Author's note:

This is a fan fiction, all Naruto characters belong to you know who and thus reserves all copyrights to Naruto. But the original characters featured in this story are mine (Yes, mine… my preciousss). Remember though, this is purely fictional (duh!) and so any resemblance to real characters and/or events is purely coincidental.

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Unintended/Three Years

Chapter 1: The Desert Survivor

"Kazekage-sama."

Only Gaara's pale eyes moved to look at his caller.

"There is some disturbance up ahead. Looks like a group of travellers being under attack."

"Have a team to assist the situation." Gaara replied.

"Yes, Sir!" The scout responded, and left quickly.

Though a young man at a mere eighteen years of age, Gaara had bore much weight and pain upon his shoulders. He decided to become Kazekage when he was but twelve years of age, so that he could bond with the village - sharing their happiness and their sadness- a bond he had lacked in this childhood for what he was. In three years, he did what he sought; but also realised more and more that being Kazekage, there were things that he could only keep to himself. His experience of death, his real feelings towards life, the burden that he carries… those things were not so easy to share with his people, not even with his siblings, which he became more close to than anyone else. He was an experiment gone wrong: a failed product from his father who was Kazekage at the time. By his father's instructions, Gaara was fused with a demon they called the Shukaku before he was even born.

It was the same year that he became Kazekage, he also had the demon Shukaku removed from his body by the Akatsuki, which caused his death though momentarily. A lot of his strength came from the One-Tailed demon, and Gaara had thought it would be the end of him being a shinobi. But as Uzumaki Naruto had shown: though the demon sealed inside one's body meant the demon's great chakra strength could be used, there must be great strength as well to withstand the demon inside. After a year's healing from the time he was killed, Gaara worked hard and regained his strength with the help of his siblings. He was more powerful now in a way, as he was able to use his own chakra without interference from the demon inside him that made him unstable. But life apparently does not become easier on him. There were people who feared him and doubted his abilities to continue being Kazekage of the Sunagakure, for they believed that the Shukaku was the only reason for him to become leader. Sleep was still an issue, for not only was he not used to sleeping, and he would almost always have lucid nightmares about the demon when he finally did. But the most difficult thing he was finding was the ever-increasing feeling of seclusion in a different way.

Gaara looked up at the sky, he could see the approaching clouds rolling in from the horizon - a rare desert rainstorm was approaching. He and his entourage of twelve shinobis were travelling back from Konohagakure after the Chuunin Exams. They were at the last leg of their journey – another day's travel and they would be back home again. But now it looked as though they may be delayed a little, and this would not be good with the approaching rain.

They cautiously approached where the said group was. Common bandits that were known to be around this part of the desert, this being a main travelling route, yet far from any civilisation or water source. But suddenly, he felt a chakra, intense and dangerous. He was sure the jonins accompanying him could sense it too, and they stopped. His sister, Temari, was one of his travelling companions. Her brow furrowed in concern and looked at him. Gaara gave a nod to his elder sister, understood that she wished to go ahead and assess the situation personally. Meanwhile, his second in command ordered the rest of the team to surround the Kazekage in case this was an ambush of some kind. But then they all saw it from the distance.

It reared its giant head from the sand and dived towards a survivor – who was already in a bad shape, shakily trying hard to get away. The team Gaara had sent earlier were attacking it with their weapons in vain. Seeing the creature coming his way, the survivor quickly drew out a bow and arrow from a pack on a dead horse. The arrow hit the monster but harmlessly glanced off its armour-like skin. One of the Sand team members, Marin, ran at top speed and managed to shove the survivor out of the way of the creature. However, it meant that he now was in the creature's way and it did not stop to ram into the sand ninja. As Marin was thrown some ten metres away, the creature turned to find its target once more.

Temari appeared and unleashed her fan.

"Daikamaitachi no Jutsu!"

She let a concentrated whirlwind spin towards the giant sand worm, which hit it directly and sent it sideways. The worm rolled several metres from the attack; a cut was visible at its side. The worm roared at the newcomer, and charged at her.

Gaara knew then this was no ordinary sand worm, and no doubt that his sister would have figured this out by now too. "Come out, show yourself!" He heard her shout, knowing full well the summoner was nearby.

There was no answer, but the giant worm recovered and charged at the blonde haired ninja at a frightening speed. Then, Gaara saw him.

The mysterious summoner of the worm hid himself well, and was coming nearer to the now unconscious Marin, and the weary survivor who ran over to help her rescuer, oblivious to the incoming danger. The assassin prepared a death strike with a number of his kunai, but then they fail to connect as a wall of sand suddenly rose in front of the survivor and Marin. The assassin was puzzled. Then he saw at a distance, stood the Kazekage.

"Sabaku no Gaara." The assassin said in fear and quickly turned away to flee.

Temari finally dealt with the giant sand worm and saw the summoner's retreat, but a second later the man was enveloped caught in sand - Gaara's Desert Prison (Sabaku Ro). The Kazekage approached the man. He looked at the assassin in the eyes. Those eyes, they were filled with terror. Gaara felt a familiar sting inside him, he hated when anyone looked at him that way. A soft crunch was heard. Gaara knew then the man had triggered poison hidden in his mouth.

"What is your objective?" the red haired man asked quickly, hoping that he would still get an answer. But the assassin's eyes had already turned dark before he could utter another word. The air in the desert changed drastically and the day turned dark, save for the numerous flashes of lightning illuminating the sky. Thunder rolled in.

The area was quickly searched. There were no other survivors. The giant worm disappeared in a cloud of smoke to where it came as the summon jutsu was broken. The Sand team recovered a heavily injured Marin, and also now the unconscious survivor.

Gaara turned to Temari, who was already tending to the survivor "How is the survivor?"

"Some injuries… and passed out from all that. It's not too serious but we should get medical help soon."

"Bring him with us, the next town is further away than our village. Besides, he needs to answer some questions."

"Yes. And Gaara, he is actually a woman."

Rain started to fall in earnest.