sitting on the swing!"

A young family was walking by the park, heading home after a peaceful walk through Suna.

"Rei, do not look at him," the woman scolded her daughter, glancing ever so slightly at the redhead that, indeed, was swinging quietly in front of them.

Rei pouted, and crossed her tiny arms as she stared almost defiantly at her mother.

"Why not? He looks so lonely," she mumbled, and her big, orange orbs darted towards the boy again before they focused on the not-so-happy woman before her.

"He'd better be!"

And that seemed to be a final sentence, because the woman took Rei's hand and forcefully started to pull her away from the park. But Rei wasn't done; she didn't understand why her mother was suddenly acting so cold just by the mention of that sad-looking boy.

She managed to get her wrist out of her tight hold, and puffed angrily.

"Why, mom? He's just a boy!"

"He's not; he's a monster!" The sharp tone in her voice caused Rei to step back, a confused and frightened expression glowing in her eyes.

Just by one look at both mother and daughter, everyone could tell their physical differences. They were nothing alike. While Akane was a round-faced woman, with long blond hair and bright blue eyes; Rei was the opposite. The girl had taken after her father's defined features, and had short brown hair. However, it was her eyes what seemed to catch everyone's interest, for it was an unusual color to see.

"There, there," her father placed a gentle hand on his wife's shoulder, before he bent down to smile sweetly at Rei. "You don't understand now because you're too young, Rei, but you have to promise me that you won't go near him."

His sweet tone calmed Rei, but didn't stop her from keeping wondering what was so special about that red-haired kid.

Gaara watched silently the argument, not daring to move a finger. He, as well as Rei, was clueless as to why no one ever approached him. And he could only let his aquamarine eyes follow the family as they walked away, the same hurt expression that accompanied him everywhere plastered on his face.

But she turned around. Just for a moment, the girl glanced back at him, a small smile tugging on her lips. Rei's smile widened considerably when Gaara replied her with one of his own, a cute expression that suited him.

"Rei!"

She was scolded again.

-#-

It wasn't until after some days that Rei saw him again. She was playing outside with her friends, when Gaara came into her sight. He had the same lonely aura surrounding him, and she wondered why he didn't try to approach the kids around his age instead of sitting alone on the swing.

"Rei-chan, they scored again!"

Rei was snapped out of her thoughts, and quickly looked at one of her friends, Maki. The raven-haired girl was pointing accusingly at her, a glare formed in her dark eyes.

"I'm sorry, Maki-chan, it won't happen again," she sheepishly grinned.

"Are you sure you want to keep playing, Rei? I don't want you to cry when your team loses!" Kankuro smirked, before he yelped out of surprise when his sister punched him on the head.

"We won't lose, you idiot."

The game went on like nothing had happened… before Kankuro scored again. He sent the ball far from Rei's view, and the brunette could only apologize again as she ran after it. But she stopped dead in her tracks when the ball landed at someone's feet. Gaara bent down and picked it up.

A grateful smile crept to her lips, and Rei approached the intriguing boy, ready to take the ball from his hands.

"Thank you," she paused, waiting for him to introduce himself.

Gaara was definitely surprised, but shyly looked down at his feet.

"Gaara."

"Thank you, Gaara," she smiled happily before running back to her friends, only to stop on the way. "I'm Rei, by the way!"

Gaara didn't need her to say her name; he already knew who she was. He had watched her from afar from the moment she had defended him from her family. The redhead didn't know why, but she had caught his interest because of that. And every time she crossed paths with him, his eyes would follow her, almost as though waiting for her to turn around again.

Why did that girl act as though she didn't care about the rumors about him? Hadn't she heard from her friends that he was dangerous?

Of course Rei had, but something about that little boy tugged her towards him.

Nevertheless, something happened. A loud sound was heard, before an animalistic growl reached her ears. Rei was at home by the time her parents ran out, heading towards the danger.

"Don't go out, Rei," her mother firmly said. "No matter what you hear, do not step out of this building, do you understand?"

Rei didn't understand; how could she? All she was aware of was that she was going to be left behind, with a dangerous thing growling outside.

"Rei, there's something for you waiting in my room," her father told her, a forced smile on his face as he watched Rei's expression change into a curious one. "Why don't you go up and look for it, can you do that?"

Rei puffed her cheeks, looking self-sufficient.

"Of course I can!"

That had been the last time Rei had seen her parents.

-#-

The next day, she was visited by Maki's mother. The raven-haired woman approached her slouching form with hesitant steps.

"You are to come with us, Rei-chan," he stated, a sad expression decorating his face.

The girl lifted her head slowly to meet the woman's grey eyes. Rei wasn't a fool, even though she was no older than six. She knew her parents weren't coming back, and the Hashiri were the closest people she had now.

"C'mon, Rei-chan, we're leaving this evening," Nozomi Hashiri urged, smiling encouragingly at her.

