Everyday, Gaara, the Kazekage, took a leisurely walk through the crowded streets of Sunagakure. Instead of wearing his heavy Kazekage robes, he wore only some black pants, black sandals, and a long-sleeve black shirt over a black mesh shirt. Really, these clothes were not much cooler than the Kazekage robes, but they stopped people from being able to recognize him right away and from a distance.There was really no real reason for him to take walks around Sunagakure, but it was better than being in an office all day and since he was Kazekage he could do it if he wanted to. He didn't take the same exact route everyday, but he did almost always end up walking down the main street of the village. Sometimes little adoring children followed him, sometimes people stared or gave a respectful nod, and sometimes old people cursed at him from under their breath, but he never took any notice of any of this, preferring instead to focus on his own thoughts or to look around at how other people interacted with each other. Usually, he was satisfied that Suna was a pretty peaceful and decent place, but there was one thing that kept him from being totally satisfied.It wouldn't have been such a big deal if it had only happened once, but every time Gaara walked up the main street, looking at all the people, he saw the same filthy-looking girl with matted, dirty-looking brown hair sitting on the ground outside a building. She looked about sixteen or so. The first time he saw her, he just thought she was homeless. He didn't really think about helping her or anything. She wasn't the only homeless person in the world so what made her so special that he should go out of his way to help her?The second time he saw her she was in the same place, but she was crying, sobbing really. It was a crowded street with so many people, but everyone just walked past her without a second glance her way and so did Gaara. Later, he felt like maybe he should have at least gone and asked her what was wrong, but then again, she wasn't the only sad person around. What should he care about her for? He couldn't help everyone and who ever said she wanted his help?A week passed and he had seen her seven more times. She became the most interesting thing he saw on his walk and he made a point to walk past her everyday, but he never approached her and he never saw anyone else approach her either.On the tenth walk down the main street, Gaara looked over to where she usually was, but she wasn't there. He looked harder at the spot, but no, she still wasn't there. He looked around the street for her, wondering vaguely why he was looking for her and found her a little further down the street, standing near an open doorway with a big man who wasn't yelling so the whole street could hear, but nonetheless didn't look too happy. She winced at every other word he said and was crying. Her pimp maybe? Gaara thought. No, whores usually wore less clothes and were generally covered in less dirt. Not that Gaara knew that for any particular reason, she just didn't look whorish. Just like every other day, he walked past her with the crowd.A few more uneventful days passed and then Gaara saw the girl while walking down a different street and this time she was running and crying. He slowed down as she passed him, but looked in front of him to see what she was running from. Three men were running after her, carrying swords and looking pissed off. He let them pass, waiting to see if anyone else would jump in and save her. Sadly, no one did, and Gaara felt rather ashamed of his villagers.Gaara jumped from roof to roof to get a bird's eye view of the chase. The girl looked tired. She kept stumbling and running into people. Her pursuers were not so clumsy and were gaining on her and desperate, the girl ran down a dead end alley and began to sob audibly in fear. There was a narrow flight of stairs down near the end of the alley that seemed to lead to someone's basement and the girl fell down these. Seeing that she was cornered, her pursuers slowed down and stopped at the top of the stairs to laugh at her smugly. Gaara stayed perched on a roof, watching until he was needed.The girl cried even harder now, and more desperately. Without giving herself any time to recover from her fall, she crawled over to the door and tried to open it. When it would not, her pursuers laughed even louder and she moaned fearfully, rattling the handle.A big bald guy in the front of the group of bad guys pointed his sword at her. "Come on, girly," he said patronizingly. "Get up here.""Yeah," a younger-looking man chimed in. "We just wanna talk to you.""Yeah," the three of them laughed terrified now and with no chance of escape, the girl froze. There were still tears running down her face, making clean spots on her dirty cheeks, but other than that she was crumpled motionlessly next to the basement door, her hands still grasping the handle, and her eyes staring vacantly."Will you hurry up?" a bored-looking man said boredly. "Just kill her already. I'm gonna miss my program.""Hey, fuck your stupid program," the bald man retorted angrily. "What should I kill her so soon for when it's so much fun to torture her?" He laughed even eviler now and turned his eyes back to the girl. Slowly, he started descending the stairs and saying, "Come on now, girl. Don't cry like it's our fault you have to die. If you would just pay us, we'd be on our way." He waited here to see if she would start making blind promises to pay them, but she remained ever frozen except maybe for shaking a little.Gaara, meanwhile, was waiting for the man to take a swing at her with his sword so he could jump in and save her