A/N: First chapter's done. Now let's see what will happen this chapter :3 Oh, and btw... yes I did have to look up a Naruto world map to make sure I got this right xP Also, I haven't seen many pictures of River Country, so please just go with the image I created xP And also, I could find no pictures of what the River Country's shinobi sign was, so I gave a very general description of it... I figured, given the background, it'd be close to Ame. Anywho~

Disclaimer: Gaara is not mine, nor is the Naruto series. But Akki and Elana are mine. Among other people that might be brought on later.

New Beginnings

Chapter 2: Meeting

As Gaara walked out of Suna and into the actual Wind Country territory, he started to pick up the pace a little as the Ichibi verbally assaulted him in his head, calling him an idiot for leaving something so great and stuff. He paid no attention to the demon. The bad side to this was that he knew the Suna forces that would surely be searching for him, no doubt thanks to Temari or Baki. The good side to this was that he knew that since he had the Ichibi inside him, he didn't have to sleep so he could travel farther than the ninja from Suna. Yes, he had an advantage. Or two. He honestly didn't care either way what happened to Suna. They all treated him fine with the demon gone, but since he had Shukkaku back, he'd been treated like a monster. Because of one incident. An incident that wasn't his fault. An incident because he had fallen asleep out of habit. But he was blamed for it. And he was hated for it. And with the steadily rising hatred grew detachment. The only people that didn't fear him were Temari, Elana and Baki. But even then, saying Baki was pushing it. He knew Temari didn't fear him; he was her brother. He knew Elana didn't fear him, but he knew not why. Oh well. That was in the past. It was time for him to start a new life now.

Walking deeper into River Country, Gaara looked around silently. He'd never been here before. It was calming. No wonder they called it River country. Rivers out the yang. He crossed a bridge after just staring out over the crystalline water. Maybe he could make this his new home? Well, no. he couldn't do that. He was too close to Suna. He'd have to venture out farther. Well... maybe. He'd think about that later. As he walked through the area, looking over the bridge and taking in the sight, he started to feel a bit more at ease here. A boat floated under the bridge and he just stared with his sea green eyes for a few moments. His arms were crossed over his chest in typical Gaara fashion as he stared, his gourd on his back. Then a thought came to him. In Suna, he was strongest because he had an unlimited amount of sand, should he run out. Though his sand in his gourd was chakra-infused and he could easily replace it, it would still be a pain to go digging in the dirt to get some more. He pursed his pale lips in thought. That would be troublesome. If he were to go to Iwa, there wouldn't be any sand at all; just rocks. And Ame was just too wet for his sand to do any damage. Kusa was overrun with grass. Oto... he didn't even want to think about going anywhere near that pervert Orochimaru. That man was beyond weird. Konoha... he couldn't risk going to familiar territory. He would have to make do with River country or maybe Kumo. That was fine. He was used to thinking on his feet. Always the analytical one, after all.

Once he was past the bridge, he delved deeper into the foresty area. With as many rivers as River Country had, he would have been surprised if they didn't have any trees. He saw a small town up ahead of him and paused for a moment, his head bowed a little with his eyes shut. A moment later, he leaped out of the way and in place of where he previously stood were four kunai sticking out of the ground with explosive tags on them. His green eyes searched the area before feeling a chakra signature nearby to his right. "You're bold trying to invade this territory. What is your reason for coming here?" came a heavenly female voice that could crush velvet. Gaara didn't answer as he pinpointed where the woman's voice came from. However, this was unnecessary as the woman revealed herself a few feet from Gaara after the explosive tags detonated, sand shooting up to protect him from the debris that followed. The woman glared at the man and then that was when Gaara got a good look at her.

Pale skin that rivaled those in Ame, cerulean blue eyes with a brown ring around the pupils that faded to green and then created the cerulean near the outer areas of her eyes. Her lips were the palest of pink and she was a bit shorter than Gaara's moderate stature. Her hair was a fiery orange color with golden blonde bangs. Her long fiery strands were pulled back into a high ponytail, but even then, her long hair still reached her upper thighs. She wore a baggy black shirt, like a stereotypical ninja, and tight black pants that showed off curvaceous hips. She wore typical black ninja shoes and had a red sash draping off of her hips. Fishnets adorned her arms, leading up to her forearms with black painted nails. She wore a black choker, which had the symbol of River country on it, which looked like a house of some sort. She had the elegance of a cat and the body of an angel.

