"Do you wanna play with me?" Your round eyes stared up at the redhead that sat alone on the swings, desperately clutching his stuffed animal. "… I have a ball."
His eyes widened before narrowing in suspicion, "… Why?"
You looked away in shame for a second before meeting turquoise eyes, "Well, you're alone, too. So I figured you would want to play."
The little boy furrowed his eyebrow muscles. "Why are you alone?"
"Well, all the parents call me a 'street rat,'" Your tone was discolored with confusion, "And tell the other kids to stay away from me. But I don't get it. I'm not a rat."
He didn't know either, so he just brushed it off. "Do you know why I'm alone?" You shook your head. He debated telling you, but he knew that if you became friends and then you found out, it would hurt more. "… They call me a monster."
Your eyes widened. "Why? Do you eat babies?"
Red hair shook as a head wagged furiously, "No!"
"Hmm… oh!" Your eyes were the size of the moon overhead. "Are you that demon-child all the parents talk about?" His head hung in shame in response as he waited for you to leave. But then a miraculous thing happened: you didn't.
"But I don't get it. I mean, do you eat monsters?" He shook his head no. "Well, if you are what you eat, then you're not a monster. Now let's play!"
And so you did.
{Extended Ending}
A few hours later you knew each other's names and background stories, forming the tight bond that only can come from young age.
"Hey, Gaara-kun?"
Tired grunt.
"... Why don't you have eyebrows?"