only when there was no other choice. That had been his plan anyway, but now, with every step the man took, Gaara got more eager to kill them before they could do anything. With every stair the man went down, more sand came up from the streets and went to Gaara's side.The man stopped on the last step and sneered at the frightened girl. "So what do you say? Do you want me to kill you?" There was no response. "Heh, I'll take that as a yes." He pointed his sword at her again and at that same moment, sand began to creep up the man's feet and ankles."Wha-?" the man stuttered, looking down. Finally, the bored man seemed to perk up a little and the young man took a shaky step backwards. Though the sand crept slowly, the bald man made no useless attempts to stop it. It made its way up his legs and then his entire body was lifted into the air and hung upside down. He kept floating upwards until he was at the same level as Gaara, and at least twenty feet from the ground."Y-you!" the man stuttered in surprise. How stupid, Gaara thought. Who did he think it was? He remained silent for a moment to let the man fully grasp the badness of his situation and then asked, "Would you like me to let you go?"Of course, Gaara meant for this to be unanswerable. If the man said yes, he would fall and smash his head in on the cement below. If he said no, then the sand would encase his whole body and crush him until he died. Choices…."Don't kill me!" the bald man begged in a shaky voice. He let his sword fall and clatter on the ground as a sign he'd given up."Well," Gaara pondered calmly. "There is a chance you'll live if I drop you…""No!" the man cried. "I'm sorry. I swear!" (At this point, the young man on the ground ran away as fast as he could.) "I didn't know she meant anything to you!""She doesn't," Gaara replied nonchalantly. "But that doesn't mean I'd try and kill her.""I – I – You're right!" the man panted. His face was turning red from being upside down. "You're right! I won't ever do it again – I won't –""No…you won't."There was no increase or decrease in the pressure of the sand on the man's body, but he still shrieked in horror. Gaara squinted, displeased with the loud noise. He raised his right arm in front of him and then pulled it back – the man in the sand floated over to the roof and as Gaara lowered his arm, the man floated to the ground. Gaara clenched his hand a little to constrict the sand and put it over the man's entire body except for his eyes and nose. "I'll come back for you later," Gaara informed him. Then he jumped off the building and landed in the middle of the flight of stairs.First, he glared up the stairs at the last pursuer whose breathing Gaara could hear. The man hadn't moved because he knew it would be hopeless if Gaara wanted him to stay, however, Gaara said coldly, "Get out of here." The man darted away immediately, tripping over his own feet, but still getting away super fast.Now Gaara turned slowly to the girl, trying to put a better expression on his face so he wouldn't scare her. The problem was that he didn't have many expressions and, to a stranger, the one he came up with looked exactly the same as the last one. The girl was in the same position she had been before, but now she was looking up at Gaara in fear."Are you okay?" he asked her.She didn't answer, but had a weird look on her face that looked like she couldn't figure out what Gaara was talking about. He had seemed so evil just a moment ago."I'm okay," she squeaked.Gaara looked at her, wondering what he was supposed to do. He was very inclined to walk away without another word, but at the same time he wanted to help her (it wouldn't have been very Kazekage-like to leave her there). He was just afraid she wouldn't accept his help.After a moment of silence, Gaara offered her his hand. She looked at it, and then at Gaara's face and then slowly pried her hands from the doorknob and placed her hand in his. He helped her up gently, but as soon as she reached her feet, she fell back down, whimpering. This left Gaara wondering what he had done to her. He looked around to make sure the sand hadn't gotten out of control and tripped her, but it had not. He looked back to the girl to see her clutching her leg in pain. Oooh, Gaara thought. She must have hurt herself when she fell down the stairs."Are you hurt?" he asked to make sure.She looked up as if surprised to see him there, then whimpered, "Mmmhmm," and looked away.Gaara knelt down and the girl watched with wide eyes as he extended his hand towards her. She winced as he pushed up her pant leg and inspected her ankle. It was bruised and bleeding a little."I think it's just sprained," he announced to her tonelessly. "….I'll take you to the hospital."The girl frowned at this and furrowed her brows very deeply, looking at Gaara in confusion."What?" he asked."Why…" she started shyly. "Why are you…helping me?"Gaara frowned. It sounded to him like she didn't want his help and that offended him. He stood up stiffly, not looking her in the face. