I remember the word that struck fear in everyone's minds. A simple name. Gaara.

At that time, I was six. Old enough to wander around, but young enough to be lost. My mom and I moved to Suna to escape the madness with the Kyuubi, and stayed longer than we planned. I didn't really favor that. I had no friends at school. Everyone in my class was a year or two older than me. They picked on me because I was little, and I was smart. To some of them, I was a threat. They had been at the top of the class, and favored by the teachers until I came along. No longer the best, they vented out on me. I still have a scar on my pinky when I protected myself from a purposely loose kunai.

The night I met him was an autumn night. My mom had an errand to run, and won't be back until very late. I told myself I would stay over at a friend's for dinner. My mom was proud of me for having a friend. I walked around Suna the whole day.

It was getting late, and I was lost. I scolded myself for taking that turn two hours ago, my own curiosity getting the best of me. Now, I was in a part of Suna I've never been before, and the sun was setting behind me. Shadows started creeping up on walls, and negative thoughts were pushing their way into my mind.

What if I get kidnapped? What would happen to my mom, who was still so heartbroken over the death of her sister? Or the teacher who said she was going to find a way to switch me into a class with people my age, but at the same intellectual level? Would she be disappointed, waiting the next morning for transfer papers for a girl who would never show up? Or had she forgotten already?

I shivered. I made a vow to myself to find my way back home no matter what happened. But when I got to a stretch of dark alleyways, I was starting to doubt myself.

Suddenly, a hiss rose from behind me. I froze, fighting back the urge to cry. I pulled the emergency kunai from my boot and whirled around, like the older students do when they're fighting outnumbered. A slither of sand inched towards me. From the shadows stepped a boy with hair red as blood.

I stood memorized at the way his hair moved in the slight breeze. It was such a beautiful shade of red. Red like roses, red like life. My eyes moved to the dark rings around his eyes. Three words popped into my mind.

Red like devil.

I knew him. Everyone talks about him. Him and his monster. Imagine how I felt, standing in a deserted world with the devil in front of me.

But he was a child. A child like me. A devil child. Mom told me devils take many forms. Many innocent forms, so they can lure people into their never-ending stomach. My heart pounded loudly. I wished I could disappear in a shower of petals, in a swirl of sand. Anything. Just take me away from this devil.

"Hi."

his voice took me by surprise. Such an innocent voice. That could possible be holding malice and hunger behind it. I nodded at him cautiously. He seemed disappointed. He stepped back. Sand began swirling at his feet. He was about to go. My only chance of getting back home was about to leave.

"Wait!" I cried, stumbling forward. I tripped over my feet and fell towards him. His eyes went wide. I didn't have time to register the solid column of sand that came barrelling towards my stomach. I only remember sucking in a breath as I was shot into the sky, fighting to distinguish between the real stars and the stars behind my eyes.

I woke up in my own bed and wondered if that really happened. When I looked at my stomach, there were mini scars scattered around the skin.