Chapter Three: Stay

I snuck away from them and made my way to my apartment but there was a surprise waiting for me. Ashley and Temari came back from their shopping. They walked in the apartment and no one was there. "Gaara is still out." Temari said, putting the bags on the sofa. "Kankurou is missing as well. I think he is with Gaara."

"Is Gaara coming?" Ashley asked.

"Don't worry Ashley." Temari said. "Gaara is coming home soon…" Then a bunch of rogue ninjas slammed the door open. "WHAT THE…"

"We are just here for the girl." One shinobi said. "Hand her over."

"Never…" Temari said, throwing kunai towards them. "COME ON…" She pulled Ashley towards her room. How did they manage of entering the village without getting caught? Something is up… Shikamaru told me that the village is being monitored and they can instantly tell if an outside enters. "Stay here Ashley." Temari grabbed her iron fan. I won't let them get you… Her room door burst opened. "Wind Style, Wind Scythe Jutsu…" She yelled, swinging her fan. She blew them away with a powerful gust of wind and it destroyed half of the apartment. "It is over…"

"Big Sister, you did it." Ashley cheered. Then a kunai pierced Temari. "BIG SISTER!""

"I am sorry but I just want the girl." One ninja said, walking in the room. "You are a lot of trouble to get little kitty."

"GET AWAY FROM HER…" Temari said, throwing a punch but he swiftly pinned her to the wall with more kunais.

"Come here child…We need to take you home…" He said, walking towards Ashley.

"I don't want to go." She mumbled, moving away. "This is my home."

"Lord Volk wants you." He said, grabbing her arm. "Let go home… You don't belong here. Do you really think that these people would accept a monster like you? You are nothing to them and your creator wants you."

"Let me go…" She pleaded, trying to break free. "Gaara…Gaara…GAARA…" Then sand burst between them and pulled her away from the ninja. She turned and smiled. I made it in time. "Gaara…"

"What do you want?" I said, walking in the room with him. "Didn't you learn the last time we met?"

"TEMARI…" Kankurou yelled, walking towards her. "Are you okay?"

"Do I look like I'm okay idiot?" Temari snapped. "GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

"I am here to take her back. She doesn't belong to you." The ninja said.

"I don't care. I found her and she belongs to me now." I said. Sand was swirling around me. I was shocked of what I just said. She belongs to me? Where did that come from? "She is here on her own free will."

"So you just want me to let you have her." He replied.

"Yes, but if you want to fight me then by all means lets fight." I said, crossing my arms. I was ready to fight, fight for her.

"You are too cocky for your own good." He said.

"Well, you keep coming back." I said. "So what is going to be?"

"I am just going to kill you." He said, shooting kunais. My sand rushed in to shield me in time. He shoot some more but it kept on blocking it. Then finally I caught him with his sand.

"You are going to die here." I said.

"You are going to die someday. There is a new terror in the shinobi world and all four nations will fall." He snapped. "And I will be the one laughing."

"I would make sure that we are ready to eliminate this threat. Rest in peace…" I said. "SAND COFFIN…" The sand crushed together, killing him instantly. Ashley was cover with his blood but didn't look scared at all. It is like she was used to this kind a thing. "Kankurou, contact the Hokage. Give him the status report of what has happened here."

"I'm on it." Kankurou said, racing towards the door. Shit, another war… I don't like the sound of this. Temari was already released but she was injured.

"Temari, are you okay?" I asked, looking at her. "You are bleeding. Let me get a medic."

"Yes Gaara…. I am fine…" Temari said, smiling. "It is just a cut."

"Ashley, are you okay?" I asked, staring at her. There was a paused. She snapped out from her calm demeanor. She was shivering and turned to me with a frown. "Ashley, it is over. The bad man is gone."

"GAARA…" Ashley yelled, running towards him. She hugged him tightly as she leaked tears. "This is all my fault. I am the reason that Big Sister is hurt and a new war is about to begin. I should die now. I should die."

"Don't you dare say that." I said, pulling her face and making her face me. I was in rage that she wanted to die. I was in rage that she believes that it is her fault that another war would come. "You should value your life Ashley. You may think that you are not important but you are. Kankurou, Temari, and I think that you are important. You are our friend so please don't say such things."

"Really?" Ashley said, leaking more tears.

"Really…" I said, wiping her tears. "I promise you that I would never leave you so please promise me that you won't leave me."

"I won't… I promise…" She cried.

"I am glad she is alright." Temari said, walking towards them. "What are we going to do with this mess?"