"Where are we going?" Rei quietly asked, as she slowly pushed herself up.

Nozomi placed a hand on her back before the two of them walked out of the house that – Rei knew – would be her only home.

"Konoha."

-Two years later-

Black eyes darted to the right, then to the left, only to lock on the blackboard before them once again. A frown formed on Maki's tanned features. There was no sight of her brunette friend, as usual. Ever since Rei had moved with her family to Konoha, she had not been the same. It worried eight-year-old Maki to no end; she missed the old Rei, the one who woke up with a smile on her face, and wouldn't stop laughing at the easiest joke –always made up by Kankuro.

But old, happy Rei seemed to be long gone. Only the remembrance of it remained in Maki's mind, hoping to be brought back again. However, no matter how hard Maki –or her mother– had tried, they couldn't even catch a glimpse of even a small change in Rei's now typical stoical expression.

Maki let out a heavy sigh, and leaned on the desk she shared with one of her classmates, Kiba Inuzuka. Iruka Umino was already explained that day's lesson about taijutsu, and she was supposed to be taking notes. But, for some reason, her mind wouldn't focus.

Her dark gaze drifted towards the closed door again. Rei was late again. In fact, Maki didn't know if she was going to show up. The girl huffed. Rei kept skipping classes, but always managed to pass the tests without really trying. Nevertheless, she wasn't the smartest one in the class; as long as Sakura Haruno went to the same class as they, the pinkette would take that place.

Not that it mattered to Rei, anyway.

Suddenly, the door slid open. The sound echoed throughout the room, and was enough to make Iruka stop and turn around. A noticeable disappointed look crossed his face, before he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Rei, you're late!"

The brunette didn't even acknowledge his presence, and simply headed her desk. Iruka was fuming. He almost preferred to scold Naruto Uzumaki than to yell at Rei; the blond didn't ignore him at least. But he talked back, the little shit.

Iruka decided to give up for now; he would talk to Rei when the class finished.

Meanwhile, Rei had taken her seat next to the window, ignoring Maki in the process. She placed a hand under her chin as her brown eyes fixed outside. She had a distant look plastered on her face, as though her mind were somewhere else. There was a glint in her gaze, however. Maki could see it from behind her: that expression of despair reflected on the glass.

Rei was thinking of her parents; that much Maki knew. The two girls had spent most of their childhood together, and even though distance had managed to break between them, Maki still knew her like a sister.

"Hey, Rei!" Kiba called out,

The said girl blinked twice, snapping out of her thoughts, before she glanced at the grinning boy. It took her a moment to realize school was over, and almost everyone had already left. Only some of them remained, Maki being one of them. The tanned girl gave her a look before walking out, headed home.

"I'll race you out!" Kiba shouted.

"No running in the building!" Iruka immediately demanded, only to be ignored as Kiba was already running.

Rei watched the boy as he left the room, not even trying to follow. The boy always raced her, but he always ended up running by himself. Rei was never in the mood of running, not even walking. All she wanted to do was lie down, and hope for the pain to go away. After all, she hadn't gotten over her parents' death. She doubted she'd ever be.

"Rei, come over here," Iruka said just when she was about to leave the classroom.

Her feet stopped dead in their tracks, only to drag her to the front of the room, where her sensei awaited her. He had his hands placed on his hips, and a unhappy expression on his face as he looked down at her.

"I won't tolerate your insubordination anymore. You can't just come when you feel like it, Rei!" He scolded. "Why must you keep acting like this? You are still young, all you have to do is come to the Academy and learn as much as you can. You don't want to throw you future away just because of this, do you? Why don't you try to make some friends; friendship is very important at your age. They can help you."

Rei titled her head, a confused look shining in her eyes.

"Help?" She looked down at her feet then, and muttered, "I don't need friends."

To say that Iruka was in shock would be an understatement. He was at a loss of words, and as he stared at the girl in front of him, his mind wandered to the blond boy that always managed to get on his nerves. Somehow, the two kids gave off the same aura of solitude. Naruto was probably planning some pranks to pull on him or the rest of Konoha's population at that exact moment. The simple thought was enough to give Iruka a headache.

The mand sighed tiredly, and drifted his attention back to the girl. He could perfectly understand Rei's temper; they both had a common event in their lives, a painfully memory that would remain in their minds for the rest of their lives.

"I lost my parents too."

The unexpected fact caused Rei to look immediately up, surprise written all over her face. For the first time ever, Iruka could see a genuine expression in the girl's face; something that suited her more than the 'I don't give a fuck' expression.

"I thought I'd never get over that… and I almost gave up on happiness," he confessed.

"But you didn't, why?" Rei looked almost desperate, staring at him with sad and lonely eyes.

His lips turned upwards, forming a small smile.

"My friends didn't let me." He paused then, only to add, "That's why you need friends, to stop you from giving up on life."

