WELCOME! My name is Alice, and this is my first ever Naruto fic! This one will just be a GaaraxOC, and you can be free to associate the OC as your own character! Now, I am not fully caught up with the story, so this will be just before Gaara becomes Kazekage, aka between part one and two in the anime. I may be a little off with facts here and there, which is why I ask if you could ever be so kind as to help guide me through any rough patches I may come across! I will try to post regularly, but do note that I am in college, so sometimes my schedule will take over. Also, I won't continue this story unless I get at least one comment from you guys (Just so I know that someone is reading this).

Anyways, ENJOY! :D

Gaara sighed as he gazed up ever so slightly at the sheet of stars above him. These miniature suns lit the clearing around his team's campsite. It was his turn to keep watch, which he didn't mind so much. It's not as if sleeping came easy to him.

He turned once to check on his older brother and sister, then stood up. He silently made his way away from the campsite, making sure to keep a watchful eye of sand over the two ninja. On nights as quiet as this, Gaara could always feel his demon grumbling inside of himself. However, a certain yellow-haired ninja had made his urges to kill less like urges and more like… aggravations. No, it wasn't as if he had magically stopped wanting to kill people, but for some reason, Gaara felt a little more content defending people, rather than murdering people.

Gaara moved through the bushes as silent as a panther. There was no particular reason for this trip, he just wanted to get away from it all. The still forest calmed him, and being away from Kankuro's loud snoring really did wonders for his mind. Maybe if I stick my gourd's cork in his throat… Gaara wondered. Maybe that will shut him up.

A twig snapped to Gaara's left, and pale green eyes darted in the direction of the sound. Standing completely still, ready for an attack, Gaara wondered who his assailant was. After all, it's not as if the group was on any dangerous mission in particular. A rustle of a bush caught his eye, and Gaara wasted no time shooting a spike of sand in that location.

A little chipmunk jumped out of the bushes, squeaking in fear. Having just missed the attack of this strange man that was blocking it from its buried peanuts, the chipmunk ran away. Gaara raised his hand ever so slightly, his eyes shifting in emotion while his face remained stiff. Of course it ran away, he thought illogically. I am still a monster.

Downcast, the shinobi made his way back to the camp. It wasn't the first time he has scared a creature away, even when Temari had tried teaching him how to feed the animals. The animals could sense something off inside of him, and even though they were right, it saddened Gaara a great deal. What was even worse was when other humans gave him looks of fear or disgust. He knew he wasn't a great person in the past, but hasn't he tried enough to gain his village's trust?

By the time Gaara made it back to camp, the sun had started to rise. He sat down in silence and waited for his siblings to rise from slumber. Temari, as always, was the first one up. She smiled at her brother. "What's up Gaara? Anything interesting happen last night?"

"No."

Temari nodded. "As expected. This is a low ranked mission. However, one can't be too careful!" Temari stretched loudly and stood. "Well, since Kankuro ate all of our rations last night, I think it's only right that we treat ourselves at a local restaurant." Gaara simply stared. His sister shrugged and started nudging Kankuro with her foot. "Come on, big guy, I'm hungry!"

"Go get it yourself," the purple-faced ninja mumbled. Morning was always a struggle among the siblings. Temari was actually glad that one of her brothers was always up before her. If she has to deal with two Kankuros…

"Listen, I'm starving, so you better get up on the count of three or I'm gonna beat you into oblivion. One!"

"I'd like to see you try."

"TWO-"

"Alright, alright!"

Gaara's eyes lit up slightly, although not enough for his siblings to notice. Although he didn't let it show, watching his siblings bicker always made him smile on the inside. Maybe it was the sibling love that made him smile. Maybe it was when Temari beat the crap out of his older brother. Either way, Gaara loved it. He would never put a word in to stop the arguments, he would just wait patiently, stealthily in amusement.

After a little bit, the trio was off. They had strayed off their paths to Konoha, and were making their way to a smaller village for breakfast. They still had a day and a half best before they reached their mission's destination, so Temari convinced the two to relax for a moment. The girl was chatting idly with her two brothers, one smiling in response while the other held a deathly stare. While happiness enveloped most of the group, all did not guess what was coming up further on. Kankuro was the first to notice.

His nose wiggled suspiciously. "Hey, do you guys smell that?"

At this point the other two also paused to smell the surrounding air. Gaara knew exactly what it smelled like. He sniffed around, trying to figure out which direction the scent was strongest. Frankly, it was hard to tell.

"It smells like smoke," Temari mumbled. Gaara shook his head, looking her way only slightly before running towards the little town. The other two siblings had to rush to keep up with the boy, whose only emotion was found unreadable in his eyes.

"It smells like death."

The town was on fire. Screams could be heard from within the tiny walls. Bodies laid scattered around its entrance. The trio looked around in awe. "Let's split up," Temari advised, "Look for survivors, or the bastards who started this mess." Her brothers nodded and the three went off in separate directions through the town. Gaara went straight for the building that looked like it had just been set aflame. Using his sand, he floated along each floor's windows, peering in. Through the top floor, a hooded figure sat huddled in the center of a room. Since the window was open, Gaara went through. He approached the hooded figure cautiously, his sand ready to counter any attack. "Hey," he spoke quietly, "Are you—"

The person quickly turned around, and the hood flew off almost immediately. A girl sat helplessly on the ground, blood staining what used to be a perfectly white dress. Silver hair hung every which way over her face. Gaara couldn't help but stare at the girl, even though he could hear the building crackling around him. Her eyes… Her eyes were so red. Like an Uchiha… He thought. But no, they were not Uchiha's eyes. They were kinder looking, and filled with tears. The boy never took his eyes off of the mysterious girl, even as she shakily stood up. For some reason, Gaara felt paralyzed. For some reason, Gaara couldn't stop looking in her eyes. And then, she spoke to him.

"Please… Kill me."

His eyes widened in response. The girl took a few steps forward, limping. However, her efforts to make her way over to the boy was futile, for she collapsed. Gaara ran up to catch her, and held her close to his heart. He did not understand why a girl like her was wishing for death. Maybe it was the smoke. "It's okay. My teammates and I will protect you," He replied in a stone cold voice. His head started prickling at his nerves. Something inside him felt… strange.

Before the girl fell unconscious in his arms, the girl muttered one final sentence to her savior. "Shukaku… Please kill me."

I will try to keep my chapters over 1000 words in length! Please comment what you think! Comment what you think will happen, or what you would like to see! And also, have a great day! :D UNTIL NEXT TIME!