Hey! I know I should be working on my other story, but this just came to me. So enjoy, and I'll start working on new chapters.

P.S. Please review! Constructive criticism would be awesome. Thanks!

Disclaimer: Anything from Naruto is not mine. I just own the plot and my character, Kazuno Yuko.

Trying To Find Peace

A Gaara One-Shot

A little boy of six years sat alone on a swing, clutching a teddy bear. The playground had been deserted as soon as he appeared. That always happened. Everyone always screamed in terror and ran as soon as they laid eyes on Sabaku no Gaara, the 'monster.' His sad sea green eyes stared at the abandoned ball, wishing he had someone to play with.

"Hi!"

Gaara looked up to see a little girl about his age smiling at him. She had shoulder length white hair. A red cherry clip held back her bangs. She wore a cute light grey kimono with little pink flowers. Her big brown eyes blinked at him as she awaited his answer.

Unfortunately, since nobody had ever tried to have a normal conversation with him, he wasn't sure what to do. He simply stared back at the little girl, amazed that she wasn't running away.

Despite his silence, she kept grinning at him. "My name's Kazuno Yuko. What's yours?"

Suddenly realizing why she wasn't afraid of him, he braced himself for the screaming that would follow his name. "Sabaku no Gaara." Closing his eyes, he waited. And waited. And waited. But there was no screaming. He hesitantly opened his eyes to find Yuko looking at him with a confused expression on her face.

"Well, Gaara, let's be friends!" she exclaimed.

"Why aren't you afraid of me? Don't you know who I am?" he questioned.

She giggled, "Of course I know who you are! You're Sabaku no Gaara, my new friend! Why would I be afraid?"

"Because I'm a monster. I've killed so many people."

"Were they trying to hurt you?"

"Yeah. They were assassins."

"Then they deserved to die. C'mon! Let's play!"

"Ok." For the rest of the day, Gaara and Yuko played Wall Ball and Kickball. Sadly, dusk soon came and Yuko had to go home.

"Bye! We'll play again tomorrow, okay? A little after sunrise." She left before Gaara could answer, but she knew he would be there.

[Gaara's House]

"Yashamaru! Yashamaru!"

"What is it, Gaara?"

"I made a friend today! She wasn't afraid of me and she didn't run away!"

"That's great! Are you going to see her again?"

"Yeah. Tomorrow."

"Alright. Go eat dinner and take a bath."

Later, when everybody was asleep, Gaara lay in his bed staring at the ceiling and thinking excitedly about his new friend.

At sunrise, Gaara got up and prepared to go meet Yuko. He debated whether to bring his teddy, but decided against it. He would probably be too busy having fun with Yuko anyway. He ran out side and all the way to the playground. Yuko was already there waiting for him.

"Hey Yuko!" he greeted cheerfully.

"Hey." she replied angrily. Her anger did not go unnoticed.

"What's wrong?" Gaara hoped she didn't find out about Shukaku and decide that they couldn't be friends.

She let out a huff. "Nothing really. Just something some stupid kids said last night after I left to go home. They said stuff about you and that I should stay away from you."

"O-Oh." Gaara looked down sadly. "Does this mean we're not friends anymore?"

"WHAT?!?!?! Of course we're still friends! Why would you think any different?"

At that vehement declaration, the redhead snapped his head up. "Well, because of what the kids said about me."

"Psh. Like I would listen to a bunch of stupid, idiotic, brainless, unintelligent children telling me who to hang out with."

[Flashback]

The little white-haired girl was skipping along the road when she heard someone say, "Hey, you."

She spun around to find a group of boys a year or so older than her. "Who, me?"

The leader stood at the front. He was the biggest one out of the three boys. "Yeah. You're that girl who was playing with the demon child."

"So?" Her eyes narrowed when she heard what he called her new friend.

"We're just warning you to get away from that monster as fast as you can. He's a dangerous, blood-thirsty killer!"

"No he's not! And stop calling him that! He has a name, and it's Gaara! Besides, I'd rather be friends with him than an assuming idiot like you!" Then she kicked the leader really hard in the shin. With a groan, he crumpled to the ground. "Now leave Gaara alone!" With her hands on her hips and a childish glare on her face, she did not look very threatening. The other two boys could've almost laughed. However, after taking another glance at their friend on the ground, they hauled him up and ran. Yuko had a small self-satisfied grin on her face before continuing on her journey home.

[End Flashback]

Yuko looked at Gaara after telling him about the incident. She was surprised to find tears filling his unique sea foam green eyes. "Gaara? I didn't think you'd be upset because I defended you. Just the opposite, actually."

