Sands Apart is a fanfic based off of a role play that me and my awesome friend Sora wrote. I'd like to thank her for all the plot twists she came up with, as well as how wonderfully she portrayed Gaara. She contributed just as much, if not more, to this fanfic as I did.

Warning: I do not own Naruto. The only thing I own is my OC, Sachi. This story is rated M for lemon in future chapter.

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Gaara stood silently, a little ways from Naruto's village. He was looking out at the woods, not seeming to be watching anything in particular. His face was blank and his sand at peace in its gourd… for now. Was he troubled? Not even he was sure. Only his hair moved, billowing lightly in the breeze.

Meanwhile, not too far away a young kunoichi's breath came out in short gasps, and she paused long enough to brush a strand of silver hair from her eyes before continuing with her task of training. Slender fingers grasped the roughly worn wood of a bow, and she aligned it with her eyesight, giving one last exhale before releasing the arrow. Her bright silver eyes followed the weapon's path as it sliced through the air, narrowly missing the tree she had been aiming for. Sachi Oshiro's brow furrowed at the mistake, before preparing to try again.

Gaara's head turned slightly, his eyes becoming intent as he caught sight of a girl. It seemed she was trying too hard, aiming to hit a tree with her arrows. He watched a moment longer before moving closer, about a hundred feet behind her, simply observing silently. He sat down crossed legged, arms resting in his lap as he watched.

With her lip clenched firmly between her teeth in concentration, Sachi shifted her weight to her front foot as she slowly began to transfer chakra from her hands to her favored weapon. Sure enough, the very tip of the arrow began to give off a weak hue, as if some sort of dying blue flame had ignited. Aligning the bow as best she could once more, she raised the two fingers that had been holding the projectile back. But unlike last time, the arrow met its mark, burrowing itself into the rough bark of the tree. The silver-haired nin stood to retrieve her weapon, having the sudden uncomfortable feeling that she was being watched.

Gaara's head tilted to the side a bit, looking curious. His sand made a smooth rustle as it too felt his curiosity. Gaara stood up, meekness in his eyes that you wouldn't see behind the cold blockade.

The slightest of noises caught her attention, and she turned to look over her shoulder for any sign of an intruder. "Hello?" her voice was barely above a whisper, and in the back of her mind she questioned whether it could even be heard. For all she knew, it might have been just a bird, or perhaps the wind that had made the noise, though her mind told her otherwise. She took a step towards where she had heard the disturbance, the crunching of dry leaves underfoot clearly giving away where she was, making her an easy target.

Gaara moved closer, his footsteps making no noise. He slowly came into view, stopping as soon as she could see him. His face was expressionless, his voice slow and somewhat soft. "…I haven't seen you before." he said. It wasn't a question, just a fact. His voice could be heard, but the tone made you listen.

She took a startled step back, barely refraining from jumping in surprise. She certainly hadn't been expecting the male's sudden appearance, but even so, she took a calming breath in an attempt at gathering her thoughts together. "…Who are you?" she questioned cautiously, unsure of why he had made that statement. Her voice once again came out quieter than she had meant, almost to the point of sounding timid or frightened. Her gaze flickered up to his forehead, taking in the mark that sat there, before making eye contact again.

Gaara stayed silent for a moment, his piercing eyes searching hers. She was no danger to him...that he knew. But he wasn't one for a lot of chit-chat. He nodded his head slightly, the kanji mark for love now mostly covered by his hair. "...Gaara." He said, his sand rustling slightly in question. Normally he would not have toyed with words, but he was interested in the girl. "Who...are you?"

"I'm Sachi..." Her answer was nearly as short as his, and since he had made no move to attack, the grip on her bow slackened ever-so-slightly. Even so, she could still practically feel a deadly aura surrounding him, as if he could easily kill her any moment that he wished, and she didn't doubt that. It was a tense situation, she had always been a little too trusting and he still hadn't shown any sign of violence towards her, but that aura was still intimidating.

He frowned slightly as his sand began to grow bored, rustling in its gourd. He hummed softly, hushing it with an inaudible word. He then turned his attention back to Sachi. He could feel her tenseness still, and smiled slowly. "Fear is healthy." he said slowly, not moving.

The smallest of shivers traveled down her spine as he spoke. Something about him seemed… unnatural, possibly inhuman, and it made her feel like a rabbit with its foot caught in a bear trap, facing down a hungry wolf. "Yes, but even so, no one likes to feel fear. It makes them feel vulnerable…" she wasn't even quite sure what she was rambling on about, she just felt that she had to respond to the comment, and at the time, she needed to solidify what she was feeling, like it would make her more assured.

"...To be feared, is to be respected." He said, in a softer tone. His eyes moved to look over her shoulder, a familiar face he saw this time. Sasuke looked as grim as ever as he glared at Gaara from behind Sachi. Gaara bowed slightly before turning and walking slowly away. Sasuke spoke now to Sachi, "It isn't good to hang around him." He said sternly, hands in his pockets.

