A/N: Hello everybody! Another story got out of me! I'm so happy! Hope you enjoy reading. Make sure to review!!!!!

"Hey! You should come play with us! We need another player."

The visitors looked up to see a group of kids playing with a ball. One that looked to be the leader of the group was looking at them expectantly.

The two children looked up at their mother, the boy gripped tighter onto her, while the girl spoke to her.

"May I mother?"

Her mother nodded and kept walking, making sure the boy kept up with her. The girl ran over to the group of kids.

"What are you playing?"

"Soccer, you can be on my team. You know how to play right?"

"Yes. My name's Risitka by the way. Risa for short."

"Sasha. Come on, let's play!"

Risa was about to run after the ball with the rest of them when she noticed a boy sitting alone on a swing nearby.

"What about him? Isn't he going to play?"

"Not him!"

"Why not?"

"He's a monster. You better stay away from him or he'll kill you too."

"How is he a monster?" she looked back at him, "Who is he?"

His name is Gaara, Gaara of the Sand. He's dangerous. It's best not to go near him."

"You said kill me too, what do you mean by that?"

"He killed his Uncle, the only one that was really nice to him. That's how he repays kindness!"

"The only one?"

"Duh, no one else would go near him. He's a monster!"

"Really?" she seemed lost in her thoughts, "Well, then, I'm going to go talk to him. Maybe he wants to play with me."

"He is not playing with us!"

"I heard you say that earlier, that's why I said play with me, not with you." with that, she walked away.

"Hello!"

He glanced at her before looking away.

"Do you want to play catch? Oh, I don't have a ball." she looked around before picking up a rock, "This'll work! We just can't throw it real hard, okay?" she smiled at him and he looked up, shocked.

Before he could say anything though, "Well, if she likes playing with rocks so much, then she should have some more!" the ring leader of the group of kids said as they all picked up some rocks. Risa turned just in time to see them start throwing them at her.

"Waaa!" she shouted, ducking away and covering her head with her small arms. The kids kept pelting her with rocks, some of them cutting her, others leaving behind angry marks on her skin when they hit her hard enough. Gaara watched as her blood hit the ground.

"They're hurting her, because she was talking to me" he put his hand up, making a wall of sand come between her and the rocks. She didn't move until she heard the kids screaming.

"He's mad!"

"Run!"

She looked up, wondering what made them stop their assault and why they were running away, but her view was blocked by sand. Shocked, she looked over to Gaara, who still had his hand up, protecting her. He was staring after the kids, and as soon as they were out of site, he looked over to Risa. He noted her shocked face grimly, letting down the sand wall and sitting back down.

"I shouldn't have done anything. Now she will hate me too." Gaara thought to himself.

He didn't notice Risa get up, or as she walked toward him, so it was a complete shock to him when he suddenly felt two small, thin arms wrap around him.

"Thank you. They weren't being very nice." He didn't answer her, wondering why she had spoken to him again, let alone hugged him. No one ever hugged him, everyone was either too afraid, or hated him too much. So why…?

His thoughts were cut off as she pulled away, picking up her original rock. "Well? You never answered if you wanted to play or not." Gaara just stared at her as she held out the rock. After waiting for a while, her face fell, and of all the things she could do, she apologized.

"I'm sorry. You probably don't want to play with me. I'm sorry for bothering you." she dropped the rock and began to turn away. She stopped when a small, yet surprisingly strong, hand grasped her wrist, effectively preventing her from leaving, at least in mind. She looked back at him, curious now, hadn't he just rejected her in a way? Her eyes widened and her curiosity grew as he gestured towards where the group of kids had been playing. She didn't move, even though he had let go of her, as the ball that they had been playing with was held out to her, having been brought to him by the sand. After waiting for her to take the ball, Gaara looked up at her, straight into her questioning eyes.

"It works better than a rock." he said quietly, turning away.

Risa smiled and took the ball from him, "True, but it also works better if you're standing up."

He smiled slightly as he stood up, barely catching the ball as she threw it at him. They tossed the ball around for a while longer before Gaara looked up.

"It's late. You should probably go."

"Why? Aren't you having fun?"

"Yes, but, someone will be worried about you. Besides, you need to sleep."

She looked at him, her head cocked to the side, "No one will be worried about me. I've wondered off before, and didn't find my brother or mother for days. I can take care of myself pretty well. And no, I don't need to sleep. I hardly ever do."

