Chapter one: Chain of Memories

Thoughts echoed through my mind…

"You'll make me proud Rani, my precious gem…" My father's soft and loving voice echoed in my mind and drifted away. He used to be so kind and gentle…

He loved me dearly; he took care of me and taught me to fight. He loved me so much. He wasn't human he was actually a demon. But he never acted like it.

Or so I thought…

Terrorizing screams entered my ears.

Wailing. Crying. Screaming.

"Help us!"

"Save me!"

"Rani!'

They screamed for me to save them. I let them all down; they were my family. My body froze and tears escaped my eyes to see my family's houses in flames. Smoke rose and entered my lungs; I coughed as my vision was soon fading. I covered my ears and watched my family die away as I wailed and shook as the feeling of death was strong.

A shadowy figure appeared. I looked up to see the figure represented a demon. "Look at you… your frozen in fear" I heard a voice speak from the darkness. "No" I repeated continuously in my mind but my family was leaving me. The demon narrowed his evil, crimson eyes at me and flapped his leathery wings to reveal my father. My eyes widened "Father?" I whimpered in his presence. I shook and tears flowing. Father gave a look of disgust at my quivering body and lifted my head with his huge claw. "I thought I taught you better then that…" father growled and turned his back on me and walked away. "Your not even worth killing" father whispered and soon flew off. I watched him fly away.

Why father?

The flames over time died out. No one had helped my family because we were all scum in their eyes. Pitiful monsters that had no place in humanity, I was the sole survivor and I wished I could have gone with them to the next life. I had never felt so alone…

I then vowed to never return to where I was born. Ever.

The flames and shunning faces faded away and I saw a garnet-haired boy infront of me.

He was collapsed on the ground in the rain and was wailing in the darkness of the night. The boy soon looked up at me and I gasped at his tear-stained face. I soon recognised him. This boy was treated like what he didn't deserve.

Demon.

This was what he was, like my family and I. I walked up to him and knelt infront of him and wiped away his tears. "Why don't you run? Like everyone else?!" The boy cried. I felt the rain soak my hair and pulled the boy into a hug, the boy cried into my shoulder. "Because I know what it is like to be the bad guy"

I parted from the boy, and smiled weakly. "Do you wish to be my friend?" I asked the boy kindly. The boy's eyes widened "What?" he questioned me. I smiled and stood up from the muddy ground. I held out my hand and the boy held it lightly. I whispered in his ear to meet me here the next day and I walked away.

This was my first friend, Gaara; known as the sand demon.

Gaara was a quiet child but he was the most loving person I knew. He didn't judge me like everyone else, he protected me and made me happy to be his friend. Gaara was feared and rejected like me because of the fact he was a demon like me. He was the host of the sand demon, Shukaku. Shukaku was a bloodthirsty demon that could invade Gaara's conscience and get him to kill whenever he wished. This was why he was feared so badly, Gaara couldn't keep his demon under control. I could barely myself, so we kept close together and cared for one another; knowing we'd only have each other and no one would accept what we are…

Then everything went dark, I could not see anything. "Gaara?" I called out and I then felt a cold wind upon my skin.

I held my arms infront of me. I soon heard a dark chuckle from behind me; I turned to see two giant, glowing, red eyes. Soon I saw a pointed white tooth underneath the eyes, then another, and another.

"Father…" I whimpered as the environment got colder and colder,

"Poor Rani…" father soothed sarcastically. "Baby cold? Aww… too bad…" he mocked me as I shivered.

"Why are you here?" I snarled and shivered. Father snorted at my tone of bitterness, "Oh, not even a hello? Too bad…"

He growled and bared his white, sharp teeth at me. I started to feel scared in the demon's presence; if he wanted to, he could kill me even in my own mind. His power was too great. "I always knew you as a coward. You're a disgrace!" He snapped at me and I tried to dodge his painful words.

"Why father?!" I cried as the fear was rising and rising deep in my gut, I fell back onto my butt and creeped back as he stepped forward and he then placed his giant, black claw on my body to keep my grounded. I struggled under his weight, as he was much bigger then I was by far,

"Your weak and the real reason your family died was…" father growled in my ear "was because you and your pathetic fear couldn't stand up to even challenge me…" Father mocked me and put more weight on his claw and pressed down.

I gasped as the air in my lungs was disappearing fast, I soon thought he would kill me but I closed my eyes and waited for myself to suffocate when I heard a yowling noise coming from afar…