Sachi stepped to the side in order to see Sasuke, a look of confusion on her face. "Why?" she turned to watch Gaara, silently wishing he wouldn't leave her with the raven-haired male. She had seen him a few times around the village, and his uncaring attitude made her scared of getting in his way for fear of being scolded, or worse. Despite her better judgment, she directed her gaze back towards Sasuke. "…He doesn't seem so bad."

Sasuke shook his head slightly, "Just watch yourself then. There's a demon in that man… Don't say I didn't warn you." He shrugged a bit before turning and dashing off, soon out of view. Gaara had stopped out of sight to listen in, and frowned as he turned again to walk away. Had he hoped that she didn't know? What did he care? His sand rustled with jealousy.

Sachi stood frozen to the spot for a moment, and by the time she had somewhat recovered from this new information, Sasuke had already disappeared. Her head turned to the side, picking out the two opposite paths that both Sasuke and Gaara had taken. And yet again, she went against her better judgment, swiftly darting around to head deeper into the forest and away from the village. "Gaara…?" her heartbeat seemed to increase in pace for the fact that since he was so quiet, he could very well pop up at any moment and scare the living daylights out of her.

"...Yes?" Came the reply, from up on a branch in one of the surrounding trees. He looked down at her, his face almost innocently tilted to the side again. So she had come looking for him, and not the Uchiha… Did this hold some significance?

She had been expecting it, but that didn't make it any less startling. A quiet squeak escaped as her head lifted sharply upwards to look at him. Had he heard the short conversation that had taken place between her and Sasuke? "Why'd you walk off like that?" there it was again, that whisper-voice of hers that could barely be heard. It wasn't an accusation, rather an honest question.

Gaara looked up, apparently thinking. His voice came rather thoughtfully once he spoke. "The young Uchiha and I do not get along very well…" he said, pausing. He looked down at her, "You're not afraid of me, even with what information he gave you? You even came after me. Why?" his voice was that of a small child, confused.

Sachi looked up at him for a few more seconds before she gave her reply. "I'll admit you scared me at first, but if you have yet to do anything to give me reason to be afraid, why should I fear you?" Her gaze sought a low-lying tree branch just above her head, and she pushed a small amount of chakra to the bottoms of her sandals before jumping upwards, landing on the thin branch with difficulty. At least now she was closer.

Everything about Sachi's behavior confused him. Not even Temari or Kankuro wanted to be close to him if they could help it, he knew this. But yet this girl sought him out. He gazed down at her intently, his eyes tracing every line, looking at every tone, and watching every breath. His sand gave a warning rustle. Gaara ignored it. It was strange, this feeling that hard sprung up in him. A gladness, a longing at the same time.

She took the fact that he hadn't made a move to leave again a good thing, or so she hoped. Reaching up to brush that persistently annoying strand of hair from her eyes, she grabbed the silence as a moment to add something to her last statement, something she had believed whole-heartedly since she had been a student in the Academy. "-Besides, if you run away from things constantly, or live your life in fear, what fun is that?" Leaning back so that she could see him better, she gave a small yawn, hoping the complete silence wasn't him contemplating how ridiculous she was being.

Gaara gave a small nod, "No fun at all…" He said, shifting on his perch. He wasn't use to so much contact with someone at one time... But he didn't mind talking to her. "You want to sit up here?" He asked, holding out a hand to her. He didn't know why he offered, but he wanted to try and be kind… His sand was growing more restless, feeling neglected.

A smile worked its way onto her face as she stood, taking the offered hand and working her way onto the next branch up almost clumsily. His hand had a rough feeling to it, and it felt slightly colder than hers, and once she was sure she had her balance, she released it and settled down next to him with her legs dangling over the edge. "Thank you."

Gaara nodded, looking down. He was silent now, seeming almost shy. The only noise was the soft rustle of his sand. It was saying things to him… How he was weak, and stupid for not taking advantage of how close she was. Gaara did his best to ignore the voices, not something he attempted often.

The sand caught Sachi's attention, and she leaned back for a few seconds to get a proper look at the gourd. "What… exactly is that?" she asked, an eyebrow rose upward in curiosity. Throughout this entire time, she hadn't really paid attention to the large object on his back. It was clearly a gourd of some sort, and by the scraping and rustling sounds that were being emitted from within, it was hollow. But the question remained, what was inside?

Gaara looked at her, and then stared off into space. "...Mother..." He whispered, "She wants to meet you." His strange smile crept onto his face as the cork came off of the gourd with a loud 'pop!' His sand exploded from it, swirling around them both. The leaves were ripped off the trees around them, and the tree swayed. Gaara smile softened as a bit of the sand crept along his arm and traced around his hand, almost like a cat begging for attention.

