thinking'
Flash back or dream
"Talking"
Demon or inner
Gaara no Subaku sat solemnly on a swing in one of Suna's playgrounds. He swung slowly, back and forth, back and forth, holding his teddy bear loosely in the crook of his arm. Creaks emerged from the swing, alerting everyone that it was in use. No one went near that rusted swing. It was Gaara's spot. And wherever Gaara was, that place was desolated. His black rimed eyes ,courtesy of years of sleepless nights, surveyed a group of children laughing, kicking a ball, among themselves. For him, observing villagers was simply means of killing time, something which he had way too much of. That's how his days passed. In the day he would sit, on the groaning swing, watching children play, in the night, he owned the sleeping village of Suna. Today, however, something didn't go according to his daily routine.
One of the children got a bit too excited in the game, and kicked the ball, far past the goal. It landed on a high cliff, beyond their reach. The children sighed, they were about to turn around to go home when, a trickle of sand wafted around the ball, clutching it carefully, it brought the ball down…and into the arms of Gaara.
He looked at the ball, curiously, than at the children. They went rigid and took a step back, their faces each matted with fear. "Um…is this yours…?" Gaara said in a meek little voice. That was it. The children broke out into a run, sprinting as far away from Gaara, shrieking as they ran. Gaara dropped the ball. "Wait! Come back!" he ordered, his face now twisted in anger ad desperation. "DON'T LEAVE ME!" he shouted as a tendril of sand erupted and caught two children in it's trap. The girl caught, cried in terror and tried to claw herself away as the sand effortlessly dragged her closer and closer to Gaara. "Why?..."Gaara shook, "Why am I always Alone?!".
Suddenly there was a small burst of flame aimed for Gaara, his sand automatically protecting him as he staggered back in shock. He looked in the direction of where the intruding flame had come from when he saw a girl about his age, staring fiercely at him. "Call your sand back" she commanded him. Something about the girl scared him. The fact that she just through fire at him? No. There had been attempted assassinations on him several times. The fact that she possessed two, searing ,blood red eyes? Maybe. He scowled, regaining his senses. Just who did she think she was? "Call it back" she repeated, her voice going a notch higher. Gaara's eyes widened. She had just reprimanded him. No one, aside from his father, the Kazekage, had ever reprimanded him. He relinquished his hold on the squirming girl, and drew the sand back to him, the ball and his teddy bear, forgotten at his feet.
They stared at each other. Meanwhile the group of children, took one glance at the both of them, before running away, screaming…again. Gaara hardly noticed, there was something else that held his attention at the moment. Her eyes softened, and she ran a delicate hand through her long ebony hair. "You should pick up your teddy bear. He's going to get dirty, lying in the dirt" she mumbled. He obeyed, and tucked it in his arm. He turned to look at her and nearly jumped two feet in the air when she was about a foot away from him. "You…" he started "you move so fast". She smiled, uneasily "it's a …gift of mine". Gaara cocked his head. "I think that you are like me". She blushed, "yes, I think so".
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It was dusk and they were still at the rusted swings, swaying back and forth. "Naomi-chan, why do you think people hate us so much?". "Maybe they don't like the color red…? You have red hair, and I have red eyes, but there's a kid back at home, who get's treated the same as me, but he's blonde with blue eyes". "Maybe they don't like people on swings?". "Maybe, that blonde kid sits on a swing a lot, but I don't. That's kinda like his spot, so I let him have it". "You told me your parents are dead…maybe they don't like people with dead parents". "Could be, you don't have your, mom, I don't have my parents, and that blonde kid doesn't have parents either…".
Gaara swayed to a stop. "I wish you could stay…forever" he mumbled. Naomi didn't answer she just kept her eyes downcast while swinging. "Gaara, I have to go soon". He looked up at her with pleading eyes. "I have work tomorrow, but as long as I'm here, I'll come to this spot, everyday, to check if you're here, ok?". Gaara pouted childishly, but nodded. Another rare smile graced her features as she stood up. "I'll see you soon, Gaara". "Bye…" he whispered but she was already too far to hear him.
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"Good evening, Gaara" he was greeted by Yashamaru. "Good evening" he said back. Yashamaru smiled and ruffled his hair, but then crouched till they were eye to eye. "I know what happened today with the kids at the playground". Gaara returned his gaze, his non existent eyebrows knitted together. Yashamaru blinked "you don't seem very sad, Gaara. Don't you feel regret for nearly hurting someone today?". A small smile crept on Gaara's face, "I know I should feel bad but…it's hard to feel regret when I'm so happy". Yashamaru cocked his head to the side, "why?". "Because…Yashamaru, I made a friend!". Yashamaru beamed and stood, "Wow! Your first friend! What's his name?". "Actually it's a she. Her name is Naomi. She has these really red eyes, at first I was afraid of, but now I think they're really pretty!". The smile fell from the older's face. "Red…eyes…?". "Uh –huh". "But…she is a Yuuhi. She's from Konoha. Not only that but…she's a jinchuuruki, like you". Gaara nodded "I know". Yashamaru blinked. "Oh, well, then in that case, that's fine. You got a long anyway". "I know" he said, winking at Gaara, "let's celebrate!". Gaara jumped. "Really?!". "You bet!".