Gaara looked up at her, a wondering look on his face, "Are you sure?"

"Yes. My family has probably all ready started home. They probably aren't even in Sunagakure anymore." She smiled at him and threw the ball high enough up that they both lost sight of it. She looked back at him, still smiling and her arms stretched out. He looked at, shocked that she had said that her family had left her happily. He was about to ask about it when the ball fell back down, straight into her waiting arms. She held it out to him.

"And you? Shouldn't you go home? Isn't your family worrying? Don't you need to sleep?"

"I don't sleep. And no, they would rather me never to come back. To die."

Risa studied him, watching the sad expression on his face. It both angered and grieved her that people would do that too him.

"Why can't you sleep?"

He knew something like this would come, "I'll show you. Throw a rock at me, aim to hurt me."

"What?! Why?"

"I won't get hurt."

She slowly stooped to the ground and picked up a rock, watching him the entire time. She stood up and shot him a questioning look, and, when he nodded, threw it at him, making sure to not throw too hard. Gaara couldn't watch her reaction as a wall of sand came up to protect him. When it lowered he could see her speculative face.

"The demon Shukaku is inside me. I'm a monster." He didn't look at her as he said this, he didn't want to see her hate him and be scared of him. Again, she shocked him with her reaction.

"So? That doesn't make you a monster."

Gaara looked up at her, shock and confusion written all over his face.

"You don't know. I am a monster. I can't help it. I've even killed people. I hurt people whether I want to or not." He had to make her understand, or else she'd be hurt.

"That doesn't make you a monster. If you don't want to hurt them, then you're not a monster."

Gaara laughed, a cold laugh, "Yes it does. I could kill you right now, and you wouldn't be able to stop me."

"No, you couldn't. And you wouldn't."

"I don't always have a choice in that."

"There is always a choice."

"You're really stubborn."

She smiled, "I know. But if you want to, attack me. I bet you that I'll be fine."

He stared at her, not able to believe her words, "You can't be serious. Why would you want me to kill you?"

"You won't kill me. I'll be fine. Please Gaara? I threw the rock at you when you asked me to."

He stared at the ground before looking up at her, "Are you sure?"

"Yes." she crouched down.

"All right." He called up the sand, and, without a warning, struck out at her quickly.

When the sand cleared, Risa was nowhere to be seen.

"I, I killed her. She was nice to me and I killed her. I really am a monster." he looked away, not wanting to see her blood on the ground. He turned around and looked straight into Risa's dark eyes, grinning at him.

"See? I told you I'd be fine."

He just stared at her, not able to think of anything to say. She bopped him in the gut.

"I'm faster than your sand. Having a demon inside of you doesn't make you a monster, playing with me is proof of that. Besides, if all demons and people associated with them were monsters, then I would be one too." she suddenly smiled at him, "We could be monsters together! Grrr!!" she laughed at her own lame joke.

"What do you mean? How are you a monster? You're too nice for that."

"So are you."

"Can you just answer the question?"

"I suppose I could." she sighed and looked around to make sure there was no one else there. There wasn't of course, it was very late into the night by then.

"Well, I'm not exactly human. You are more human than I am. I kind of knew about Shukaku before told me, because I can hear and see him."

"Not, human? What are you talking about? You look human."

"Well, you don't look like a monster."

"That doesn't count. You never told me how you're not human."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes."

"And you called me stubborn. Fine. Um, well, my father is human, but my mother isn't. Me and my brother are twins and are both half-breeds because of it."

"What's your mother then?"

"I'll only tell you if you don't hate me."

"I'm won't hate you."

"All right. My mother is a demon. That makes me a half-demon. There's kind of more to it than that, but I can't really explain it." Risa went silent, waiting for Gaara's reaction.

"Is he going to hate me now? Admit that I'm the monster over himself? Be angry? Afraid?"

Gaara stood there, processing what he heard. He couldn't believe it, she just seemed so, normal, so frail and innocent, so, human. He looked up into her guarded expression and decided it didn't matter.

"Well, it looks like we need another ball. We lost the other one." He smiled up at her and watched as her face changed into happiness. They began tossing rocks to each other until the sun came up. As soon as the village started to rouse, Risa admitted that she had to leave; she had to catch up with her family. She hugged him again and began to run out of the village, she was soon out of site. Gaara sat back down on the swing and smiled at the rock in his hand.

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