Her mouth opened to ask what he meant, but the moment the sand began violently whirling around them, her eyes widened and her mouth clamped shut. This was something else she hadn't been expecting, and her breath seemed to catch in her throat, torn between being startled, and amazed. "…Wow." She whispered, her eyes following the path the sand took around them, and she pulled her knees up into her chest loosely, just in case she was in the way. "You control sand?" it was more of a statement than a question, but she couldn't help but say something, anything, even as she watched the sand slink around his arm.

At the word 'control', the sand did a sort of hiccup and darted in at her. Gaara raised his head and then took control for a moment, the sand rushing back into its gourd like a scolded child. His breathing was irregular, as if being startled out of a trance. He looked at her, his face expressionless once more. "...Do you like sand?" He asked softly as his sand became settled.

"I… I guess so. We don't have much sand here, except in the lakes…" Her breath steadied and she let her feet slide down so they were dangling off the branch. His sand… It was like it had a mind of its own, and for a moment she was sure it would have knocked her right off the branch. "Do you?" that may have been the stupidest question she had ever asked. If he didn't like sand, he certainly wouldn't use it, right?

Gaara nodded in response, "Indeed...I am a Sand nin." He noticed she had been unnerved a bit as the near incident. "I will not let it hurt you." He stated, tilting his head slightly. He looked at her curiously. Even though it had scared her, she still stayed, and this amazed him.

She had suspected he wasn't from Konoha since she had never seen him in the streets, or during missions, and the fact that he was a Sand nin made sense as well, it was quite fitting actually. Taking the time to sneak a glance at the gourd once more, she bowed her head, letting another warm smile plaster itself to her face. "I don't doubt that." She said lightly in response to his last assurance. For someone that could destroy her in the blink of an eye, so easily, he appeared to become kinder towards her with each passing moment. And in return, she felt comfortable around him despite this, something that made her confused and forced her to think.

Gaara smiled, and it was strange… An actual genuine smile. Something he never did. His sand armor melted away, his skin visibly smoothening. He wondered why he felt he could lower that last defense of his, but he didn't question himself, and left it that way. "…No one else treats me this way… Like a person." He stated, pausing. "Except...Naruto."

Sachi watched as the last of the sand armor fell away from him, and she resisted the urge to gape. This entire time she hadn't noticed he even had the armor, and at the same time, he was actually smiling. Here he was, lowering all of his defenses in front of her, displaying the fact that he could trust. Her thoughts were pulled to Naruto, the 'hyperactive blonde idiot of Konoha', and how he treated every being he met with kindness and respect. "You are a person, you deserve to be treated like one…" her eyes saddened for a few seconds as her eyes scanned his face, unable to, as well as unwilling to, imagine what he had gone through at the hands of other people.

Gaara looked at her, his eyes delving deep into hers. "You think of me as a person, and not a monster for the demon inside me?" He asked, as he did, his throat tightened slightly. He looked away from her, his teeth clenching. "Even Kankuro does not think so. They fear me...all of them."

Sachi closed her eyes, noticing how he was clearly struggling with the fact that many people thought of him as a creature. "The demon inside you is the monster, not you. You're a person, like everyone else." To try and prove her point, she reached out, and placed a hand over where his heart would be. "See? You have a heartbeat." Sure enough, she could feel the feint beating of his heart underneath where her palm sat.

Gaara's left hand moved to lay over hers, before he looked at her. He tried to remember the last time he had been touched so softly. Her hand felt so fragile under his, so soft. His thumb ran over it slowly and he looked at her once more, his eyes for once holding the emotion generally hidden from view.

Her smile broadened when it appeared he understood what she was trying to say; though her face was flushed slightly from the contact she wasn't used to. Even so, she felt she needed to add something else to her point, to reassure him. "Most people seem to fear things they don't understand, or can't see. It's like… an instinct for them." She tried to explain, but now even she was confusing herself. Her hand remained in the same position for a moment longer, over his heart and under his hand, before she gingerly removed it, brushing her fingertips against the top of his wrist and placing it back at her side.

Gaara lowered his hand slowly, perhaps a little dazed. He looked at her, his eyes unreadable. "I am glad you do not have such an instinct." He said softly. So many things were confusing him...but mostly the feeling building in him. It was… Strange, and perhaps… Frightening for him. He wanted to reach out, take her hand again, and feel her skin. It was not often he took down his armor and was able to feel such softness. But it was more than that.

A small sigh escaped past her lips, and she bent her head downwards to watch her feet swing idly back and forth, seeing as the fact that every time she made eye contact with him, her heart felt like it would jump out her throat and fall to the ground. She'd quite possibly never felt this comfortable around someone this quickly, if that was what you could call it, or if it was something more. "So am I." instead of her regularly soft voice, there was a hint of confidence there, showing she clearly meant it, and it wasn't just a flimsy small-talk comment.

Gaara smiled softly as he reached out slowly, as if to take her hand… When a loud noise, an explosion sounded from Konoha.

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A/N: Haha, sorry for the cliffhanger.
Well, there you go, the first chapter of Sands Apart. I hope you liked it, and I plan on updating the next chapter as soon as possible.