Rei was silent for some seconds. Her gaze had dropped to the ground once again, and her hands were tightly clasped in front of her. Finally, she lifted her head up to and nodded.

"Okay."

Iruka could only watch as the young girl abandoned the classroom, heading outside. He hoped his speech had been enough to lighten her small ray of hope.

-#-

Footsteps echoed throughout the hallway as the brown-haired girl worked her way towards the exit. Her mind was filled with thoughts of her previous conversation with her sensei; she didn't know how to move on. She missed her old life; her friends in Suna, and her family. She practically begged the Hokages every day to bring that life back, a hopeless prayer she knew wouldn't become true. Sometimes, she wondered about the people she had left behind… at home.

She wondered if Temari still punched his brother every time he made fun of her.

She wondered if Kankuro still complained about the village being so hot.

She wondered if they still went to the park to play with that ball…

And Gaara; he visited her every night before sleep took over her body.

She wondered if he still had that cute teddy bear of his; she hoped he did. Because it seemed to be the only thing that didn't mind to be nears him. Rei wondered if the redhead was still glared at everywhere he went, if people still looked at him as if he were some kind of pest. Rei missed him too, even though they didn't really share too many moments. Somehow, she knew Gaara would have been a precious friend... being as sweet as she remembered him to be.

Rei had been so lost in thought that she hadn't realized she was already out. Blinking, she glanced around. But, as usual, there was no one else in sight. Nozomi used to take them –Maki and her, that is– home the first days they attended the Academy. But the woman stopped waiting for her when she started to skip class. Nozomi didn't know whether she was at the Academy or not, and she couldn't afford to be there all day.

The thought saddened her. It was her own fault; Rei knew it. But it still hurt her to know that no one was waiting for you to get home. With her gaze glued on the dirty ground, she started her way back home.

Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of something yellow from the corner of her eye. Frowning slightly, Rei looked over only to see a boy her age. The familiar sight brought back memories.

Swinging slowly on the swing under the tree, alone. Not only alone, but with an aura of loneliness surrounding him.

If it weren't for the color of his hair, she would have thought him to be Gaara. But he wasn't. Slowly, she approached him, not really knowing what she was doing. She was curious as to why there was someone still there. Maybe his parents were late?

The boy seemed to be lost in thoughts. However, as if he were suddenly aware of her presence, his head snapped towards her. Surprise shone in his eyes before he sent her a glare.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded to know. "Are you here to insult me? Throw rocks at me maybe? Well, go ahead; I don't care anymore!"

Rei stood there, speechless. He may not had the same quiet attitude as Gaara, but their similitude was obvious. The look in his eyes, even though he was glaring at her, was way too familiar to her. He could almost see those aquamarine eyes staring straight at her, silently pleading her to approach him, to not run away like everyone else seemed to do. Despair... and hope. Rei didn't know, but her gaze held those same feelings.

"Why would I do that?" The words escaped her mouth in a whisper, and she was shocked he heard her.

"I don't know! But that's what everyone else does," his voice broke at that point, and he stopped glaring at her in order to lower his blue gaze. "So why wouldn't you?"

Her heart ached. She was young, and there were many things she couldn't understand. However, she doubted she would ever understand the reason as to why people seemed to enjoy being mean towards the sweetest souls.

"You don't understand now because you are too young, Rei, but you have to promise me you won't come near him."

Rei could practically heard his father... warning her aboout that boy the same way he had some years back, when she tried to approach Gaara.

That boy; Rei knew him. He went to the same class as hers, always sitting alone, always pulling pranks on others.

Iruka's words repeated in her mind then, and she immediately knew what to do. Maybe she didn't need friends, but that boy definitely did. Because her parents had been wrong about Gaara, and she didn't want to repeat that mistake.

"I'm Rei," she stated. "What's your name?"

The blond looked up at her, confusion glowing in his bright blue eyes. There was no trace of malice in the girl's face, but he still stared at her suspicious.

"Naruto," he finally replied.

Silence fell upon them. Rei began to panic; she didn't know what else to do. Naruto kept looking at her as if she were about to kick him or something, and it was making it difficult for her to start a conversation. He watched as the girl fidgeted awkwardly.

"Why?"

Rei titled her head, not understanding what he was implying at all.

"Why are you trying to be nice?" He asked.

Rei thought for a moment, looking for the right words to say.

"Because no one deserves to be alone," she finally said, the sketch of a smile drawing on her lips for the first time in too long.

The grin that broke in his face would have illuminated the darkest alley. The sudden joyful look in his eyes was enough to relieve the despair that had filled her heart for years. Rubbing the back of his neck out of nervousness, he jumped off the swing and eagerly asked,

"Hey, wanna pull some pranks on Iruka-sensei?!"

Poor Iruka didn't know what he had gotten himself into.

Please, let me know what you think.