Her multi-colored eyes narrowed at the man before her. "I'll ask you again. Why are you here?" she asked as shuriken appeared in between her fingers. Impressive. Seeing that she'd get no response, the woman tutted her tongue in annoyance before throwing the shuriken at him, the sand going up to block it easily. The woman growled angrily before doing a series of hand signs and slamming her hands into the dirt. Fangs protruded from her mouth and her face grew more animalistic as she started to transform into a cat, spirited tails appearing behind her in the crouched down position. Gaara's eyes widened minutely as he stared at the woman in apparent shock. What the hell sort of jutsu was this? She wasn't a Jinchuuriki so why would she take on the appearance of a cat? In a blink of his eyes, she was gone from view. Gaara's eyes widened a bit more when his sight drifted to above him, seeing her falling toward him, claws bared and ready to rip him to shreds. Close, but not close enough. The sand shot up as a protective barrier, earning a growl and a snarl from the female. When her claws came into contact with the sand, it put a crack in the shield. Gaara stared at the crack in the formation, a bit taken aback at this girl's power.

Once she hit the ground, she continued to assault the sand barrier, slashing away at it little by little. Snarls and grunts emitted from the woman as she continued to attack at the sturdy surface. As soon as Gaara memorized the strength and swiftness of her attacks, he waited for the perfect opportunity to send a well-aimed attack at her abdomen, sending her flying backwards into a tree. She growled in pain as she slid down before taking her feline stance again. Gaara was a bit amazed at this woman's determination. Reminded him of a certain blonde back in Konoha. Her eyes burned with the same determination, just like Naruto's had when he was protecting something important to him. Was that what she was doing? Protecting this small village? What made her think he was going to harm its inhabitants? Was his appearance really so menacing? She glared and growled at the man angrily, baring her fangs menacingly. "You won't get them!" she snarled as she dashed at him once more, snarling as she hacked away at the protective sand. This time when Gaara went to attack her with the sand, she avoided and actually got behind him, aiming a kick at his back before he caught it.

The woman grinned before poofing in a ball of smoke. A shadow clone? Gaara's eyes widened before the woman landed a kick to his gourd, cracking it and smacking his body into a tree. Damn raccoon didn't do its job! He pulled himself from the bark and glared at the woman, seeing an arrogant smirk on her face. She dug her heels into the dirt and prepared to dart toward Gaara. As soon as she shoved off, she closed the distance between them within a few moments. She raised her claws, hand glowing a bright orange. "Onee-sama! There you are!" called a little girl, making the woman's attention slip as she glanced behind her to see her sister. However, like Newton's law suggests: what is set in motion shall remain in motion until stopped by an external force. Well, the woman was that object set in motion, and Gaara was the external force. She collided with the redhead, sending them flying to the ground with Gaara on his back. She grunted as she fell on top of him before growling as she got up with an annoyed blush on her face. "Stupid siblings..." she growled as she turned to look at her little sister, seemingly forgetting all about the redhead that dragged himself to his feet as well with a grunt.

"Onee-sama, Onee-sama! Lookit what I made!" giggled the little girl with sugar pink hair and violet eyes as she bounced over to her elder sister. The orange-haired woman snatched up the little girl, remembering Gaara's presence, and backed away from him with her little sister. Once she was safely away from him, she set her sister on the ground and glared at her. "Aneki, what is it?" asked the little girl.

"Imoto, how many times have I told you not to leave the village?" growled the older girl. Gaara watched silently, being reminded of his own siblings. The little girl pouted before the woman sighed. "It's dangerous out here. I told you that. Now, run along to-"

"You just want to have some alone time with your boyfriend!" yelled the little girl, gaining Gaara's attention again, this time with a confused look sent to the two females.

The older girl stood and growled angrily at the girl. "He's not my boyfriend! He's trying to invade the village! Now, get your ass back in the village before you turn up missing!" she hissed, her eyes narrowing into narrow slits.

The little girl huffed, but did as she was told after sending a glance back at the redhead standing emotionlessly behind them. Once the little girl was out of sight, the woman scratched her head in annoyance, a hand on her hip. "Baka gaki..." she growled before turning her glare to Gaara. "Why didn't you attack?"

Gaara gave her a flat look. "I do not lower myself to attack children."

The woman smirked and shrugged. "Fair enough. But I was referring to me. Why didn't you attack me when I was distracted?"

The redhead quirked an unamused brow. There was a reason to attack her? "I did not come here to fight."

"Then why are you here in Tani?" countered the woman, narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously.

"That is none of your concern." The woman opened her mouth to continue, but Gaara cut her off with, "All you need to know is that I mean no harm to your village."

The woman raised a brow at him this time. "So let me guess... You seek refuge, right?" she asked, earning a hesitant nod from Gaara. The woman sighed and scratched her head for a moment, looking behind her at the village border. When she turned back around to look at Gaara, she sighed heavily in defeat. "All right, come on, Gaara," she said as she started to walk toward the village.

Gaara stared at her for a moment. How did she... "How-"

The woman scoffed. "Oh, please. Who hasn't heard of the famous Kazekage of Suna?" she asked as she turned an impish grin back at him. Gaara hesitantly followed. Fair enough. "Besides... I've heard all about you. Elana's my older sister," she said with a smirk.

A/N: Hope ya liked it! :3 Next chappie should be up soon! Reviews make me happeh!