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The next day, Naomi stayed true to her words and didn't appear at the playground. But Gaara wasn't one who was bound by the day. He silently crawled through the window and dropped gently to the ground. He saw Naomi's curled up figure, her breathing was easy and her face was completely devoid of emotion, something he could see even in the dark. The shadows cast shades of grey and black over her sleeping body. He inched forward. "Naomi" he whispered in her ear. Her eyes shot open oin a sudden burst of color as her glowing red eyes stood out amongst the black. Gaara smiled, happy to see his favorite shade of red again. "Gaara…you came through the window?". He nodded, pleasantly as she sat up, She stretched, much like a cat, and yawned as she, too, dropped to the floor. "So…what's up?". "Come on" Gaara said, "I want to take you with me to see Suna at night". Her eyes brightened, "you'll give me a tour?". "Of course".
And from then on, that's how Gaara's daily routine went, now, making space for Naomi. Things were different now. True, the other children still ran at the sight of them, but there was now a bond between them. People could see the difference, Yashamaru especially, when Gaara would gulp down his dinner, so as to go spend more time with Naomi, or wouldn't touch his food, telling Yashamaru, his stories for the day. Once or twice Naomi would eat dinner there, and engage in a conversation with Yashamaru, while Gaara, sat happily listening. Or Gaara would eat dinner with her, and Rangiko, the cheerful Jonin accompanying her, while trying to strengthen the treaty between Konoha and Suna. Sometimes all four of them would eat together, and have group activities. That's how Gaara's days and nights were spent. But one day, Naomi didn't come to the swing.
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Gaara stood in the kitchen watching Yashamaru tend to his wounds. "Yashamaru…I'm so sorry". Yashamaru smiled at him, "It's fine, I wasn't too hacked up". Gaara gritted his teeth, "this wouldn't have happened if Naomi were there. Naomi would have stopped me, and you wouldn't have had to protect that girl!". Yashamaru put his hands on Gaara's shoulders, "Gaara, it isn't Naomi's fault". "But it has to be! It has to be or it's…mine". He hung his head. "Gaara. It's not Naomi's fault, and it's certainly not yours. No one is at fault here". Gaara glanced at the picture of his mother. "Maybe it would have been better if I had never been born". He looked up at his uncle "do you hate me?". Yashamaru crouched. "No, I don't hate you. I love you. And my sister, your mother, did too. She died, wanting you to be happy, and every time your sand protects you, it's her, watching over you. She loves you, Gaara, she really does".
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Naomi glared at the Kazekage in rage. "Where's Gaara?". He only looked at her. "Where is he?!". He looked at her eyes, "he is killing Yashamaru right now". Naomi's eyes widened. "Don't you…" flames erupted around her, "DON'T YOU CARE?!". She sent a sphere of fire at him, her biggest one, yet that night. When she woke up that day, she had had Suna nin, trying to kill her all day in what the Kazekage, had called, a test of Konoha's military power. Rangiko had tried to intervene but the Kazekage, had pointed out, to intervene was to assault a Suna nin, and that would be breaking the existing treaty. The Kazekage dodged the flames, and Naomi had left a gaping hole in one of the buildings. She began to form another flame but thought better of it. She let it die down. "I'm going to help Gaara" she said then ran towards the giant clouds of sand. "If you can, Naomi, if you can…".
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"Why? Yashamaru, why…?!" Gaara sobbed beside the corpse as his uncle's last words echoed through his head… "please die…". "AHHHGGGHHHH!!!!" he sent his sand towards him, cutting himself with his own sand, permanently etching the kanji for love in his forehead. "Gaara!" a familiar voice called out to him. He turned around slowly to face Naomi. "Gaara, I-", he shot a tendril of sand at her. Her eyes widened and she leapt out of the way, with inhuman speed and agility and landed on her feet. "You…" Gaara clenched his fist, "Why did you leave me?! YOU LEFT ME WHEN I NEEDED YOU MOST!". He shot another tendril of sand, again she dodged it. "THIS IS YOUR FAULT!". Another deadly missile of sand. This time it hit it's mark. Naomi fell back, the air knocked out of her, as she rolled on the floor, clutching her stomach and coughing. The pain was excruciating, all his hate had been piled in that blow…and directed right at her. His murderous gaze locked on her, as sand started to wrap itself around her body and squeezing tightly. Suddenly there was an explosion of flames and the sand burst apart. "Gaara, don't be stupid!" she shouted, her eyes glowing, her pupils reduced to slits, like that of a cat. Gaara let the sand fall. "I'll kill you", he said. Naomi staggered backwards, "I'll kill everyone", he turned away from her and walked past the Kazekage. He kept walking past Temari. He kept on walking, past Kankuro. He kept walking, farther and farther, and farther away from Naomi…until he was gone.