He shook his head and sniffed, "I'm not crying because I'm upset. I'm just so happy that I have a friend who doesn't care that I'm considered the demon child."

Yuko gave him a brilliant smile before throwing her arms around his neck and giving him a very tight hug. She whispered into his ear, "I'll always be here to help you. That's why my name is Yuko. It means helpful child and my family name, Kazuno, means your peace. I'll live up to my name and help you find your peace!"

Pulling away, she giggled, "Let's go play now!" and pulled him along, unaware of the impact her declaration had.

Gaara let himself get dragged while her words echoed in his mind. "I'll live up to my name and help you find your peace!" He had a small, but happy smile on his face for the rest of the day. Sadly, his happiness was short-lasting.

That night, as he sat on the roof, thinking about Yuko's promise, a figure was watching him. Suddenly, the black figure blurred and attacked the little boy. As always, the sand protected him from the kunai and shot out at the assassin. He did not move from his laying position and Gaara crept closer. Pulling off the mask, he gasped – the assassin was his Uncle Yashamaru! His uncle had never loved him after all and Gaara was struck with the realization that everybody that cared for him would eventually betray him. Sobbing as his sand protected him from the explosion Yashamaru set off, the kanji for 'love' appeared on his forehead in a blood red color.

The next day found Gaara sitting in his room, reflecting on Yuko's words. She had seemed genuine, but then again, so had Yashamaru. He decided to seek her out and tell her that they couldn't be friends. He would not allow himself to get hurt again.

All day, he searched for the snowy-haired girl, but he found no traces of her anywhere. He didn't dare ask the people around, because he knew that they would either just scream and run away or call him a monster and turn away. As he trudged back home, he heard a sweet voice call his name. "Yuko…" he thought.

Turning, he set his eyes on the… crying girl? Why was she crying? "Gaara! My family is moving to Konoha!" she let out a few sobs, "I'm sorry I can't fulfill my promise to help you find your peace."

Gaara opened his mouth to interrupt, but before he could, she pulled out a black box and handed it to him. He gave her a confused look, but she just told him to open it. Cautiously, he pulled off the lid to find a black ribbon. Lifting it out of the thin box, he found a little white charm on it. A closer look told him that it was the kanji for peace. "What's this for?" The words flew out of his mouth before he could stop them.

Yuko gave a sad little smile. "It's a reminder of my promise, and also of me. Since I can't stay and help you find your inner peace, I'm giving you this to remember me by. It will also let you remember to try finding peace in your heart." She pulled out a nearly identical necklace from her pocket. This one was also a black ribbon, but the little charm was the kanji for love and it was red instead of white. "I have this one to remember you by. It reminds me that one day, I must come back and find you to make sure you still have someone that loves you in your life."

Fastening the necklace around her neck, she motioned for Gaara to do the same. He was touched that she would go through the trouble to get keepsakes to remember each other by. Warmth filled his heart as he understood that Yuko would always be there in his heart.

The next day, Gaara met Yuko at the gates. Giving her one last hug, he bid her goodbye, as she turned to leave for Konoha with her family. He stood there until they were little specks in the distance, waving back when Yuko had turned around to wave at him.

Two days later, ANBU patrols reported bloodshed on the trail leading towards Konoha. One of the victims had been a little girl with snowy white hair…

Gaara overheard the report from the patrols through the radio of an ANBU who just happened to be near and gasped. The only girl he knew with white hair was… Yuko… He immediately took off in the direction of Konoha, relying on his heightened sense of smell to detect the scene. Not long after, the smell of blood hit his nostrils. Quickly looking around, he found Yuko laying on the sand a couple of feet away.

Ignoring the ANBU looking at him curiously, he dashed over to the bloody girl. Resisting the urge to vomit, he cradled her head on his lap. "Yuko. I'm here like you were there for me. Please wake up, Yuko." he cried. A groan escaped the lips of the dying girl and Gaara felt relieved. She wasn't dead! But she didn't have much longer to live.

She weakly brought up her hand to Gaara's cheek and wiped away his tears. "S-Sorry, Gaara, but this is the last time we'll see each other again. You're my best friend and I will always remain in your heart. Don't forget me."

"I won't. I promise. I could never forget my best friend." he cried and cried until her hand slowly slipped away from his face. Hugging her body, he kept sobbing. His first and best friend had slipped away in his arms.

I can't remember how the Yashamaru scene really happened so please don't criticize me if it's wrong. I know the ending is really sad, but Yuko had to die. Her death just contributes to Gaara's loneliness and slight mental unstableness.

Anyway, please review! Oh, and please tell me if you think I should change the rating.