Alright, another update. If you're confused about how short the story is, or why it seems so different, read the previous chapter. I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter One (Gaara)

8 Years Later

"Gaara! It's time for school!" Remembering what her father had threatened to do if they skipped school again made her shudder.

"Temari," Gaara murmured from his place behind her. He was almost amused when he saw her jump. "There is no need for you to yell. I have been ready for several hours now."

"Huh? But your alarm went off half an hour ago."

"I believe that I'll be in need of a new clock." He looked toward the stairs before glancing at his sister. "Kankuro was snoring."

"Gaara, you can't keep doing that. Besides, he wakes up easier than you do." She sighed and looked at her brother. 'This town is going to run out of clocks at this rate. But if that keeps him happy when he can't sleep, far be it from me to stop him,' she thought.

"I find it …irritating- that it usually rings when I just fall asleep. And there's no need for me to go to school. I am already three months ahead of my class. Besides, Naruto is back at Glade Academy."

'He really was just going because Naruto was visiting,' Temari thought. She sighed again. "You promised him you'd try to be friends with your classmates. If you don't go to school, think about what he'd say! Wait here. I'll see if Kankuro needs help- and then both of you are getting a ride to school." She climbed the stairs wondering what she needed to do to get her brothers to stop breaking things.

Gaara grabbed his backpack when he heard Temari reach Kankuro's room. Knowing that he would not be safe if he stayed home, he decided to ignore Temari's offer. Instead, he stepped into the crisp autumn air, closed the door as quietly as he could, and began walking through the mostly abandoned neighborhood.

Since he was not joined by his siblings, Gaara's walk was pretty uneventful. Thinking back to some of the things that Naruto had told him, Gaara wondered how his friend could be so cheerful. The teen had seen more than his fair share of troubles, but he was still able to enjoy life. 'Maybe,' Gaara thought as he sat in his seat, 'Naruto was he right person to be in the right place at the wrong time.' He looked out the window as his thoughts began to wander.

"…more important matters to discuss. As you all know, our school's third year student exams are held at this time." Gaara blinked when he heard his teacher's voice. When had class started? "This year, Glade Academy, our sister school has decided to join us. The test changes every year, but today, everyone will be finding out the members of their six-person group- as well as where their group is going. Everyone in your group who is here will divide into teams of two. Your teammates at Glade will be doing the same thing. The teams are listed on the bulletin board in the hallway. Dismissed." The teacher quickly ran out of the class, desperate to reach the Teacher's lounge before the students rushed into the hall and crushed her.

Waiting for the area around the board to clear up before checking it, Gaara watched his classmates. Even though he had promised Naruto, he wasn't sure how to interact with others very well. He sighed and went to see where he was supposed to go. When he got to room one-sixteen, he realized that the rest of is team wasn't there. He mentally reviewed the list of his teammates. 'Hinata, Kiba, Lee, Tenten and Matsuri are in my group. Of those five, Matsuri is the only one at this school besides me. Matsuri,' he thought, staring at the window. 'She's the scholarship student in Kankuro's class. He said that she's usually a bit slow, so maybe she is coming.' He began to watch the clock.

When she did not show up after fifteen minutes, he decided to go to the office to see if she was absent. Walking through the halls he could hear a lot of excited chatter coming from the other teams. He continued on his way until he saw his brother get thrown out of a classroom. "Kankuro?" he murmured. His brother looked at him but said nothing, quickly returning his attention to the person who had thrown him out.

"I dare you to try that again!" a girl yelled. A sadistic grin spread across her otherwise beautiful face. "When I'm done with you, you'll be happy that Matsuri went to get the teachers." The girl- Sari, if the frantic shouts from the other students were accurate- advanced toward Gaara's brother.

"Excuse me," Gaara said to Sari. She froze at his voice, turning her head to face him. The crowd that had gathered stilled as well. "Did you say 'Matsuri'?"

She blinked and everyone let out a sigh of relief. "Yeah, I did. She's my sister. Why do ask?" Kankuro decided at that moment to try to stand. "Did I say you could move?" Sari asked. She punched him into the wall.

Gaara decided to step in. Grabbing her arm he murmured, "Although fights are allowed here, I will have to ask you to stop." He looked her in the eye and watched her panic slightly as the other students backed away. "Whatever my brother said, today is supposed to be peaceful so that planning can be carried out. Try to discuss your displeasure with him in a civil manner." When he heard his brother sigh, Gaara let go of her arm and looked at him. "Stop disturbing the peace, Kankuro."

Done with what he had to say, Gaara went to the teacher's lounge to see if Matsuri was still there.

Word Count: 950

I know I should have made this longer, but I wanted to focus on character development. If someone seems OOC, please let me know.

For anyone who's interested, I am on FictionPress under the same pen name and have a story up. If you read it, please be aware that there is a time skip.

As always, I apologize for the wait and want to thank everyone for their support. I will make no promises about the next update time.

Until next time.

P.S. Reviews are needed for the author to keep a sane(ish) mind that continues to give great ideas.