pre. Gentle.

Red was Akashi's favorite color.

She never wore it, barely saw it much- but the shade of color that so closely resembled blood was stained into her mind forever, ever since the first time she saw it- on him.

He was her best friend- though his heart was full of hatred and he rarely even bothered to acknowledge her existence, he was all she needed. Knowing he was still alive, still the same, still learning; made her happy. He was Gaara- Gaara of the Desert. The same Gaara that held within him the demon Shukaku; yes, he was her world. That violent color of his hair became her favorite color the second she saw him.

Some people would say this girl must have a 'spiritual connection with his soul' in order to even tolerate his existence, but Akashi would shrug such comments off. Unlike everyone else, she didn't find her situation unnatural or nonmsensical- in fact, she didn't think of it much at all. She though of him, though. Perhaps too much.

One fine, bright day, just before the chuunin exams were to restart and the survivors of the preliminaries were to compete, Kinosa Akashi of Konoha sat by the river with her eyes in the clouds. Around her, villagers laughed and spoke, children played, but all she heard was the soft flow of the rushing water. A smile tried to tug at her lips, but it soon gave up- such a task was impossible, it seemed. Akashi's expression scarcely changed from 'blank.'

Today, however, the slightest emotion would shine through- Much later, though; first allow the start of her day to be shown.

Nara Shikamaru, Akashi's teammate, edged his way over to the daydreaming girl and sat beside her. She barely noticed him until he cleared his throat and half-silently tested his voice, at which point, Akashi broke away from her imagination.

"Why are you sitting here all by yourself?" he questioned, little enthusiasm in his words.

"I've nothing else to do," she admitted. "And today is not a day to train."

Shikamaru held out a slightly callused hand as he stood, offering her assistance in getting up. She took it respectfully. "Want to play a game, then?"

Akashi shook her head. "I'm going to find Gaara."

The name of the threatening sand-shinobi alone sent shivers down his back. Though he'd not seen much of him and his abilities, Gaara gave off a frightening air and Shikamaru didn't dare go near him. His disapproval of his teammate's supposed 'friendship' with the freak was known to her, but -as usual- she brushed it off.

Shikamaru waved to Akashi and walked off, leaving her to look around for a sign of where her friend might be all by herself. Unsure but still determined, she wandered off towards the west side of Konoha.

"Akashi!" She spun around, catching the eye of another genin, Uzumaki Naruto. He grinned at her and ran to her side. "Hey, have yo seen Sakura anywhere? It's her turn to help out at Ichiraku Ramen."

Akashi shook her head. "No. Do you know where Gaara is?"

Naruto reeled back in both surprise and disgust. "That freak? I don't know but if I find him it'll be one hellofa fight! Believe it." He frowned for a moment. "That jerk Sasuke mentioned something about a special guard around the Inn on this side of town, though. Maybe he's got something to do with that." She said her 'thank-you's and 'goodbye's, then ran off toward the Inn.

Gaara, sure enough, was on the third level, standing out on the ledge. He didn't seem to see her, and she didn't mind- it was rare for him to ever really acknowledge her, but being ignored was something she was quite accustomed to. So quiet a girl she was, wrapped up in her imagination and dreams throughout the days of her life...

Her teammates and friends took pity upon her.

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Thank you for reading! next few parts up soon.