Something's different about Gaara, why's he acting so strange all of a sudden? It's only another ninja village. Kankuro thought.
The three Sand ninja walked through the gates of Konoha, and Kankuro could have sworn he saw Gaara shiver. How come?
"Stop looking at me." came the cold voice of Kankuro's younger brother.
"S-Sorry," the elder stammered looking away.
Temari sighed. It was always the same with Gaara. "I'm gonna go found out where we get our passes from," she said wandering off.
"This stupid Chuunin Exam is gonna suck," Kankuro complained.
"Quit complaining, we're here on a mission," Gaara snapped.
Kankuro said nothing as Gaara wandered off to scout the layout of the village.
Temari came back with their passes and the two stood there waiting for the return of Gaara.
After a while Gaara returned to his siblings, but he heard shouting.
Great, you can bet Kankuro started something with the Leaf ninja, moron. Gaara thought.
You should kill him. Shukaku suggested.
I can't do that I keep telling you, now shut up and leave me alone, Gaara slammed down his mental shield and continued on his way.
He settled himself in a tree overlooking the scene. He grimaced. His siblings were idiots.
"Cut it out Kankuro," he said standing upside down on the branch of the tree. "You're a disgrace to our village you moron,"
Kankuro and Temari looked up fearfully. "O-Oh, yeah r-right, I was totally out of line, s-sorry," Kankuro stuttered.
Gaara rolled his eyes, "Whatever." He said.
Then his eyes surveyed the Leaf ninja staring at him, even more fearfully than his siblings.
His gaze fell on shocking yellow hair and blue eyes, they reminded him of someone, but who…
The blonde's eyes widened and he gasped. He companion, a dark-haired teen, looked at him curiously.
"Gaara…that you?" the blonde said.
Temari and Kankuro's gaze snapped to the genin. He knew Gaara? How?
They looked back at Gaara, who's facial expression hadn't changed.
"Very good, you know my name." Gaara jumped down from the tree. "Not many do and live," he said coldly.
The blonde blinked. This couldn't be his Gaara…his Gaara wasn't like this guy…and yet the hair, the eyes, hell the damn gourd! It had to be him.
Gaara looked at his siblings. "Let's go."
They left without another word.
"You know that guy?" Sasuke asked.
Naruto shook his head. "I don't know…I thought…but no it couldn't have been," he rambled.
Naruto wandered off back to his apartment in a daze.
It had been him hadn't it? They looked the same…
Meanwhile Gaara had ditched his siblings, following the blonde with curiosity.
How had the loud-mouth known his name?
He did seem familiar, but where…
Then it hit him. No one could mistake those whiskered cheeks. It was him. The blonde boy from the Leaf, it hadn't been in his head after all.
"Naruto." The blonde stopped at his name and Gaara knew it was him.
The whiskered boy looked around and found Gaara on top of a wall.
"It was you." He said.
Gaara jumped down to Naruto. "You haven't changed much," he said.
"Whadda mean? I'm way taller, hell I'm even taller than you!" Naruto laughed.
Gaara frowned. "So you are. That's hardly fair I'm older than you,"
Naruto chuckled.
"I have to go," Gaara said turning away.
"What? But Gaara you just got here – come to Ichiraku with me, you said it was good last time you were here," Naruto said.
"I'm sorry Naruto, but four years is a long time…I'm different now. I have to go." Gaara left him then without another word.
Naruto discovered how different Gaara was when he battled Lee in the preliminary rounds.
As Lee screamed in agony as Gaara's sand crushed his limbs and Gai-sensei intervened, Naruto felt his blood boiling.
This couldn't be his Gaara.
With an angry yell Naruto leapt from the sidelines and landed in front of the sand nin. The whole arena was silent, fearing what would happen next.
"What is with you? What happened to you? You never used to be like this Gaara!" Naruto shouted.
"How do you know? You only met me once, and even then you didn't know me! Like I care what you think anyway!" Gaara shouted back.
He wanted nothing more to do with Naruto, that had been fours years ago, it was in the past, he was different now, so much different…
Gaara wouldn't let those blue eyes suck him in again.
"Gaara you know I know you, I know you better than you do, now what the hell is wrong with you!" Naruto shouted.
"Know me? know me? you left me! you told me you wouldn't but you left me not five minutes later!"
"As I recall, you're the one who left Mr. Overreactor!" Naruto retorted.
"I had to, they would have killed you!" Gaara snapped.
"Well I never wanted you to go!"
"Why didn't you say that you idiot!"
"Don't call me that!"
"Well you are an idiot!"
Naruto threw a punch that hit Gaara right in the jaw, bypassing all of his defences.
The crowd watching, though confused by the exchange, gasped as Naruto landed a blow on Gaara.
"You selfish jerk! Why did I even talk to you before?" Naruto yelled.
Gaara got to his feet.
"Don't act like you've been there with me the whole time because you haven't!" he shouted.
"That's not my fault!"
"It's not mine either!"
"Now, now boys calm down, calm down!" the teachers carted the ninja off to separate corners of the arena, where they glared at each other.
"Stupid jerk, thinks he's all high-and-mighty. Oh poor Gaara, everyone leaves Gaara, well maybe that's a good thing," Naruto muttered to himself.
Gaara heard his words and fought back tears. Oh get a grip Gaara, why do you even care?
Naruto turned back to see tears in Gaara's eyes before he moved off next to his bewildered siblings.
He felt a pang of guilt hit him.
After the preliminary rounds were over, Naruto found Gaara on the roof of his apartment.
"Hey." He said.
Gaara stiffened. "Hi."
"I'm sorry."
Gaara snorted, "Sure. Shouldn't you be with your friends?" he said bitterly.
"I don't have friends." Naruto retorted a little snappishly.
Gaara blinked and turned back to him. "Oh. I'm sorry." He said.
Naruto waved it away. "S'okay. Let's not fight anymore okay?"
"…Yeah, okay." Gaara smiled and allowed Naruto to sit next to him.
When they parted ways, neither knew that the next time they saw each other, they'd have to fight to the death as Gaara's demon took hold.
But until then it didn't matter, they were friends again, and that's all the mattered.
O.o I guess that's it! Maybe I should continue this into Shippuden…what do you think?