"Don't worry about it." He said, staring at his sister's injury. "Temari, we have to take you to a medic. Those wounds look bad." "

"I can manage…" Temari said. Ashley walked towards Temari. "Don't worry Ashley. I am okay. I had worse." Ashley lifted one hand towards her and started healing her wounds. "Wow, I didn't know you can do that." Her wounds disappeared and the pain as well. "Thank you Ashley …" Ashley smiled. I was amazed that she knows how to use medical jutsu. It explains how her wounds were healed when I first met her.

"You are welcome…" Ashley said.

"So what are we going to do now?" Temari asked. "We have a crisis on our hands."

"We are assigned to care for Ashley and make sure she doesn't fall in the wrong hands." I said. "So she is coming home with us."

"YEAH!" Temari cheered, hugging Ashley tightly. "ASHLEY WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A LOT OF FUN AT THE SAND VILLAGE!"

"I CAN'T WAIT!" She cheered, hugging her back. I smiled at them. They were so happy with the news but I was worried. What happened if I didn't make it on time? How bad Temari would get hurt or Ashley? I accepted a responsibility to protect an experiment and I was worried that I couldn't do it.

"Ashley, may I have a word with you for a moment?" I asked. "Alone…"

"Okay…" She said.

"I would probably get myself clean up." Temari said. "I would check with you guys soon." She left the room and we were alone.

"When you were running away, why did you come here?" I asked.

"I was sent to kill the Kages but I didn't want to." Ashley said. I was shocked, she was sent to kill the Kages especially me.

"Why? Why didn't you want to kill us?" I asked. "And who sent you?"

"You were all so happy of living." She said, smiling. She cupped his face. "Why should I take that away from you all?" She turned away. "I was ordered by my creator to watch your every movement and I wanted to have a life like all of you. I was made and design by my creator Lord Volk. I was supposed to be the ultimate killing machine however I didn't have the will to kill. I took pity on taking life and shedding blood was something I couldn't do. They were angry of how their killing machine was a pathetic wimp that shouldn't be alive. I went through harsh training and torment just to have that lust for blood. They didn't teach me how to read, talk, write, or even do things that seem normal. All they wanted was a monster." She then let out a sigh. "But, my creator is not actually my creator. He just enhances my powers but he didn't really create me. My really creator is Orochimaru."

"But he is dead…"

"Yes, he died by his own student, his name is Loser." Ashley said. I think she meant Sasuke but then again, it might be her nickname for him. "He found me in a glass case; I was in water and unconscious. Instead of killing me, he freed me and told me to runaway. I did but I was captured by Lord Volk."

"So you have been an experiment all your life." I said. "Why did you come here?"

"I didn't know where to go. This place is the only place I have known ever since I came to this world." Ashley explained. "I was a disappointment to Lord Volk and I didn't know what to do. He gave me a mission of killing you, Gaara. I repeated your name so I wouldn't forget."

"That is how you know my name." I said, making her face him. I was her target.

"Yes and I had you but I couldn't kill you." Ashley said.

"Wait…" I said, staring at her with shock. She was that hooded woman that attacks us when we were traveling to the Leaf Village. "That was you."

"Yes. When Lord Volk heard that I failed to kill you, he sent his grunts to kill me. I didn't know what to do so I raced to the Leaf Village. I didn't want to die not knowing what happiness was." Ashley explained. "But the man that I was supposed to kill saved me and showed me life can be good." She let out a smile. "My eyes were always a tool of destruction but you find it beautiful."

"I do, it is one of my favorite things about you. I was always captivated by it. It is so beautiful." I said, grabbing her hand.

"You really think so?" She asked.

"Yeah, I really do think so." I replied. "So your eyes are what they are after?"

"Yes because it can copy any jutsu even bloodline traits…" Ashley explained. I was shocked. She can manipulate bloodline traits. "However, it doesn't last very long. I can only hold it for a good minute. It is hard to copy bloodline traits and it takes up a lot of my chakra." She then let out a small smile. "Of what I can recall the times I spent with Orochimaru, I was a dying girl with ice manipulation jutsu. It is like your sand but ice. I remember being alone all the time and he was the only one there. He took me in and gave me a second chance in life. He even helped me control my ice abilities."

"So you can still do it?"

"Yes…" She said, letting out a sigh. "However, I have something that bad people want and I feel that if I don't have these eyes, I would be nothing."

"You are always someone to me." I said. "Someone very important..."

She then turned to me with a smile. "I thought that everyone is bad but you taught me that there are some good people out there. Thank you Gaara." She said. She was thanking me for that? I was shocked but let out a small grin.

"You're welcome Ashley…" I said.