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bother you.""No, you –""I just thought you needed help… Nevermind then." He turned around and headed back up the stairs."No, I…" the girl said quickly. "I do… Wait! Don't go!"Gaara stopped halfway up the stairs and looked over his shoulder questioningly. He had pretty much confused himself. Now she wanted his help? He turned around and folded his arms, waiting for her to explain herself."You can't leave me here," she cried. "I'm sorry, I just – I didn't think anyone would help me…" She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and looked up, hoping to see Gaara's face softened and his hand extended again, but he was looking more sternly at her than before. She shied back towards the door.Well, Gaara's lack of human contact can make him pretty confused sometimes so he was busy thinking. He thought this girl had major mood swing issues, I mean, just look at how she changes her mind in mere moments. Just a few seconds ago she questioned his help and now…she explained why she did that. O.OHe didn't try to explain his weird mood swing issues, he just unfolded his arms and went back down the stairs, trying not to call himself an idiot out loud. She looked up at him, her eyes wide and shining."Do you want me to take you to the hospital?" he asked.She hesitated. "Well… I …can't pay for it.""If you show up there hurt they won't refuse to help you even if you don't have any money," Gaara pointed out."I know, but…""I'll pay for it.""No, you don't have to do that.""Do you want me to help you or not?" he asked irritably. The girl made an unsure noise. "Well, you said you didn't want me to leave you here," Gaara reasoned. "And since you're hurt I'm gonna take you to the hospital." He hoped she wasn't always as confusing as this. Maybe she was still freaked out because people tried to kill her. To be safe he asked, "Is that okay?"She sniffed and rubbed her ankle, thinking. She looked at the ground for a minute and then looked at Gaara very hard for almost a full minute. Eventually, she spoke."Are you… tricking me?""No."She rubbed her ankle some more as she looked at him. She was looking for any sign of malice or deceit, but he just looked very bored and emotionless, but he had tried to help her, and he had saved her, too. She knew he was getting tired of waiting for a response, but it was hard for her to trust someone she had only just met. Plus, the people chasing her had seemed afraid of this person. And he could control sand. What kind of a power was that?He folded his arms again and she knew she would have to make up her mind soon. If she refused his help and stayed here she would never get her leg fixed and those guys might come back and kill her. If she went with this stranger, who knows what he might do to her. But maybe he really was just trying to help her. He started to scowl as she studied him again. He didn't seem to be hiding anything. She couldn't sense any deceit in him. He looked pretty young and well kept, not some creepy, dirty guy. Did it say "love" on his forehead? A weird place for a tattoo. There was a sort of pack on his right thigh, but she didn't know what it was for. All together, he didn't look like a shady guy to her. She didn't think shady people usually wore eye makeup, but he didn't come off as a very approachable person either. He was always frowning and expressionless, but it was obvious that he was always like that.He sighed impatiently and closed his eyes. She swallowed. There was nothing – she couldn't sense anything in him, good or bad. He felt completely neutral to her.He was her best chance to get out of her so she hoped she was right about him and said, "Okay." At least, she hoped, she would be able to defend herself if she tried anything.Gaara opened his eyes and saw her still cowering there. He unfolded his arms as he said, "Can you get up a little? Get on my back."He squatted down with his back towards her and she crawled over to him and onto his back. He stood up, feeling out the new weight and readjusted his grip on her legs. "Hold on," he said. The girl put her arms over his shoulders and clasped her hands, but she wasn't prepared for him to take off like a bird.She gasped as they soared above the buildings. He had only jumped, but they went forty feet into the air. She grabbed onto the front of his shirt and said in shock, "How are you doing this?""Huh?" He looked at her in confusion, her face over his right shoulder. "Doing what?" he jumped up the side of a building, onto the roof, and then jumped again to the next roof."Jumping like this!" she explained, grabbing onto his shirt tighter. It felt like she was constantly falling, but she felt so light that is was actually quite enjoyable. "How?" she asked, astonished.He still looked like he was not quite comprehending. "I'm a ninja," he told her, still soaring through the air."A ninja?""Yes." He didn't think it was very important (or modest) to mention that he was the Kazekage. She looked so amazed at everything that he smiled a little and she grinned really big back."What's your name?" Gaara asked.She paused. "I don't know."Gaara blinked. "You don't know?""I don't know anything," she said, not sounding at all sad about it. "I have amnesia.""I see.""What's your name?" she asked timidly."Gaara."His smile had really soothed her. It wasn't an evil grin so she felt more relaxed now despite the face that she was jumping rather higher than she would have liked to. She had seen ninjas around town before and now she realized that both Gaara and those other ninjas wore those weird cases on their thighs. She decided not to be nosy and ask about it since he was still a stranger and didn't want to bother him.Gaara was surprised that she was so surprised. It was reasonable (and he preferred it) that she didn't recognize him as the Kazekage, but he had even told her his name and she didn't seem to know. He didn't care about it, it was just odd. Usually, he was recognized wherever he went. Obviously, her amnesia had cleared her mind of him. He was also surprised that she asked how he could jump so high. Had her entire knowledge of ninjas been erased as well? He thought general knowledge things like that were usually spared from amnesia and it must have been general knowledge if she was