Alright. I decided I'd try this story next. It's been a while since I got to play with Gaara and I like his character better than the others on Naruto (weird i know). Anyway, as usual I've made up my own character (can never bring myself to pair him with another Naruto character. no idea why). Her name is Aya (full name is Ayame but everyone calls her Aya for short.). I think I'll like this character. She's amusing. Anyway, Gaara might be a little out of character during the story but I can't do things any other way. If he isn't ooc he wouldn't talk to Aya then there would be no story...see my problem with leaving him in character. Please forgive the lapses. If it makes you feel better he knows he's ooc and doesn't like it one bit. I better let you get to reading shouldn't I?

Disclaimer: I do own the things I made up (namely the Hayashi clan), but if I didn't make it up I don't own it. Just to be clear...I don't own Naruto, any of the Naruto characters, or the Naruto places.

Ch. 1: The Painter and the Monster

"You can't create a monster then whine when it stomps on a few buildings." -- saying from some person (don't know who)

Monsters.

Some say they are in everyone. Some think that if you don't look like a normal person than you're not a man, but a monster that prays on man. Others know that monsters come in all shapes and sizes. The scariest monster of all is the one that you don't realize is a monster until it's already devoured you. Then, after it's done with you, it will swear that it was the right thing to do, because the real monsters don't believe their monsters at all.

Monster.

The people of Suna claim they know who the monster is. He's the one that scares them the most. The one that has no feelings. What worries them is that they created him. Now he's fully grown and full of rage. They know that one day he'll kill them all for the suffering they put him through. He's a monster after all. Even he thinks so.

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She was lost. It happened once sometimes twice a day. She would decide to take a walk and then lose her way. What else could she expect? She had only lived in Suna for one week. Maybe she was suppose to know her way around by now but she didn't. To make matters worse, no one had time to help her. Everyone she asked was either too busy or didn't care enough to take the time to help her. She saw a boy walking down the street in front of her. Maybe he would help her. He didn't turn when she called out to him. She wondered if he was deaf or something. She had been rather loud when she called out. Instead of calling again she rushed forward. No way was she passing up this chance to get help.

When caught up to him, she tapped his shoulder and doubled over to catch her breath. She didn't see the the surprised look on his face or his eyes narrow in suspicion. Instead, when she looked up again, she saw an expressionless face. They boy was only about a year older than she was. He had blood red hair and eyes the color of sea foam. She found the black rings around his eyes interesting. But what caught her attention was the look in those eyes. There seemed to be a hopeless anger in them that begged to be released. Her fingers itched with the desire to start sketching his face and get that expression on canvas.

"I'm sorry for interrupting you, but I need help. Can you tell me which way to the Hayashi compound is?"

He nearly turned and walked away but something stopped him. Perhaps it was the lack of fear in her eyes. Or maybe it was that she was willing to ask him for help. Then again, he could have just had a moment of insanity. Whatever the reason, he didn't leave. Instead he nodded and motioned for her to follow him. The girl smiled and followed him. It was odd to have someone walking behind him without any hint of fear. He examined her carefully. She was small, almost fragile looking. Her dark hair was thick and fell down to her waist in waves. Bangs fell to just above her blue-green eyes. She had an air of excited energy about her. It was almost as if she hid nothing from anyone. Her face showed the slightest emotion or thought making her easy to read. He hadn't intended on speaking to her but curiosity got the better of him.

"Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Ayame Hayashi. Everyone calls me Aya. And you are...?"

"Sabaku no Gaara."

She tapped her lips with a finger as she tried to remember why that name sounded so familiar. Somehow it seemed important. She hoped it wasn't. That would be bad. She looked at him and the urge to paint came over her again. There seemed to be so much feeling in those eyes. Telling her she couldn't paint him was like telling a starving man he couldn't have any food. Aya didn't ask though. She knew that many people didn't like to be painted. He looked like he would be one of those people.

He suddenly stopped walking. She looked around and realized that they were standing in front of her clan's compound. Aya turned back to him, "Thank you. I always seem to be getting lost."

He tilted his head in question.

"I've only live here for a week. My father and my grandfather have been at odds with each other for years. Because of that me and my mother lived in a village to the north of Suna," she explained. "My father and grandfather have worked things out though so my father decided to move me and mom in with his clan."

Gaara nodded and turned to leave. For some reason, she didn't want him to go. As usual she reacted without thinking. "Gaara?"

He turned.

She stood there floundering for something to say before and idea struck her. "Have you eaten?"

Gaara shook his head.

"You don't speak much do you?"

"No."

