(A/N: I apologize for the delay. Life caught up with me. I also made a couple minor changes, just changing the color of Zion and Airi's eyes to green - Zion had dark blue and Airi had grey. If interested, I can post information of both brothers at the end of the story if you want to know how I see them in my story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything in his universe.)

Chapter Three

His Terrible Cacoethes

It has been a week since Airi had witnessed the murder. She wouldn't eat any meat because the meals reminded her of the bloodied corpse on the ground that dreadful night. Her skin turned a bit paler, not having gone outside at all since then. Airi definitely did not want to go outside because she knew that Tara was right; that she also was scared of Gaara and did not end up befriending him. The young girl sat in the kitchen, closing her eyes tightly, imagining Tara's taunts.

'See? I told you! He's a monster! You should've listened to me! I was right and you were wrong!' Airi gritted her teeth as she heard Tara's laughter in her head.

Moshi was drying the dishes from lunch, turning to his sister, blinking. "Airi? Are you okay?"

Airi snapped out of it and blinked at Moshi in surprise, scratching her head and laughed a little. "Hai! Just…was thinking about why it is always hot here," she fibbed, laughing a bit nervously now, fully aware that Moshi knew she was lying.

Moshi looked at Airi, an eyebrow raised. "Airi, you can tell me anything. I'll listen to whatev-" Moshi stopped, looking at Zion, who just happened to walk in the kitchen, cigarette in mouth, and who just happened to smack Airi upside the head as he passed by her to the refrigerator.

The young girl held her head and yelled, "Zion! That hurt!"

Zion shrugged and chugged down a can of soda. "Made you forget about whatever you were thinking about." Airi blinked, rubbing her head. He did have a point…that bump did make her forget for a moment about her anxiety about seeing Tara and Gaara. Airi glanced at Zion and Moshi and hopped down from her seat, feeling a bit determined to face her fear of humiliation despite feeling nervous at the moment.

"I'm going outside…" Airi said softly as she dragged her feet out the front door. Moshi and Zion looked at each other with a worried glance before returning to whatever they were doing.

"Kids…" Zion muttered as he lit up his cigarette. Moshi sighed softly as he finished cleaning up, sweatdropping.

"You still act like one."

"Oi…"

Airi slowly walked toward the playground, already feeling nauseous from her anticipation of meeting up with Tara. Airi was never one to admit that she made a mistake; she definitely took after Zion when it came to stubbornness. The dark blonde knew this would be hard for her, but this was a good humbling lesson to listen to her friends as well as her brothers. They also told her that Gaara was dangerous, but she never listened.

Airi arrived at the playground, trying to calm her tense body and get rid of her nerves. She blinked as the sun had risen to its highest point in the sky, no sign of clouds in sight. The young girl looked around, a bit puzzled because she saw no children in sight, not even her friends. Then she spotted a shadow by the swings, immediately thinking it to be her friend. Airi wanted to get this over with and have everything go back to normal in which she could hang out and play outside with her friends again during the academy's lunch breaks.

"Tara? I'm…sorry I didn't listen to you...about Gaara no Suna…he is a monster…I just thought he was a shy kid who wanted to have friends….." Airi started to say as the child walked closer to her, his red hair bright against the sun, a carved symbol that means "love" above his left eyebrow. One hand was dragging a worn teddy bear against the sand. Airi were standing right in front of Gaara no Suna, the one person she would never want to be standing in front of! What scared her the most about him at that moment was the look in his eyes: his widened clear blue eyes looking at her with such evil intent, such darkness in his eyes, yet she could also see the loneliness…

Airi gulped and stepped back, biting her lip, feeling her body start to involuntarily shake. Had he heard her calling him a monster? Airi prayed to whatever gods were out there that he didn't.

He started to grin maniacally. "Gaara no Suna…is a monster…you say?"

Airi jumped and trembled uncontrollably in fear. Gaara chuckled darkly as the sand around him rippled about him in the air. Her green eyes widened as Gaara's free hand moved up and pointed at her. "I'll show you what a monster I can be…I want to see your blood on the sand…" Airi screamed as she saw a huge wave of sand coming right at her. Airi closed her eyes tightly, her body completely frozen in fear. The next moment, she heard sand crash into something in front of her, hearing a pained grunt.

"Airi! Get out of here! Run to the Kazekage!" Zion yelled, looking back at his baby sister as she opened her eyes and gasped in horror as blood dripped from his face and arms, his arms up and holding back the sand, though weakening as his arms shook and some sand slid down to the reddened sand by his feet.

Airi shook her head, stammering, "I…I can't leave you, Zion!" Airi did not want to leave her brother at the hands of Gaara who looked very enraged at Zion for interrupting his horrible desire that had yet to be fulfilled.

Zion glared at Airi and spit out his cigarette which was still in his mouth, remembering what caused him to come here alone against someone he had a feeling he could not defeat.

Zion shut the front door and slowly walked out into the sunlight. He glanced around, curious, seeing the neighborhood act like a ghost town.

"That's weird…wonder what's going on to make people stay inside on a nice day…there's no sandstorms coming as far as I know…"

"Harui-san!"