from Sunagakure. Maybe she wasn't from Suna?"Do you have any clues or anything about who you are?" Gaara asked."Huh? Oh." He had interrupted her thinking. "No, I don't.""You don't remember anything?""No…It's like I was just born fifteen days ago, naked in the desert," she said slowly. "There's nothing before that."Gaara was silent. She wondered what he was thinking. Actually, he was thinking that she must not have taken a shower since she was "born." She was still so dirty, but she didn't really smell."Where have you been staying?" Gaara asked. "Will anyone be looking for you?""No. I don't know anybody. I've just been sleeping outside…" She was going to leave it at that, but he seemed interested so she continued. "No one will give me a job because I'm so dirty, but no one will let me take a bath in their house either. Some people gave me these clothes though when I first came here. I don't know where they are now."Again, Gaara felt ashamed of his citizens. He was seriously the only person who had ever thought to help this girl? Well, it was no surprise. They had never helped him either, except that one time, but he was already saved before they got there."Why were those men chasing you?" Gaara inquired. They were almost to the hospital so he slowed down to give her time to respond."Oh…Well…" He felt her hands tighten on his shirt even more. "I just…Well, I didn't have any food, you know. And I didn't have any money. I didn't know what else to do…So I stole from their store. I didn't want to, but…I was hungry."She waited for him to say either, "I understand" or "That was stupid," but he didn't say anything for awhile. She realized she was messing up his shirt by squeezing it so hard in her sweaty hand so she let it go and flattened it back out. She was really against stealing, but she didn't see any other choice. She felt bad about it, but didn't think anyone should try to kill her over it. It had only been two apples."There's the hospital," Gaara announced and jumped to the ground in front of it. The girl held onto him tightly, hoping he wouldn't just ditch her at the hospital and then they'd never meet again, not now that she knew he wasn't tricking her. She didn't want tot lose the only person who had ever been kind to her.The hospital looked pretty quiet today. There were two doctors and a receptionist at the reception desk, chatting idly. They looked up when Gaara walked in with the girl on his back."Ah, Gaara-sama," one doctor said. "Who have you got there?"Gaara came up to the desk. "She has a sprained ankle," he said. "And she hasn't been eating much.""What's your name?" the doctor asked the girl."Uh…""And she has amnesia, too," Gaara said for her."Oh, really? How long ago is the first thing you remember?" the doctor asked her."Fifteen days," she replied quietly."So not too long," the doctor said. "Will you take her this way, Gaara-sama?" the doctor asked, gesturing for Gaara to follow him.Gaara followed him down a hall and noticed as he went that the girl seemed to be shivering and gripping his shirt tightly again. Also, her legs were tightening on his sides as if she were afraid she would fall.Gaara turned his head to the side to look at her and saw that she was, in fact, shivering. "Are you alright?" he asked, slightly alarmed.She took a deep breath. "Yes," she said in a voice just above a whisper."In here please, Gaara-sama," the doctor said, motioning to a door to the right. Gaara entered before him.It was an examination room with a small desk and a large bed/table where Gaara decided to put the girl. He backed towards it and set her down. For just a moment though she refused to let go of him. He looked back quickly to make sure he hadn't accidentally tried to set her down on something sharp or unpleasant and in that instant saw that she wasn't in danger, but that she truly looked afraid. In the next instant, it was gone. She let go of him quickly and looked down at her hands only to look up again, smiling shyly."Good, good," the doctor approved of Gaara's setting the girl down. "Thank you, Gaara-sama." He walked over and stood near Gaara who was still looking at the girl thoughtfully while she smiled, embarrassed, and gazed at her twiddling fingers."Well, now," the doctor addressed the girl, smiling. "I'm Dr. Soto. Kazekage-sama says you have a sprained ankle. Which one?"The girl looked up at the doctor, studying his face, glanced briefly at Gaara, then pointed to her right ankle. The doctor inspected it and the girl shrank away a little at his touch. Gaara folded his arms, watching everything closely."Oh yes," the doctor said after a moment. "It's sprained, but it's not too bad. It'll heal in no time." He looked at Gaara and said apologetically. "If you don't mind, sir, I'm going to give the young lady a more thorough check-up and I think she'd prefer if you weren't in the room.""Oh, of course." He paused, watching the girl clutching her raggedy clothing and biting her lip. When she looked at him he said, "I'll come back later. To see how you're doing."She let go of her lip, staring at him. "Okay," she said. The doctor smiled for no reason.Gaara closed the door to the room behind him as he left and went back down the hall to the reception desk. Only the receptionist was there, working with some scrolls."Excuse me," Gaara said."Hai, Kazekage-sama?" the woman responded and stood up. "Is Soto-san working on that girl you brought in?""Yes," he said. "Will you please make sure that she's well taken care of while she's here? She hasn't been treated very well and she doesn't really trust people yet. Make sure everyone's nice to her.""Hai, Kazekage-sama," the woman said and bowed.