In the village hidden in the sand, around two years prior to when a demon was born; lit the sky with flames- a vacant village, casted off and deserted and from the ashes, two years later, a new village was made. One that was populated with many and filled with peace and the harmonic sounds of laughter. Though as populated as the village seemed, there were not many children. The village served as a retirement home for some and for others, a recovery base. Only two children resides-none of which, were related by blood.
"You're not playing fair Shirley!" Mariana yelled with clear signs of annoyance in her expression, laughing, I passed the ball to her, "Do I need to? It's boring when you abide by the rules". Mariana opened her mouth to protest but was interrupted by the sight of a boy- who looked to be around our age, with red hair, approached us shyly. "C-can I join your game too?" he asked. Mariana quickly pulled me back and whispered: "Its him!". "Who's him?" I asked loudly, completely unaware that the conversation was not meant for the boy to hear. "My name's Gaar-" "the demon!" Mariana whispered again. I took the ball from her grasp, shoving her off in the process "He doesn't look it" I said waving her off and walking towards the boy. "What if he's tricking you just to kill you?!" Mariana shouted after me. In an attempt to shut her up, I stopped, turned around giving a smile, I replied: "Simple: I'll just die and you'll just run" turning back to face the boy's direction, I asked: "Now…is it Gaar, Gaary or Gaara?". With both his eyes and mouth, he smiled "Gaara". I stretched out my left arm, "I'm Shirley Chiho, nice to meet you!". Suddenly, his body jolted back while his eyes widened completely fixated on my arm. I then realised that he didn't know what a handshake was. "It's a handshake, it's something people do whenever they meet someone new" I explained and lowered my hand, "But it's okay if you don't want to. It's more of a grown-ups thing". He seemed to have relaxed a bit so I kept on talking hoping that he'd be comfortable enough to converse without being so tense, "You wanted to play with us right? Well I hope you don't mind, it's just going to be me and you since Mariana is shy". He nodded and I tossed the ball to him. Surprisingly, he caught it with ease. "So how old are you Gaara?", he tossed it back and I caught it, but barely "Twelve. How old are you?" 'It's working!'. Tossing the ball again, I replied "The same age as you". I readied myself for the impact of the ball, but Gaara didn't return it. He kept it in his grasp staring down at it with saddened eyes. I noticed this and was about to question when he asked: "Y-you're not afraid of me. Right?". Blinking in confusion, I casually replied: "Of course not. Why would I?". "Everyone else is afraid, they run from me and never let me join their games because of what I am" he said, still not meeting my gaze. "I'm not everyone" I said as I walked up to him, "I'm my own person" I grinned and patted his head, "I don't know what people say you are, or what you think you are. In my eyes, I see a shy red-head boy with the most amazing teal eyes". Finally, his gaze met mine, and I saw a slight smile form on his lip, but within an instant, the worried/sad expression returned. "H-how do I know you won't be afraid and run away once you do". "Easy, trust me. But if you need actual proof…here" I held out my pinky finger, earning a confused look from Gaara. "Hook your pinky finger onto mine", he was a bit hesitant at first but he did just that given a bit of time. "I, Shirley Chiho promise to never leave you no matter what!". "What was that?" he asked detaching his pinky. "A promise. Now you're my friend till the end! I won't leave, not even if you told me to". A blush appeared and I giggled. "Shirley! It's getting late. We should head back", "Oh, you're still here Mariana?" I shouted back, which earned an irritated look from her. "Until tomorrow, my new friend" I bowed playfully and walked towards Mariana. "W-wait! You forgot your ball!" Gaara shouted. Waving him off I replied "keep it, but bring it back tomorrow, cause we're continuing our game". "You are seriously dense! Playing with him like that- calling him your friend! Don't you know wha-", "He's my friend! I don't care what anyone else thinks. He's just a boy" I snapped at Mariana, who was now silently walking alongside me as we travelled back to our little village.