Please Note: This inspired by the anime series Naruto created by Masashi Kishimoto. I own none of it. This is just a fanfic with my own character Naeko. This series was previously published in quizilla, under my other name Gaaras-Freak1, but yes, it is still me. Enjoy!

Main character's background: Her name is Naeko (almost sounds like "Neko" which means cat in Japanese O-O). Obviously she's a girl. She has light brown eyes. She has long, layered, light green hair with strikes of dark green. What's strange about her is that is an Earth/ forest Spirit (not a demon, but not as high as a god either) that inhabits the forbidden forest in the country of fire (around Konoha's border, which wasn't yet founded). She's not a plant, this just means she has a strong connection to plants and the earth. Earth or sand attacks may not work against her ;). She's very similar to a human except for her very peculiar cat ears at the top of her head.

Attitude: She's nice to everyone, specially the ones she loves and a little wild. She has no reservations in showing her affections. And she has a short temper, especially when someone calls her neko or cat. Let's begin!

Chapter 1

In the past...

Seven hundred years ago she was seventeen years old. Back then, she was with the love of her life, Akira. He had red hair and light green eyes surrounded by dark circles, and the kanji 'Love' marked on the back of his neck –Looks just Gaara except for the location of the kanji.

After they met as children they grew up to be lovers. He asked her to marry him and she said yes, despite any objections from her or his people. Yes, everything was great...

That is, until a war started among humans. Akira decided to help his people by becoming a soldier. He promised to become a great hero so he could gain acceptance for the two of them to be married. She kissed him good bye, and had all her faith in his words, but...

A month later, he was brought back to his village, where she had waited. He was badly injured, she asked him to hold on. He had suffered too much damage, and not even her healing powers could do anything. And so, with his last breath he said, "I hope we can be happy in another life..."

He died. And she mourned his death until she felt her existence had lost all meaning.

In despair she held on to his last words, and found a monk to answer her one question: "Is it true that humans can be reborn?"

His answer was that, "Yes, humans live, die, and are reborn in the cycle of life, although sometimes it takes long for them to be reborn as humans again."

The wait would be endless even if it was a year or a hundred. So she entered the deepest part of the forest where she found one of the largest and strongest trees and asked for it to give her a place to rest until her beloved returned.

The tree opened in half and she entered into a bright light. She looked back and said, "I know he'll find me. Just like before."

The tree closed up again; and on its trunk half of her figure emerged as a carving on the tree. Her expression looked sad. She held her hands in a prayer gesture, because she prayed that time would pass faster that way.

In the present…

[This part takes place after the chaos of the chunnin exam battle. At this time Gaara is 12, Kankuro is 14 and Temari, 15.]

The trio was moving fast as they were leaving Konoha. A woman's voice (Temari) said, "Hurry up Kankuro!"

He replied, "Easy for you to say, I'm the one carrying him!"

That Kankuro guy was wearing all black and kabuki face paint. He was carrying an injured person, Gaara. Gaara looked up, and in pain managed to say, "Stop Kankuro... they stopped following us already."

Temari looked back and said, "He's right."

Kankuro was still holding Gaara as he asked, "Are you sure? I mean why? What if they're too close already? If they capture us, they can punish us for the attack..."

Gaara stumbled away from Kankuro, and fell in spasms of pain, but he managed to say, "They won't come. This is a forbidden area for them..." He held on to his left shoulder and tried to suppress the screams from the pain.

"Here let me take a look," said Temari with an ointment on hand and looking concerned.

Kankuro munched on a food provision pill and looked up to the tree shading the area where Gaara was being treated, then he said "Oi, Gaara! You should look up. Maybe that would make you feel better."

Temari angrily replied, "What are you..." she looked up with surprise, "Hmm, that is strange, but Gaara is not going to get better by looking at a statue!"

Gaara looked up with some blood still on his forehead. He saw the carving of half a girl on the tree, and stared at it. And at that moment a reaction began.

The forest trembled and the tree began to split up with light bursting from the inside. Pieces of the statue begin to fall in splinters, and then by chunks. Temari helped Gaara move away before the tree could explode completely.

After the smoke cleared up all that was left was Naeko standing there holding her hands in prayer. They all stared at her with surprise, until Temari said, "What the...? Kankuro, we should run, this might be a trap".

As Naeko spoke, she opened her eyes for the first time in 700 years. She was able to see, it was a little blurry, but it was unmistakable. Those eyes, that hair, and the 'Love' kanji was on the wrong spot, but it was all there. None of them even saw her move. It was like a wind just passed them, but by the time they looked down she was on top of Gaara giving him his first mouth to mouth kiss!

Temari and Kankuro were speechless, and they didn't know if she was really kissing him or attacking him.

Gaara, on the other side, was also stunned, who knows if it was pain or joy. But his hand was twitching.

Temari came to his rescue, by pushing Naeko away, "What the hell? Are you trying to kill him?!" she screamed at her. Then she looked at Gaara, "Hey, are you alright?"

Then Kankuro stepped in, "Yeah, considering what just happened, I'd say he's alright."

Gaara sat up wiping his mouth and spitting—like anyone kissed by a complete stranger probably would, and said, "What kind of attack was that?"

Temari and Kankuro seemed vexed by the question.

Somehow, Naeko was in front of him again caressing his wounded forehead. "Don't worry I'll make it all better again, 'Akira-chan'." With a few twists of the wrist and a little chakra, she made a plant appear from the ground. It immediately bloomed into a flower and she told him to eat it.

He refused, "I'm not eating that. And my name is not Akira!" and so she forced him to eat it. He looked at her with hate, but with his energy recovered, he stood up and led his siblings out of the forest.

She sat there looking at them, waving goodbye with a big smile on her face.

Gaara gave her a quick, resentful glance, just before he told his siblings to move faster.

On the way to Sunagakure (the village of sand) Kankuro asked Gaara many annoying questions such as: "So, how long has your secret girlfriend been living here? And how did you know about the forbidden forest?"

Gaara answered, "I somehow knew about it..."

After the other 'girlfriend' questions kept coming up, Gaara trapped Kankuro in 'Desert coffin' until he agreed to shut up. At that time, Gaara never expected to see or feel the green-haired girl ever again. But, he was wrong.

Comment: This is the third edit for this chapter. All possible thanks to my new Beta Reader, Vivian! Her user name is vivianvampyric.

Gaara and other Naruto characters (c) Masashi Kishimoto

Naeko (c) Sheba D. Vil