Zion turned towards the source of the voice as he was walking down the street, being not too far from his home. A panicked Chuunin was running towards him. Zion stopped walking, confused but interested in what was going on. He had been feeling a bit bored with no exciting missions to do lately. The Chuunin stopped in front of the older man, hands on his knees, panting as he was catching his breath. Zion watched a bit impatiently, his hands in his pockets, smoke gently floating into the air from his cigarette. Suddenly, the Chuunin warned in a worried voice, "Make sure to keep Airi-chan and Moshi-san inside! Gaara no Suna has been seen walking around the playground by the academy. That whole section of the village is in lockdown!"

Zion felt his heart stop and his body grow cold. "What the fuck?! Why didn't you say something sooner, baka!" he yelled angrily at the teenager as he roughly pushed him aside and ran as fast as he could towards the playground. Zion ignored the protests of the unfortunate young man on the ground as the Jounin jumped from rooftop to rooftop to get to his destination. 'Airi…you better not be there…don't you fucking be there…'

"Airi! Just listen to me and run! You'll get killed if you don't!" He turned back and glared at Gaara, pulling out kunai with explosives attached to them, drawing out a sword after he threw the kunai at the redhead. Gaara didn't move an inch as Airi covered her eyes and shielded her face with her arm from the sand and dust forming from the explosion. When the dust cleared and settled, Airi lowered her arm and opened her eyes to watch Zion running toward a cocoon of sand, ready to slash the cocoon with his sword.

"Zion!" Airi screamed hysterically, wanting to stop him, but her body felt like lead, unable to move anywhere.

Zion yelled, "Just leave, damnit!" He jumped up into the air, his sword above him. Slowly, the sand seeped down to the ground as Gaara looked at him emotionlessly as Zion tried to slash Gaara, a light streak of sand blocking Airi's brother's attack. The Jounin gritted his teeth in frustration, glaring at Gaara as the boy suddenly stared back with wide eyes, seeing the blood on Zion's face and arms, making the Shukaku thirst to see more blood. Gaara also didn't like Zion's protection of the young girl, angered by this sign of love. He slowly held out his hand toward Zion's face, the older fighter's eyes widening.

Zion yelled, "What are you waiting for!? Run, Airi, you brat!" Just as he shouted that, sand started to float around him. Airi stood there petrified, seeing her brother at Gaara's disposal, her face losing color quickly. Airi closed her eyes as tightly as she could and turned around, running as fast as her little legs could carry her. Airi felt tears forming in her eyes as she heard an explosion of sand, imagining her brother's body like that of Gaara's first victim, covered in sand and blood, his limbs poking through the sand tomb. Airi choked back a few sobs as those images appeared in her head, tears starting to blind her.

Airi started looking towards any buildings for refuge, going to the closest building and banging her small fists on the door. "Help me please! Let me in!" She paused to listen for a reply but heard no response or movement from inside. Airi ran to the next house and tried to knock as hard as she could. "Help me! My brother is dying!" She didn't wait for a response as she continued to go to the next building. "Please! Gaara no Suna is killing my brother! Help!" Airi sobbed loudly, her hands numb and her whole body shaking uncontrollably as she realized that the villagers were also terrified and would not help her. She gasped as she saw a shadow moving closer to her from the distance and started running down the street again.

'Please don't be killed, Zion!' Airi thought desperately as she ran through a back alley, not knowing where on earth she were going. All Airi knew was that she had to fulfill her brother's wish and find the Kazekage…Gaara's his son after all!

Airi kept her head down, her eyes still shut tightly as she slammed into a hard surface. She opened her eyes wide as she found herself staring at a wall. She was facing a literal dead-end. Airi slowly turned around to see the ominous shadow come closer to her.

Gaara looked psychotically at his prey. "Love only yourself…And fight for only your sake…" Gaara said with an evil grin as Airi looked at the symbol above his left eye. "I am alone…I won't trust anyone anymore…I won't love…I'm on my own…" He starts to laugh. "That's right…I'm all alone…!"

Airi just stared at him in surprise. 'I was right…he is lonely…' The girl frowned. "You won't love…because you're all alone? You never had any friends…?" she asked quietly, surprised that her fear was turning to sympathy, especially since this boy might have killed her eldest brother. He looked at Airi a bit surprised and glared which made Airi cower back against the wall.

"No one understands me…always calling me monster…everyone giving me that look…even trying to kill me because I am a monster…!" Sand starts to swirl as Gaara thought about how neglected he was from everyone in the village. Airi frowned, feeling bad for not going to him to ask him to be her friend before that night that began his insatiable desire to kill. Maybe if Airi had done that, he would not have been like this…

Airi stared at him before smiling nervously. "I…can be your friend…I was going to ask you days ago…just…please…s-stop hurting people…" She held out her arms a little to each side, as a way to let him know that she was unarmed and defenseless.

He gazed at Airi, astonished to hear someone say such a thing to him. "R-really…?" Airi nodded slowly, her smile a little less strained, seeing a glimpse of that kind face that made her realize one day that he wasn't a monster like everyone said. Then, he frowned deeply and whimpered, holding his head with both hands, looking very conflicted. "Yashamaru…" His eyes widened, remembering that night he accepted being a monster…the night his only friend died in front of him…

Airi took one step toward him, a bit concerned for the redhead. Airi held her breath and stepped back as his kind face changed back with murderous intent.

"I cannot trust anyone…I only love myself and live for myself…" He held out his hand toward Airi. Airi's eyes widened with fear as sand shot right at her. "Die…" Gaara said emotionlessly as he closed his hand into a fist. The last thing Airi remembered before her world turned to darkness was a blur coming from the sky and feeling a close embrace as she felt sand cover her completely.