Chapter 1 – Where everything began

"We ourself know exactly what we are.. Things inside us won't change anything.."

It was an late afternoon in Sunakagure. It was warm, but sametime chilly wind went through whole village. Somewhere from the village could hear laughing, shouting, happy and joyful voices. Children were playing ballgame in playing field. They had fun together. They didn't know, that one little kid was just on other side of a wall, and heard every single voice from the side where children were playing. It hurted that small, redhaired boy with his teddybear, because those children would not take him playing with them. He knew it, because everyone in the village feared, hatred or avoided him. Not just adults, everyone. Even children.

That small, redhaired boy just swinged, until he heard a voice on top side of him. From the wall. He heard voices from other side.

"Damn, how we should get that down there?"

Children turned their glance just a little while away from the ball, and nobody didn't see a little amount of sand rised on top of the wall, and pushed the ball off. Ball fall on redheads lap.

"Hey, where did it go?"

"It just vanished suddenly!"

Redhead stepped from other side of the wall, and held ball on his hands. He looked bashfully to the children, and handed ball over towards children.

"Here.."
He said quietly. Children watched him, and suddenly fearful emotion came to every children's face.

"It's Subaku no Gaara! Run!"

They all screamed, and started to run away from redhead. Little redhead looked a little bit shocked, and stepped few steps forward.

"No, don't leave! I don't wanna be alone! I won't hurt you!"
Redhead screamed. Sand started to move towards children, while redhead shivered within his shock. But suddenly, the sand stopped moving. And children stopped runnin away too. Redhead rised his head, and looked what was happening. Why did they stop? Not because redhead, he knew it.

Blonde, maybe at same age as redhead, stepped throw the other children. He looked to the redhead, and then to the children. He frowned.

"Why are you all runnin and screaming? Don't you see, he's just bringing back your ball. A weird way to thank him."

"Don't you see! Don't you know what he is?"
One screamed frightened.

"He's Subaku no Gaara! A monster, disaster of our village!"

Blonde frowned deeper. Ge glared to the children. His glare frightened even older children too.

"Who told you that kind of thing?"
"M-m-my parents.."
"Then your parents are fools, who don't see further their own nose. He's just like you all, a kid who wants to be with others. But you all are fools, if you don't understand it."
"Y-you haven't got a permission talk to us like that..!"

Blonde's glare was changing a little. His eyes turned a little while to red, and pupil moved thinner, his eyes looked like a demon's.

"Oh, yes I do, because I know things more better than you all together. Begone."
He just said, and glared children until they gett off from the field.

Blonde turned around, and walked to redhead. He smiled a little bit sorry.

"Sorry.. I guess I frightened your playmates away.."
Redhead shaked his head.

"No, it's nothing.. They wouldn't play with me, whatever you would say.."
"Well, guess they don't need this one, ne?"
Blonde pointed to the ball. He treated his hand to redhead, who was sitting on the ground, and grinned.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Would you be a friend of mine?"

Redhead glared the blond boy. Those words.. No one had never sayed anything like that.. To him.. Never.

Redhead grapped to blonde's hand, and rised up.

"I'm Subaku no Gaara. I would love to be your friend."
He said, and smiled. Both of them did.

Their friendship didn't need words. Gaara wasn't quite sure, why Naruto had wanted to be his friend. But he felt, that he knew something about same things as he did. He noticed, that their past were so close to same, that it was a bit frightening. But Naruto looked like he didn't mind what happened in his past to him. He said, that he was now happy, even that he was in secret in Sunakagure. Once Gaara asked, why he was even here in Sunakagure, and what were his earlier home village. Naruto didn't mind about that question.

"Everyone just hatred, dispised and avoided me. Even children, because their parents said them so. Everyone always talked badly about me behind my back, and thinked that I didn't hear, but oh yes, I did. I had enough, and packed my stuff, and went outside the village. It didn't felt like home. So I decided to find a new home for myself. And friends. A place where no one knows about me, and won't regognize me. Finally I just arrived here, who knows why."
"Well.. You didn't say still your earlier home village.."
"Oh, didn't I? It was Konohakagure."
Gaara was a bit surprised. Does people treat there someone like here? He had expecting other..

"Gaara.. I have to ask you for a favor."
"What's that?"
"Don't tell anyone about me. When I showed up for those children, they will probably tell about me to their parents sooner or later. I don't want anybody know that I'm going to live here, and that I'm from Konohakagure."
"Why?"
"Because.. They would maybe send me back there. And I think.. That I could be more happier in here, even in secret. And.. I don't want, that you would be alone."

Gaara watched that blonde boy, who smiled a bit. Gaara put his hand on Naruto's hand, and pressed it a bit.

"Naruto.. Thank you. I will not tell to anyone about you. It's a promise."
Naruto smiled. He knew that he could trust on Gaara.

Gaara took every day food and drink for Naruto, who lived allways just somewhere in Sunakagure. Many weeks Naruto could stay out from everyone's sight, and it was just a good thing for him and Gaara. Even, that thing were pretty same before Naruto appeared, Gaara was happier than ever. They lied in one, high roof, and watched how the sun shined, and few clouds moved slowly on the sky.

"Naruto.."
"Yes?"
"Why we are so same? Why we are hated? And.. Why people say, that we are monsters?"
Naruto lied a while, quiet. He watched clouds, which moved very slowly. He sighed.

"Human mind is so complicated.. But.. I think, that maybe one reason is, that people can't stand things, which are upon normal, or which they know are stronger than they are. Or.. Maybe they just can't really think further their own nose."
"Feels like they really don't know how we feel.."
"Yeah.. And we know better than should, how we each other feel."
Naruto put his hand on his stomach, and muttered quietly.

"We ourself know exactly what we are.. Things inside us won't change anything.."