Color Me Emotional *Chapter 1* Crimson

*((Revised!))*

By: Kitty Amani

Tylina set on the window pane, staring down at the crowded streets of Sunagakure. The sun was shining down hot and heavy on the sand adobes as it always did, making it difficult for one to breath properly, unless they had been born and raised in such an environment. This young girl had adapted to the humidity so well, in fact, that she was comfortable in her black attire, consisting of a t-shirt and cargo pants. Her raven colored, green streaked hair was pulled back into a high ponytail that cascaded down in layers and ended just above her elbows, and her emerald green eyes captured the sun's rays, reflecting brightly in spite of her solemn mood. She watched the residents of the village moved from shop to shop, attempting to finish their daily chores before the sun began to descend. The routine was the same today as every day, just as boring, just as annoying. An irritated sigh escaped her lips as she swung her legs back inside the building and slid off the ledge. She landed next to Kankuro, who had been leaning against the wall next to her, also watching the redundant scene below.

"Yo, Gaara," Tylina glided a few feet forward so that she stood next to the red head. She watched as his eyes moved back and forth as he scanned the mission report from one of the shinobi in the village.

"Hrm?" Was the response he gave, not looking up, or giving her any other sort of acknowledgement. Tylina frowned and narrowed her eyes into a glare before impulsively reaching forward and snatching the papers from his hands. The Kazekage emitted an annoyed grunt before turning his chair to face his childhood friend. Her glare stayed in tacked as she slammed the papers on the desk and leaned forward, putting her face only inches from his.

"This is boring," She stated bluntly, poking him hard in the chest.

"You don't have to tell me twice," Gaara sort of grumbled, obviously agitated as well, maybe even more so. Tylina sighed and straightened herself up, bowing her head slightly in respect.

"I'm sorry, Gaara," She apologized sincerely, brushing her bangs from her eyes so that she could gaze into his. "It's just that we've been in here all day and you've done a lot, without as much as a break." She reached forward and ruffled his hair, something she always did when she babied him, acting as if she were his older sister. He growled loudly in protest.

"I hate it when you do that," He reached up and smacked her hand away, bringing a small smile to her face and causing her to giggle in an amused sort of manner. She suddenly recalled why she was sitting in that room, by his side for hours on end. It was because she loved Gaara, and wanted to protect the sand's new leader from any threat that was posed, as she always had wanted to protect him when he was little. Memories flowed through her mind, but the one that stood out at this moment was when Gaara's own father had attempted to use his son's amazing power to conquer the village hidden among the leaves. He took Gaara out of Suna to participate in the chunin exams without her knowledge. By the time she found out what exactly was going on, the siblings had already failed the mission and were returning home. Needless to say, Tylina turned her back on the monarchy after that, that is, until the person she trusted most in the world became the king; then she was quick to fall to her knees in respect and bare the sand symbol with honor.

It seemed that since that incident, however, that things had started to go uphill for the former sociopath. Gaara slowly began to change when he returned, which confused and frightened Tylina until Kankuro explained their encounter with a young boy by the name of Naruto Uzumaki. She herself had never been to Konohagakure or met this genin, who she hears constantly about. One day, however, she hoped to venture there, and give this Naruto kid a huge thanks from her, for helping Gaara see what all he could do, and what all he could be. At this point, she had never been so proud of Gaara. He was being more open, more trusting, and it was definitely altering his life for the better. Tylina's thoughts swirled, allowing her to remember where she was. She shook her head, bringing herself back to the present.

"I know you do," She shrugged as she set on the edge of his desk, twirling a piece of her hair between her fingers. "Just a habit, I guess. But, anyway, my point was that it isn't healthy for you," She chuckled silently to herself. "Or me to be stuck inside for too long."

"She's right, Gaara," Kankuro stepped up beside the young girl, arms crossed in front of his chest. Tylina glanced at him, eyebrow raised, wondering if he was being sincere or if he was just attempting to get on her good side. He always seemed to be sucking up to Tylina, or at least it seemed that way. He continued without looking at her. "It's almost time for the sun to go down. Why don't we go out and do something?" Garra hesitated, looking from his brother, to his friend, then back again. Kankuro and Tylina shared a smile as Gaara sighed in defeat.

"Let me finish what I'm working on and then we will leave," He waved his hand in a motion to get Tylina up off his desk, which she did obediently. As she was going back to her post at the window, her and Kankuro shared a secret and silent victory high five. She knew he wanted to get out of there, too, for the two of them were almost exactly alike.

"I say we do something wild tonight, like go clubbing or some shit," Kankuro suggested, sitting down next to her, a huge smirk on his face. "Temari is still in Konaha, so we won't have anyone to try and tell us what to do." Tylina glanced over her shoulder at Gaara, who seemed to now be speeding through his reading material in an effort to get out of the office quickly. She smiled and shook her head before glancing back to Kankuro.

"That sounds fun, but I think we should let Gaara decide what we do tonight," She giggled slightly as Kankuro's face fell. She didn't know if it was because he really wanted to get out and let loose, or because he wasn't going to be able to get her drunk.

"Yeah, I guess," He moved his gaze back down to the village, obviously upset. Tylina bit her bottom lip.

"Um, if you want," She knew she was going to regret what she was about to say, but she hated seeing him sad. "You and I could, um, go out tomorrow night...just us." Suddenly a huge smile spread across his face and his eyes locked with hers.

"Really?" He questioned excitedly. Tylina hesitated. She recalled the last time the two of them had gone out together and how he had gotten her so drunk that she not only couldn't remember the events of the night, but she had awoke completely naked in his bed. It was so awkward to be around him that day, although he seemed bright and happy. It's not like he had taken her virginity, but he was just so much like a brother in her eyes that the situation was hard for her. Kankuro's crush on her sometimes made it difficult to hang out like they used to about a year ago.

"Yeah, I mean it," She forced a smile. Kankuro opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by the sound of Gaara pushing his chair back as he climbed to his feet.

"I'm ready," Was all he said before heading toward the door.

"Of course, Mr. Kazekage, sir," Tylina jumped to her feet, thankful that she no longer had to have this conversation, and ran to his side. She admired how he walked with such confidence, and how his crimson hair caught the afternoon light that flowed through the window, giving him a sort of glow.

'Crimson is such a beautiful color,' She thought to herself. 'And he's such a beautiful person.'