"Oh, somehow that doesn't surprise me." She motioned towards the compound, "Would you like to join us for dinner? It's almost time."

Gaara didn't think her clan would appreciate that so he shook his head. He was definitely not in the mood to put up with other people. Then again, he was never in the mood to put up with them. Either way, her clan wouldn't welcome him. She may not realize who he was but her clan would. They would rather let him starve than have him at their table.

"I want to thank you somehow." She looked disappointed for a moment and then her eyes lit up again. "I know. Let me get you lunch tomorrow then. That way you won't have to come to the compound."

He almost refused but she seemed so sincere about thanking him. He found himself nodding in acceptance. Aya smiled and said she'd meet him in the market around noon. With a wave, she bounced into her home. The Hayashi compound was beautiful. Trees and flowers were placed strategically to catch the eye and fill the clan's world with color. Aya had been told that her grandmother had loved gardening and that Lord Hayate kept the gardens after her death to remember her by. Aya spent many ours wondering about the compound with her sketch pad. Her biggest problem was deciding what to sketch first.

Inside the compound, her mother rushed up to greet her. Aya's mother was a beautiful and serene woman. She had long, glossy brown hair and chocolate colored eyes. Like her daughter, she was small with a body that other women would love to have. Unlike Aya, she rarely acted without thought and always kept herself under control. Aya believed that her mother was one of the best people in the world and personally would have loved to be like her. Unfortunately, Aya lacked any self-control when it came to her emotions. Her mother often said it was because of her artistic side.

"I was worried. You were gone for so long." Ruka Hayashi stepped back and gave her daughter a stern look. "You got lost again, didn't you?"

Aya looked sheepishly at her mother, "Yes."

"Oh, Aya. You need to get your head out of the clouds. What did you see this time?"

"The sunset."

Ruka shook her head at her daughter. Aya loved to paint. When she saw something beautiful she would often loose all of her concentration and focus on the object that caught her attention. For Aya the world was filled with beauty and colors. It didn't help that Aya often reacted with emotion rather than thought. Ruka turned when she heard footsteps behind her.

Kaito, Aya's father, walked up to them. He was a big man with broad shoulders and well built muscles. He had dark hair and deep blue eyes. Kaito was much like his daughter in personality, although his shinobi training made him more controlled that she was. Where Aya couldn't hid her emotions even if she wanted to, Kaito was perfectly capable of it. He usually chose not to unless on a mission.

"So, how did you get lost this time?" he asked her with a grin.

"It was the sunset," Ruka replied with a helpless laugh. "There's no hope for it. She's never going to pay attention to what she's doing. It doesn't help that she had no sense of direction."

Kaito chuckled, "Would you have her any other way?"

"No." Ruka hugged her daughter close, "She'll always be my precious Aya."

Aya smiled, "And you say I'm emotional, Mom." She suddenly remembered something and looked at her father. "Hey, Dad. Do you know a boy named Sabaku no Gaara?"

Her mother's hold on her tightened and fear flashed in her father's eyes. He was standing next to her in a second, "Why do you ask? Did he hurt you?"

"No. I just ran into him while I was lost and asked him for help. His name sounded familiar, that's all." Aya was confused. Why did the boy's name scare her father? Kaito was a strong shinobi and had been through many dangerous missions. How did one boy scare him this much?

"You talked to him, Aya. Dear god, do you have a death wish?" her father demanded.

"I would apologize but I don't know what I did wrong," she informed him.

Kaito took a deep breath to calm himself. It was okay. Gaara didn't hurt his daughter and obviously hadn't done anything to frighten her. Aya's father looked at his daughter's confused face. "Sorry. Gaara is a monster, Aya. No one is safe around him."

She frowned, "I know he's not friendly but I wouldn't go so far as to call him a monster."

"Trust me. He is. The boy has killed many shinobi since he was born, including his own uncle."

Now Aya was definitely confused but she didn't push the issue. She didn't want her father to tell her never to speak to Gaara again. The boy didn't seem scary to her. Then again, he might have been in a good mood. Only one way to find out. She would just make sure to ask him about all this tomorrow when she met him for lunch. Aya greeted the rest of her clan and went about the rest of her day without mentioning Gaara again.

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Gaara didn't know why he was there. The day before he had agreed to eat lunch with the girl but he never intended to actually show up. He was probably wasting his time now. No doubt she asked her clan about him and someone warned her about him. He was a weapon after all. Only a monster trained to kill. Why would anyone want to see him more than once? His only reason for living was to kill others. That's what everyone said and, after a while, he learned to agree with them. Killing seemed to be the only way he could prove that he was alive.

