I finally decided to write a new story. I'll try to find time to update. I kind of took away the whole "ninja" aspect of the original creation of "Naruto", as it was easier to write this without that in it. Anyways, I of course (Disclaimer:) do not own "Naruto." Reviews help motivate me to update sooner, just putting that out there. Enjoy!

Chapter One: Optimism

The lustrous reflection of the luminous rays of sunlight glazed over the river's surface, creating a sheet of brilliance over the image of the boy in the water. The serene current slightly distorted the mirrored image as it flowed peacefully towards the western direction. The boy was reluctant to come into contact with the chilly grasp of the water, although he admired its beauty indefinitely. Mesmerized by the beauty, the young boy sat motionless as his mind drifted into his subconscious mind, daydreaming about various things that he was likely not to ever have. He smiled unknowingly to himself as his imagination freely explored the euphoric thoughts where his loneliness was nonexistent.

His abrasive attitude proved to award him with little popularity, although it seemed to others that he wanted it no other way. He was quite odd in his ways; he carried a sense of pessimism in his daily life. His messy red hair and the blackened mark around his eyes emphasized his apathetic life. The mark on his forehead seemed to contrast his attitude, love with carelessness. Although unknown to everyone, he carried a strenuous mask to hide his own weaknesses, failing to place his trust in anyone. He soon dozed off, too absorbed in his thoughts for his mind to resurface back to consciousness.

The giant cherry blossom tree wavered under the slight breeze as it whispered by, inducing the shivering of the young boy nearby. He awoke to the moonlit evening, the incandescence created a layer of paleness over the boy's skin, accentuating the smoothness of it. As he sat up, he realized that a tangerine colored jacket was placed effortlessly on him, the reason for the little warmth he had. Too dazed to think twice about it, he tightened the jacket he had around himself, hoping that it would help further alleviate the chilliness of dusk; however, it proved to have a limited effect in warming the body. Giving up, he flung his shoulder bag over his shoulder and treaded slowly alongside the glistening river towards his own house.

His house sat alone in the edge of the city, creaking softly in the wind. The space was quite small but it was quite decent for the little money he had. He forcibly pushed the door open, the lack of lubrication in the hinges often made it difficult when entering the house. He softly placed his bag on the kitchen table, covering all the bills addressed to Gaara. He slowly dragged himself up the wooden stairs as it creaked with each step, and collapsed on the comfortable bed in his room, falling asleep again almost immediately.

The piercing sound of the alarm clock drummed into his ear at the first light of dawn. The sunlight was just flickering into the night sky when the dreary Gaara exposed his left arm to the morning cold in order to stop the screaming from the machine. "Stupid, crappy alarm clock," he muttered to himself as he pulled the covers over his head. "It's fucking Saturday." The momentary silence after shutting off the alarm clock was interrupted by another piercing noise.

"Gaara-kun!" Temari's voice dragged on, unexpectedly ecstatic and cheerful at the break of dawn.

"What are you doing here at six in the morning Temari?" Gaara rebuked her for her naïve actions. "Why are you so energetic today? It isn't like you."

"What's with that attitude?" She scowled. "Don't tell me you forgot that it's your birthday."

"So what? I don't feel like celebrating it. Let me sleep."

"You're so arrogant!" She lifted the blanket and threw it on the side, revealing the red haired boy underneath, still fully clothed from last night. Her voice softened as she caught a glimpse of Gaara. "When did you get a new jacket?"

Gaara stared blankly at Temari. He unzipped the orange garment and examined it, a perplex expression on his face. "I don't remember ever receiving a new jacket..." Gaara paused, thinking back to the previous day, "I don't remember wearing it to the river yesterday…"

"From what I know of you, you probably fell asleep again there didn't you?" His older sister appeared to be scolding him for his mistakes again, "you can easily catch a cold you know! I'm not always here to visit you and to help cure your pain."

"I don't need you to care so much for me," Gaara replied coldly, annoyed by Temari's lecture.

"Of course you don't." She smiled, contrasting her serious mood a mere few minutes earlier. "It seems like you have someone else."

Gaara's perplex expression reappeared on his face. "What are you implying?"

"Isn't it obvious? The jacket most likely came from someone who cared enough to leave it with you so you wouldn't get sick sleeping in the chilly night."

"Impossible," Gaara grunted back, "I don't know anyone who would do any of the sorts."

"Good luck finding your secret admirer then! Meet me and Kankuro later ok? We have to do something as siblings to celebrate your birthday, unless you have other plans with a special someone." She teased him, smiling.

"I'll see you guys later." He replied emotionless as he headed to the bathroom, closing the door louder than intended behind him.

