The Twin Relics

Long ago, before ninja mastery existed, this world was ruled by gods. They held unimaginable power only known to them. They were aggravated that they weren't the only ones with unique power. Jealous of having to share the power, they held a battle. As the battle raged on for days, they began destroying the world. When they realized their ambitious needs they stopped fighting to try and preserve the earth. It was said that when the the lands, skies, and seas were withering away, they all combined their full powers to give life back to the dying environment. It is also said that the powers didn't just reach the land but people who inhabited them. That's were it's said that the origin of chakra nature began. Since the gods sacrificed their power and immortality, they were sentenced to live a normal life and taste the true hardship everyone else had. As the gods were retreating from the battle ground, One of them revealed himself to still posses incredible power. The gods were angered by his selfish greed, and thus, with every last ounce of life and power the had left, they created two crystal relics. They sealed both their good will's and the evil gods power, inside these relics. It was said that they then transferred the two relics inside a human baby who would be born in the future. When despair and grief fills the child's soul, it will unleash the power of the relics and cause mayhem through out the world.

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It was a quiet but beautiful day in konoha, the sun was shining and the birds were chirping. In Particular the sun was shining brightly on the Yamanaka's flower shop. We find ourselves in the flower shop with Ino Yamanaka, a beautiful young woman with blond hair and aqua blue eyes.

"It's such a beautiful day outside and I'm stuck in here. It's not exactly what I call a vacation." She let out a heavy sigh. Ino had recently been told by the hokage herself that she was on vacation from all of her training and assisting she had been doing.

She picked up a magazine and started reading it. Hours had passed before she realized it was almost closing time.

"I can't believe there weren't any customers today." she murmured to herself.

When she was just about to close the shop she saw a shadow a couple of feet away from the entrance, coming closer and closer. As it came closer to the door, she saw the person through the transparent glass and could not believe it with her own eyes. Her eyes widened when she saw that it was no other than the person she had meet only briefly a couple of years ago in the chūnin exams. Sabaku No Gaara. He looked different, handsomer, taller, and wearing a new set of clothing. Of course no one could confuse him because he had that burgundy red hair, jade green eyes that were surrounded by the dark rings, and that kanji mark on his forehead. Ino was shocked that he was here of all places. I mean she knew he was in konoha on a mission because shikamaru had told her briefly about the siblings arrival. In any case she had to do her job and make him feel welcomed in her flower shop.

"W-welcome to Yamanaka's flower shop. I'm the florist, Ino Yamanaka " Ino said with a smile on her face. She was a bit nervous but quickly gained her composure.

He didn't respond so quickly but looked around the shop as if he'd never seen flowers before. Not only was she in shock but it seemed Gaara was also puzzled of what he was doing in there. Gaara finally turned his attention towards Ino. He showed no expression on his face. His pale mint green eyes pierced her aqua blue eyes and it was silent for a few seconds. Ino suddenly looked away for a bit, not wanting to look into Gaara's gorgeous eyes. She quickly turned her attention back to gaara closed her eyes and quickly responded with a smile on her face.

"Can I help you with find anything today gaara-sama."

He seemed surprised that she knew his name but was reluctant to call her name although he did know it.

"I…" he said, struggling to finish his sentence.

He quickly looked on the floor for just a moment and quickly shook his head. He then turned around and walked out the store. Trying to figure everything that just happened, Ino realized it was 8:00 pm and she had to close the store. Everything happened so fast and she was in a daze from the current events that just happened. She shook her head and began to lock everything up for the night.

On her way home she once again tried to figure out why Gaara of the sand was in her shop.

'Why was he in the shop today?' Ino thought to herself. 'And what was with his appearance, he definitely doesn't look like the gaara I first saw at the chūnin exams.' She suddenly remembered his mint green eyes, and she began to blush a bit. 'I can't believe I'm thinking about gaara…' she said lightly. 'Pull yourself together Ino.'