He turned to leave, annoyed with himself that he had come at all. Someone called but he ignored it. Chances were they weren't calling him. Then someone grabbed his sleeve. He turned to snarl at whoever it was only to find himself staring in shock.

Aya was panting, "You know. This is the second time I've had to chase after you. It really is becoming a bad habit."

Gaara just shrugged. He was waiting for her to do or say something, though he couldn't say what it was.

She smiled at him, "I'm glad you're still here. Sorry I'm late. I got lost on the way so I'm a little late."

"Do you get lost frequently?" he asked without really caring.

"Yes. It happens so often that my mother always expects me to come home late."

Gaara shook his head at her. No wonder she wasn't a shinobi. The girl wouldn't last for a day. She motioned for him to follow her and walked towards a restaurant. He followed. How had this happened again? He was no longer sure. It wasn't like him to help people and it certainly wasn't like him to share a meal with anyone. Yet here he was. When he left the house this morning, he was surprised that he had remembered the agreement. At first he had dismissed it. Why bother showing up? Then Baki had let them take a break for lunch and he found himself here. He still couldn't believe he had actually showed up.

Aya sat down across from him and tilted her head at him. She noticed the odd looks the other villagers gave her, but ignored them. She had never been one to care what other people were thinking anyway. Right now, her attention was on the boy across from her. "I mentioned you to my father last night. He seems to be afraid of you."

Gaara didn't say anything. There was nothing to say about it. Everyone knew he was a monster. Well, everyone but this odd girl.

"Why?"

He looked at her.

"Why is he afraid of you?" she clarified. "You don't seem that scary to me."

He opened his mouth the shrugged. How did he explain it? How did you tell someone it was because they made him into a monster? That this village put the spirit of Shukaku inside him and that made him a monster from the day he was born. Why should he tell her? It was none of her business anyway. If she wanted to know she could ask someone else. He didn't talk to people after all. Why should he start now? So he said nothing.

She tilted her head, "You're not use to socializing are you?"

He just looked at her with a 'duh' expression.

Aya felt sympathy rise up in her. "The whole village feels the same way my father does, don't they?"

He looked away now.

"I'm sorry."

"I don't want sympathy," he snapped.

"I know but I'm sorry anyway."

"Why? You don't know me."

"Neither do they. That doesn't stop them from fearing you."

"They know me. They created me."

She shook her head in disagreement, "That's impossible."

He raised an eyebrow.

"They can't create you, Gaara. We create ourselves."

"They didn't give me a choice."

"There's always a choice."

He sat back and looked away. It was easy for her to say. She wasn't the one they were afraid of. Shukaku wasn't inside her. Why was he here again? Why was he even talking to this girl? He glanced up at her and saw that she still wasn't afraid of him. Even thought her father had warned her about him, she was still looking at him without any hint of fear or hatred. He wanted to know how she could do that. How could she hear what he was and not be afraid? The need to know was like and itch he couldn't scratch and it wouldn't go away.

"Why aren't you afraid of me?" he demanded.

"Should I be?" she asked as she tilted her head.

"You're father told you what I am."

"He thinks your a monster, but my mother taught me to think for myself. My father's opinion isn't necessarily my opinion." She smiled, "How could someone who would help me be a monster? When I was lost you showed me the way home when no one else would. I see no reason to be afraid of you right now."

He just stared at her. She made it sound so simple but it wasn't. The village didn't always have a reason to fear him. Once he had just been an innocent child that wanted a friend. Then they had sent assassins after him. His uncle, the only person he truly loved, had tried to kill him. That had been the first time he had killed someone. Gaara looked at this girl with narrowed eyes. Maybe she was like his uncle. She could be pretending to care when she didn't.

Damn it. He was tired of being confused. It was time he start acting like who and what he was. Sabaku no Gaara was a monster who's only reason for existing was to kill. He didn't not help lost girls home and he didn't not agree to eat lunch with them. Gaara didn't know what had gotten into him but it didn't matter because he would get rid of it. He stood and left.

Aya watched him with some concern. She saw the look in his eyes. The barely contained hostility. That boy had issues. Oh well. She had thank him for his help. It was time to let it go. She didn't like it but what else could she do. There was no reason to see him again other than to satisfy her curiosity. Somehow she doubted he would agree to answer her questions. Sabaku no Gaara was not friendly but she still couldn't bring herself to believe he was a monster.

That's the first chapter. I'm almost finished with the second one but I was a review before I post it. I don't like working on stories no one is interested in. As long as someone let's me know they want to read the story I'll continue it. Until next time.