Gaara always loathed the water, although it was inevitable at times such as when he needed to shower. He refused to use the traditional ways of either using the shower head or bathing in a tub of water. He stripped off the scarlet colored t-shirt that fit snugly around him, followed by his black colored pants which enclosed his slender legs. The naked Gaara then filled a cylindrical container with lukewarm water and placed it on the bottom of the bathtub. Taking a dry towel, he dipped it into the liquid, brushing himself gently with the dampened cloth. Drops of water trailed the white cloth, causing mild discomfort for the hydrophobic boy. Although he was keen to not place excess water into contact with his skin, his mind was wandering elsewhere, reminiscing about the words his sister had implied jocularly. 'The jacket most likely came from someone who cared enough to leave it with you so you wouldn't get sick sleeping in the chilly night.' He pondered whether or not there would be someone outside his family that cared for him, but he shook the thought out of his head. It was unlikely anyone from the area of Konoha, Japan, would approach him that way.

As soon as he had finished cleansing his entire body, he dressed himself in a cool grey turtle neck and dark, skinny jeans from his speculation of the frozen windows around the house. He threw on a beige jacket over himself, the mysterious orange one lay neatly at the end of his bed. He made his way slowly down the wooden stairs, disregarding the familiar creaking noise. The contrasting color of the white plastic bag caught his attention. He paced over curiously and unpacked the contents of the bag. The saran-wrapped rice ball squished softly in his hand, the sogginess of it made it unappetizing to eat. 'Temari, why do you bother cooking?' He sighed, losing his appetite for breakfast and headed out into the chilly environment outside.

By the time Gaara had stepped a foot outside the coziness of his home, the sun had already casted its illuminating beauty in the sky. The soft rose color was starting to dissipate as the yellow color soon dominated the sky. It was too early to be finding his siblings, although there was no point in dwelling around in boredom at home. He treaded along aimlessly, without a set destination in mind. The glistening moistness of the grass glazed over Gaara's runners, creating a shiny exterior coating. He soon unconsciously found himself arriving at the place of wonderment in which he usually resided to isolate himself with the world, giving him time and space for his mind to wander without worries. However, the shivering breeze was clouded by anxiety as the crouched down, careful not to touch the damp grass. 'Did I expect to find someone here? Do I really believe that someone actually randomly cared for me? How immature of me…' The rustling of a khaki-shaded rabbit interrupted his thoughts, bringing his attention away from his weary thoughts. He unconsciously found himself smiling as the animal curiously ran over to his feet. The rustling repeated, except this time it caused Gaara's eyebrows to contract confusingly as he stared at the animal which was still standing in one spot. He turned around to examine the mysteriously mimicking noise, only to find something he would least expect to.

A young boy that appeared to be of his age stared back at him, wonderment apparent in his ocean-blue eyes. He was wearing a light blue t-shirt, which was quite odd as it was chilly outside. He let out a slight smile as he realized that Gaara was strangely staring at him, hoping to ease the awkwardness that had already been established between them. The boy jogged up to Gaara, his golden-yellow hair vividly danced as he moved.

"Hey! I was hoping I would run into someone here," the blond-haired boy spoke with enthusiasm and much louder than what was needed. Gaara's silence enticed him to continue, "Erm…I'm looking for my jacket; have you seen it?"

"Jacket? What would a jacket of yours be doing up here, in the middle of the wild?" Gaara replied coldly, not wanting to believe his 'irrational' thoughts.

"Oh, really…my jacket was left here last night though. Well, if you find it, it belongs to me." With a questioning look on his face, the boy turned away and walked back the way he came.

"Wait!" The boy stopped and turned around as Gaara's voice projected past him. "What color is it?"

"Orange," replied the boy, walking away as he spoke.

Gaara practically broke the door off its hinges as he hastily entered his house, perspiration evidently streaming down his skin from the run back. He rushed up the ancient staircase, almost eradicating the wooden stairs. His lungs expanded repeatedly, gasping for oxygen beyond its capacity, as he paused outside his room door. 'Is this really happening? Am I really getting all excited over such a miniscule façade of hope?' He slowly turned the handle and revealed the compact room that contained minimal bedroom necessities. The only exciting object in the entire room lay on his bed. Gaara couldn't help but to smile as he realized that everything that had happened was indeed part of reality. 'So there really is someone…' He tried not to sound desperate with himself but the fact was so overwhelming since he seemed like he was destined to be alone.

Gaara unfolded the orange jacket and felt its soft, slightly silky surface. 'I should probably give this back to him…' He folded the jacket again, only this time he felt a paper-like object in the right pocket, something he had left undetected before. His curiosity dominated his sense of righteousness, and so he reached in, only to find a piece of ordinary lined paper, the scribbles were noticeable at the edge of the folded item. He unfolded the note and couldn't stop himself from reading it, as he wanted to know more of the blond boy.

Hey Naruto! I need your help for something tomorrow. Stop by my house sometime tomorrow then okay? It won't take long, I know how impatient you are, so you don't have to worry. If you're thinking about refusing this offer already, well then, I'll give you something that you can't refuse. My treat on your favorite ramen in town after we're done! Don't be late, see you at 9. Remember, January 18 at 9am!

-Kiba

'January 18…that was yesterday! He must have stopped by after meeting up with this other guy and that's when he gave me his jacket…' Gaara thought of the only logical situation. He glanced back at the note. "Naruto…" he whispered under his breath, the boy which had cared for him. Gaara smiled to himself, his newfound appreciation for the blond created a feeling of happiness inside him, something he hadn't felt in a very long time.