Ino had finally reached her house; "Hi sweetie" came her fathers voice. She was really exhausted from a day at work and didn't respond to her father. She ran straight to her room and fell on her bed. She grabbed the nearest pillow next to her and hugged it tightly. "I'm so glad everyone enjoys the flowers at the shop…" She said quietly in the pillow. 'but I wish that…someone would noticed me… rather than the objects in the shop.' Then she remembered that Gaara was in the shop earlier and wasn't just looking at the flowers, but at ino as well. "What could he of wanted?" ino said whispering to herself. "Gaara?" she said faintly as she was tired and found herself falling asleep as soon as she said his name.

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The next morning ino woke up sweating from a frightful nightmare. It wasn't shocking because she had been getting the same nightmare for quite some time now. It scares her to death when she thinks about it and she can't seem to figure out what it means. Well whatever it meant she had to put it away for now and get ready for work. It was Saturday today and again was a beautiful and glorious day. Ino's clock began to ring and she opened her eyes. She looked at the clock and her eyes widened. It was 10:30 am.

"Oh no" ino said. "I'm going to be late for work". She tied her hair in a pony tail with a baby blue flower scrunchie. She considered that today would be a casual day at the shop so she didn't need to wear her kunoichi outfit. In the end she decided to just wear a black miniskirt and a white collared shirt with some soft purple colored flower design on it; along with her opened toed shoes. Ino passed near the mirror and stopped to check that she had everything on her to complete her look. "You look great today ino…How do you do it?" She asked herself before sighing heavily. 'What's the point of looking great everyday if it' you don't have someone to WOW or someone to notice you.' She thought. She grew tired of her whining and headed toward the door. "Have a nice day at work today Hun." her father told her. "I will." she responded in an almost annoyed tone. "I mean I will try. Okay." she said with a smile. She ran out the door.

"Hopefully the shop will be busy today." she nodded in her head.

"I wonder who will stop by my little shop today. I just hope it isn't someone like kiba, he and that dog just make a mess out of everything." Ino whispered to herself as she skipped to work. When ino got there she opened the front door to the shop, walked in and began her regular routine. The shop indeed got busy and multiple customers came and went. Mid into the day an unexpected customer arrived.

"Hey Ino!" Naruto said loudly and enthusiastically.

"Oh. Hi Naruto. What brings you here?"

"I'm just looking for some white tulips for kakashi-sensai."

"Oh I see." She lead him to a bunch of white tulips. "Are these the ones he likes?"

"You bet." he said and smiled widely. He proceeded to where ino was and took 3 tulips.

"That'll be 10 dollars." she said happily.

"Wha-! That's a rip off." he yelled!

"These tulips come all the way from the land of earth… NARUTO." she said almost scolding him.

"Ha-ha. Fair enough." he said laughing.

"Thanks for the flowers Ino."He said as they waved goodbye.

It was sad to her that the highlight of her day was scolding Naruto about flowers that had come from another nation. She began to think about that incident with gaara yesterday, she blushed almost instantly at the thought of him. 'I never noticed but… Gaara… he's just so… attractive in a way.' She put her headphones on and began to distract herself, to pass the time. Two hours and a half later, no one had come in and it was almost time to close the shop. Ino started to think about the past, her adventures and all her aid as a medic ninja. She really missed those times when she was part of a team. It had been 2 years since Asuma's death, which she missed dearly because he use to come in and buy flowers for kurenai and she would tease him about it, and to top everything off both her team mates didn't have time to hang-out anymore since they were always on missions or teaching lectures to the young ninja of the leaf. She felt really sad just thinking about the fact that none one ever came to visit her anymore. She put a song on play and closed her eyes. Without ino realizing, someone came in after she had closed her eyes. Gaara walked in and completely noticed her eyes were closed but was mumbling some of the lyrics of the song. He was a bit shocked at the fact that not only was she good at singing but the lyrics she was singing are really moving. Ino opened her eyes and completely blushes when she saw Gaara standing in front of her. She took her headphones off and tried her best to not look completely foolish, although he already caught her singing, so it couldn't get any worse right?