We talked for hours and I learned a lot about her. She was alone and running away from her fears. She had no one to turned to or depend on. She was all alone and somehow, she reminded me of me when I was lost. If Naruto can save my life, so can I but with her.

The Valentine's Day Festival has thing event that you have to give a charm necklace to the one you love. Everyone was participating in it.

I was walking through the streets of the Leaf Village. I was done with my other meeting with the Kages and I was on my way to the apartment. Everyone was wearing traditional Japanese robes and kimonos. The children were wearing masks and running around with cheer and excitement. I made it to the apartment. We changed apartments since our first one was a wreck. Temari, Kankurou, and I had to quickly move our things. Ashley helped as well but she quickly got lost when she was helping. I had to look for her when I noticed she wasn't with us. I found her playing with a ball of yarn. She was so cute.

Anyway, when I made it to the apartment, she was sitting in the living room watching TV. She was watching martial art films and she was mimicking their movements. "Hey Ashley, I am home…"

"Oh hi Gaara. Big Sister just left with Pineapple Head." She replied, smiling at me. I think Pineapple Head would be Shikamaru. He does look like a pineapple. Why didn't I see that?

"Are you hungry?" I asked. "I brought fish." She stuck out her tongue. "What? You don't like fish."

"I get rashes when I eat fish." Ashley said.

"I guess you are allergic to it. A cat that hates fish, that's a first." I teased. "Well, since we can't eat fish together I guess we have to skip to dessert." I pulled out a bucket of vanilla ice cream and opened it. I scooped some in two bowls and walked towards her with it. "This is call ice cream."

"I read about it. It is cold like snow." She said.

"Yes but also sweet." I said. She scooped a mouth full and put it in her mouth quickly. Her ears started twitching but in a painful way. "Brain freeze… work your way around it." She did what she was told and swallowed it. "You don't eat it like that." I took a partial amount of ice cream with my spoon and placed it in my mouth. "You take your time with ice cream. If you don't, you won't taste the sweet part."

"Okay…" She said, copying of what I was doing before and she let out a sigh of awe she finally tasted the sweetness. "It is so good."

"I told you." I said.

"Gaara, I have been thinking and I decided to leave." Ashley said.

"Leave?"

"You and your family have done so much for me and I don't what my presence to be a burden to you." Ashley said. "They will never stop looking for me and I don't want you all to get hurt because of me. I would take your advice and value my life but I also value yours."

"Ashley…" I said. I was speechless. The first night I met her, she couldn't say a single word beside my name but now, she shut me down with her bountiful of profound words. She then started to cry.

"I want what you have. I want to be with Big Sister and Batman. I want to go shopping with Big Sister and watch Batman's puppet shows." She cried, shaking. "I want to be with you as well. You were always so nice to me and caring. The last thing I need is you to get hurt because of me. I am so grateful that I have met you all. You changed my life and I just… I just… I don't want to lose you. I don't want to lose any of you." She was scared to be alone just like me. I pulled her into my embrace, ensuring her that she wasn't. "Gaara?"

"If you leave me, I would be in terrible pain." I said. "Not only that, Temari and Kankurou would be in a lot of pain as well. They love you so much and if you leave, they would be sad." She cried even more and I pulled back from the hug and wiped her tears. "If you leave me now, I would be sad too."

"Why?" She asked.

"Well, I didn't get the chance to give you this." I said, giving her a golden locket. "It is a gift for you."

"Really?" She said, accepting the locket. It opened and golden sparkly sand burst out of it and formed a heart. "Wow, it is so pretty."

"I made it for you. It is Valentine's Day today and you supposed to give a charm to the person you love the most." I said, smiling. I then helped her put it on. "It suits you."

"But you gave me a charm." Ashley said.

"Yes I did…" I replied.

"So does that mean I am the person you love the most?" She asked. I kissed her forehead. She froze in shock while I moved to her ear.

"Yes you are, so please don't leave me." I whispered.

"I won't." She said, smiling. "I promise. I protect you and you protect me."

"Deal…" I said, smiling back at her.

"Gaara…" She said, moving closer to me and licking my cheek. "I love you…" She kissed me well, she licked me. I blushed when I felt her tongue touch my skin but more importantly, I blushed when she told me that she loved me. I was overjoyed.

"I love you too but let me show you how you are supposed to kiss someone." I said, bending down and capturing her lips. She pulled back and gave me a baffled look. "What?"

"Is that fireworks?" She asked. I let out a chuckle.

"Yeah, the best kind…" I said, cupping her face. "Do you like it?"

"Yup, I sure do…" Ashley said, capturing my lips once more.

That is how I attained her love. Yes, you are probably thinking that it was too fast and it would doom to fail but amazingly, it didn't.