AN: God...rewriting this chapter killed me. This was the most air-headed, mistake ridden thing I think I've ever written (doubtful, but it sure felt like it). So please, enjoy this new, and vastly improved, version of chapter three. This chapter has been rewritten: 1-4-13

"In quiet places, reason abounds."

-Adlai

Chapter 3: Silent Musing

The moisture that had built in my eyes had turned into angry tears that slowly burned down my cheeks. I wiped away the fat gobs aggressively with an annoyed huff. It's just not fair. I can't believe the nerve of that guy! Just who the heck does he think he is, anyway? Towering over me like that with that stupid blank look on his face. Albeit at five foot two that wasn't exactly hard to do, but he was still a rude jackass...

I took a deep breath to clear my head. Who would have thought that the shy, timid, boy from my childhood would have grown into the admittedly attractive young man I'd just seen. After what had just happened admitting, even if only to myself, that he was attractive was akin to rubbing salt in the proverbial wound, and I found myself growling in disgust at my own traitorous thoughts.

But damn, who would have thought little Gaara would grow up so nice? Well, nice looking, anyway. It was hard to compare this strange young man to the meek kid that had once put up with my incessant teasing. A small, choked, laugh escaped my lips when I thought of the first time I tugged a lock of his hair and challenged him to catch me without using his sand.

Those were some of my fondest childhood memories, the fleeting days that I'd spent with Gaara were wonderful. A smile still came to my face when I thought of all the mischief, and trouble, we got into. Now those were the days. Of all the adventures of my youth the ones with Gaara were still the most vivid to recall. The rest of my childhood was all a blur of the places my family and I had traveled to, with the faces of people I had met splashed in.

Every time my family drifted into the outskirts of the Wind country I'd felt an incessant pull towards the desert. Longing to see my long-lost friend once more. My smile faded as I wondered yet again just what had happened to him that night. As a child I'd blamed myself, but as an adult I knew better. I couldn't have been the catalyst for his change of heart...Could I?

Passing back through the mammoth village gates I waved halfheartedly back at the guard, careful not to drop my bag again. When I was younger I'd imagined our reunion would be filled with hugs and apologies…well so much for that theory. I guess I might still be just a little bit bitter about the last words we had before we went our separate ways. "Of course, that's about the biggest understatement of the century," I grumbled to myself with a grimace, rubbing at my temple with my free hand. Damn my short temper, damn it to hell. I haven't had a chance to talk to him in years and my first thought was to yell at and berate him...smooth. I huffed at myself in irritation.

It wasn't going to do any good to worry over the "could have beens" as though the way I'd handled things would have changed anything. Just because we were friends as kids, assuming that we hadn't changed since we were six years old, a laughable thought in itself, didn't mean we still were. Especially seeing as how things had ended between us. Regardless, I wasn't the same person I'd been back then, so it was idiotic to assume that Gaara would be. If our last encounter were any indication he hated me anyway, and that was before my immature outburst today.

Trudging down the beaten deer path I hugged the brown paper bag tightly to help stave off the stab of ire in my chest. When I was little I had missed him terribly. It would have been nice to talk to him again, to know how he's been these last few years. Even though I'm still pissed enough to bend a steel rod with my teeth, it was good to know that he was okay.

In any case, it was probably for the best that things stayed just as they are between us. I didn't want to add yet another friend that I would eventually have to leave behind when the time came. Never staying in any place for very long had already led to too many sad goodbyes, and the thought of willingly leaving behind my old partner in crime was a painful one. The relationship we'd had as children would have made things too complicated, and in any case, I planned on hitting the road again after the exams were over.

Yet I still found myself glaring at the ground and mentally kicking myself for my rash behavior with Gaara. Jeez, what must he think of me now? There he was, minding his own business, when bam! Here comes some crazy girl, that he hasn't seen since he was six, slamming into him. Wearing old, dirty, travel clothes, mud smudges on her face, and more than likely had leaves tangled in her hair. Who then proceeded to start yelling gibberish and shaking her finger at him like he was a child! He's a ninja for crying out loud! He could probably kill me with a toothpick if he wanted too and here I am scolding him!

I must have some sort of repressed deathwish…

Sighing, I tore myself away from my own brooding thoughts and instead looked up to the almost overwhelming canopy above. The mighty, ancient, trees that gave Konoha its name all but blocked out the burning blue sky above. Their branches, more often than not, entangled with those of their neighbor, giving the impression that the trees were holding one another. Supporting both themselves and each other through the weight of the eons that they had seen. Standing as silent giants to watch as the world around them went on. I felt very small in their presence, shrunk down to the size of an ant in the shadows of the mighty monoliths above. As beautiful as this village was I would feel no urge to linger here, under the quiet guard of these giants.