"G-G-Gaara-sama." she said, stuttering in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry I was so distracted with my music…and forgot about the shop." Tilting her head with a sad smile.

Gaara shook his head "No...I'm sorry, I disturbed you.", there was a bit of silence. It shocked ino that he was also blushing a bit and looking away from her.

"So… can I help you with anything today Ga-"

"That's a very beautiful song you were singing …ino." he interrupted.

She blushed even redder and paused for a sec. "It's called outside looking in by Jordan Pruitt." ino said with a smile.

"W-want to listen to it?" Ino asked while blushing and looking slightly away.

"Um…" Gaara responded while getting redder.

She turned back to him. "Come sit next to me." and gave a sincere smile.

He nodded and went behind the counter to sit next to her.

He placed his gourd next to his seat and sat in the stool next to her. "Here." She handed him the headphones. To her surprise, Gaara handed one of the headphones back to her wanting her to listen to the song with him. "Here." he said and smiled as he closed his eyes. Ino started the song. She didn't really listen to the song, she was constantly looking at Gaara with intrigue. Her heart began to beat faster. She couldn't help herself from looking away from him because for the first time she was getting to know the real Gaara, and not the gaara the people portrayed as a monster. Before she could return to looking at him the song was over.

"That was really…soothing." Gaara whispered.

"Really? ... I hope you liked it." Ino responded blushing redder than the sakura tree outside her shop.

A quiet silence happened for a moment as they gazed into each others eyes.

"So… Gaara. Did you want to get something from the flower shop today?" Ino hoped that gaara would say that he was there to keep her company it was after all a cold and lonely night.

"No… I just happened to be near…and" he paused for sec.

"Thank you for your hospitality… I have to get going now." gaara silently said.

At this point ino didn't know what to do, she didn't want him to leave because she would be lonely

"W-wait gaara." He turned.

"Thanks… for keeping me company." she responded with a cute smile.

He nodded with that same blank expression on his face that he always has and leaves the shop. 'I wonder if gaara feels the same way I do.' Ino thought to herself. 'If he… does fell this way… I can imagine how hard it must be on him.' She paused for a moment thinking she could do for him. "I know! I'll give something to him next time I see him!" Ino yelled out in joy. She grabbed her keys and walked out the store to lock it. As she walked home she thought about gaara and how he's been misunderstood his whole life. "Hm…" she pondered. She was putting way to much thinking into this and needed to relax.

Ino stopped when she reached the front door and remembered the horrifying dreams she has been getting lately. She let out a small sigh and continued to enter her house.

"Hey, Piglet!" Her dad yelled across the living room.

"Daaaddddd." she said in a whining tone. "You know I don't like being called that."

"Aww... But you're my little piglet, sweetheart." he confirmed smiling.

Upon seeing his daughter smile, Inoichi knew something happened to his precious daughter. "So… how was work today, Hun? …anything interesting happened?" he asked.

"Hm… you can say that… I guess." ino said smiling.

"Care to share with me?" he asked again.

"Oh no… it's my little secret." she grinned.

"Ah… I see where this is going."

"Oh you do?" she asked still smiling.

Inoichi stood up and walked toward his daughter giving her a hug. "When did you grow up so fast my little piglet?" he asked, but both of them already knew the answer.

"Good night dad."

"Good night pumpkin." he confirmed.

Ino ran up stairs to her room and quickly closed the door behind her. She undressed quickly, took a shower and put on an oversized shirt that fell to her thighs and brushed her hair making sure there weren't any knots. Before she went to bed she looked out of the window and stared into the starry night and to her surprise saw a shooting star. Ino was not a person of superstition but she might of as well try it anyway. She closed her eyes and clapped both her hands together, when she was done, she hopped into her bed and fell asleep.