Dizzy, I tore my gaze away and took deep, cleansing, breaths. The air itself was sweet, and each lungful brought with it the taste of damp earth, and crushed pine needles, filling my mouth with the flavors of the forest. Every step I took sent both the sound of crunching leaves and the soft snap of twigs breaking under my feet into the air. The sound was both rhythmic and soothing.

As frightening as the giant trees could be this place truly was stunning. Everything was just so alive here. This forest was one of the many wonders of our world. Like the vast oceans, the endless miles of the open plains that stretched farther than the eye could see, the sheer cliff faces of the mountains...the desert's star-studded night sky.

There was so much to see, so much beauty this world had to offer, if one only knew where to look. How anyone could choose to stay stagnate, forever binding themselves to one place with silly, close minded, patriotic views I will never understand. Sure, the shinobi in each nation often frequent other lands, but only briefly. One can't truly understand a place until you've actually lived there. You can't appreciate the sea until you've fished in her waters any more than you can see a mountains wonders from its base. To see its beauty, to hold its majesty in your hands you must climb its face, and stand tall from its highest peak.

It's unfathomable to think that a person could find anything so important, so irreplaceable, in one place that they would bind themselves there...isn't it?

I brushed the thought aside shaking my head with a sigh, and nearly tripped over my own feet when I was answered by a curious nicker from behind me. Looking up from my feet I turned around to see Shadow staring at me with a mouthful of long river grass. My head must really be elsewhere to have so mindlessly passed my camp.

Damn you Gaara, I inwardly cursed. Blaming him for my wandering thoughts and wondering how far I would have went before realizing my mistake had Shadow not called to me.

"My hero, you just saved me from…well, nothing really, but thanks anyway," I said striding over to him. "And however shall I repay you for your brave deed?" I asked him as he poked at the bag in my arms with his muddy nose. "I know!" I laughed pulling out the package of cookies, tearing it open with my teeth and extracting two soft delicious looking chocolate-chip beauties. I held one up for shadow, who lipped it up and bobbed his head as he chewed, sending drool flying. "Eww, buddy you really are the world's biggest slob, ya know that right?"

Rolling my eyes I walked over to my saddle and dropped the bag down before taking a bite out of my own cookie. Groaning I closed my eyes as my teeth ground the soft, chocolaty bread into submission. The little chips seemed to melt the moment they hit my tongue filling my mouth with a tingling sensation, and the gooey sweetness of it weighed heavily on my tongue. Oh my god, this is amazing. It has been way too long since I've had a damn cookie.

Plopping down on the moss-covered riverbank I yanked my shoes off before slipping my feet into the cool waters. Allowing the gentle current to pull the aches from my limbs with a content sigh I ran my free hand gently over the plush moss while I savored my little chocolate studded wonder. I'll admit, civilization sure does have its perks.

Glancing down at my reflection in the smooth water caused me to groan aloud. It was worse than I thought it would be, much worse. My hair was heavy with grime and full of snarls and, as I'd feared, even had a few leaves and what appeared to be a small twig near my left ear. A dark streak of dirt ran from the right side of my chin down to the left of my collar-bone, while my freckles were hidden by the layers of dust that had settled on my face and dyed my skin on off brown. What looked like mud had caked around my eyes from the tears that had escaped them, leaving grimy tracks down my cheeks. Wonderful, no wonder he didn't recognize me. Even I can't see what I look like under all this filth. Poor guy, it wasn't even his fault that he didn't know who I was.

Guilt and embarrassment twisted in my stomach turning the bite of cookie in my mouth to ash. Swallowing thickly I forced the last of it down. I really should apologize to him if I get the chance. I was going to be in the Leaf for a while so, in my down time it, wouldn't hurt to seek Gaara out. When we were little he had often told me he was going to become a ninja, and the Chuunin exams are about to begin, so it only made sense that that's why he is here too.

The sooner I apologized the sooner I could put my guilty conscience, and him, behind me. After I get settled in and make my camp I would dedicate some time to finding him, after that I'll be free to enjoy my stay that I'm going to go scampering back to him; he was still rude to me after all. I'll find Gaara on my own time, apologize, wish him luck and say goodbye, end of story. Not that I expect him to accept it, but it'll be one less thing on my conscience. Besides, it's not like it can hurt anything to try to patch things up between us…right?

AN: Yeah I know there was no Gaara in this one, but I wanted to develop my oc a bit more. There's too many fics where it's 'love at first sight' and the only thing you know about the oc is their name (if you're lucky) I hope I made her believable, I just really want you guys to picture a real 'outdoorsy girl' who is, for lack of better words, a hermit.