Welcome to the first-ever fanfic written by me, Kie-san! The main characters are Gaara (of course) and an OC, Kitai...
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I guess I'm not all that good at intro's -sweatdrops-. Just read it and PLEASE tell me if it's any good or if it sucks... I hope you think it's good! Just give it a chance. It might seem boring at first... but it's not... really...
BTW, chapters are kinda short, but there are ten of them, so I guess that makes it a decent sized fic...
Disclaimer: Kishimoto-sensei owns Naruto... and Gaara... but I don't...
Chapter 1: The Beginning
It was another sleepless night for Gaara as he sat on the roof of one of the Leaf's buildings. It had been two weeks since the preliminaries for the third part of the Chuunin exam, and boredom had been occupying most of his days. There was one thing he was looking forward to: the battle with Uchiha Sasuke. Killing him would define being alive for him. A malevolent grin slowly spread across his expressionless face.
"Hey, you're in my spot."
A voice cut through the night and snapped him out of his sleepless dreams. He turned his head, and found himself looking at a girl who was probably about his age. She wore a headband over what looked like shoulder length jet black hair. Her hair seemed to have been cut by herself, but instead of looking ugly and disorganized, it gave her a more carefree look. She wore a stern look on her face, but her eyes gave away her amusement.
Gaara didn't move, but instead gave her an annoyed glare. Everyone he had looked at like this always broke out in a cold sweat, and usually left him alone. But the girls' watery blue eyes just let his stare float away. She shrugged and sat down beside him.
"Fine," she sighed, "If you're too lazy to move, I guess I'll just sit here, for now anyway." Gaara was slightly surprised at her response, although he didn't show it.
"You're one of the Genin here for the Chuunin exam, aren't you?" she asked as she looked him over briefly. Gaara gave a slight nod. "Where are you from?" Gaara didn't answer, but she kept looking at him expectantly.
"The sand village," he muttered, feeling slightly irritated.
"Ohh," she said in a tone of discovery, "You're that guy... um... Gaara of the Desert... I think... right?" Gaara gave another slight nod in response.
"I didn't think I'd see you," she said with a slight laugh, "You struck me as the kind of guy that would stay in a closet to avoid being seen or something. Everyone's freaked about you. Naruto told me you had the scariest eyes." Gaara said nothing as she looked at him again.
"If I'm such a monster, then why are you here?" he grumbled. She didn't answer, but just kept gazing at him. Gaara felt strange, like she could see something he couldn't. It was as if her eyes managed to pierce through his cool exterior. Finally, he felt her eyes turn to the sky.
"Man, just look at you," she said softly, "Anymore scars and you'd fall apart." Gaara turned and glared at her. Something about her bothered him.
"What are you talking about? I have no scars. I can't have scars," he spat. She looked at him with the saddest eyes he had seen anyone look at him with.
"I didn't mean physical scars," she said softly. He got a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. Was it possible that this girl had the power to see inside him? Was there such a clan in this village? He quickly got up. His heart was pounding in his ears as the sand poured out of his gourd. It circled her slowly. He wanted to get rid of her. Get rid of any evidence of what may be inside him. She remained seated as the sand kept circling her, apparently apathetic to the threat that was before her.
"Are you going to kill me?" she asked softly, "Well, if it'll make you feel better... I guess. Maybe death won't be so bad, since living is so painful." Her eyes fell on him again. Eyes that were so sad and empty. So familiar. He looked away, but it was no use. He could still feel her looking at him. He quickly turned around, and the sand automatically poured back into his gourd.
"Killing you would be a waste of time," he muttered as he jumped off the roof. She watched him disappear into the dark night.
"Well," she sighed as she lay down on the roof, "At least the full moon looks beautiful tonight."
Maybe death won't be so bad, since living is so painful...
These words drummed over and over again in Gaara's head for the next few days. He tried to block them out, but then the image her despairing eyes came into his mind. Was it possible that someone else had experienced his pain? No. No one could understand all the pain in him that had slowly been contorted into hate. But still...
Before long, Gaara found himself seeking out Uzumaki Naruto. She had said that she talked to him. Maybe he could find out more about her by asking him. Not that he really cared...
"No, NO! You're such an idiot! You really don't have any talent!" A voice was carried over the rocky hot springs as Gaara alighted in a tree.
"Shut UP! You pervert senin!! I'm trying as hard as I can!" He recognized the voice as Naruto's, then quickly spotted him standing in a clearing with a large man with white hair. They were both arguing loudly and looked really stupid. Gaara considered leaving, but her voice once again echoed in his mind. He jumped down into the clearing.
Naruto was about to throw another string of insults at Jiraiya when he heard someone land nearby. He nearly jumped out of his shoes when he realized it was Gaara.
"GAH!" shouted Naruto, "What're you doing here?? Whatever you're planning, it can wait until the finals!"
"I want to ask you some questions," replied Gaara.
"Huh? Hey, if you're asking me to tell you about Sasuke's techniques, then you can go screw yourself!" Gaara gave him a you're-getting-on-my- nerves glare. Naruto became quiet (for once).
"I don't need help on my battle with Uchiha. I wanted to ask you about a girl."
"What?" Naruto really looked dumbfounded this time, "A girl? I didn't think you were that type of guy." Another one of Gaara's glares shut up Naruto as a chill went up his spine.
"There's a girl that says she knows you. She has black hair and blue eyes. Any ideas?" Naruto thought for a moment as Gaara's temper started to seethe.
"Oh!" exclaimed Naruto, "Y'mean Kitai. Yeah, I know her. Why?"
"Tell me about her."
"Um, well, she's funny, nice, likes sweet foods and... uh... moonlit walks..."
"I mean where she's from," Gaara was getting impatient.
"Ack, geez! Why do you wanna know that??" Gaara gave him another fierce look. "All right! All right already! Lemme think..." He put his hand on his chin in a thoughtful matter. "Well, Kitai used to live in a village that's not too far from here. From what I know, she lived with her parents and some siblings. But the village was struck with famine, and it died out. Her family died out with it too, I think. She wandered here a few years ago, nearly dead from lack of food. The village has taken her in, although people don't really accept her. They don't like the idea of a non-shinobi living here." There was a disgusted, far away look in his eyes as he finished. Gaara's temper that had been mounting for the past few minutes ebbed away as he listened to her story.
"Hey!" Naruto said gallantly as he puffed out his chest, "If you're planning on hurting her or something I swear I'll..." But he didn't get to finish because Gaara had already gone. He didn't like the strange feeling he got from Gaara. After all, that guy had said that his reason for living was killing everyone else...
Kitai punched the air a few times, then started kicking it. Her taijutsu was exellent, after all, it had been based off of Rock Lee's and Gai-sensei's. She could also do some basic genjutsu and ninjutsu pretty well...
It really wasn't fair. She couldn't be in the Chuunin exam, even though she knew she could probably pass. But the village leaders had decided that she shouldn't, since she wasn't even from a Shinobi village. But that didn't stop her from observing Kakashi-sensei's and Gai-sensei's training sessions. She was actually proud of herself for being even a little bit stronger. But what was the point if she couldn't show her strength to anyone?
She threw another punch, harder than usual since it was filled with frustration. But this time she accidentally hit one of the large stumps. She winced as her knuckles began to throb. She slowly brought them up to her face and examined them. They had turned slightly pink, but almost already stopped hurting. However, she could feel burning tears forming in her eyes. The pain in her hand had long since passed, but she couldn't stop the tears from forming. Soon they were streaming down her face.
Why? Why was she the only one that couldn't take the exam? She would only grow stronger, but she still wouldn't be able to compete with the authority of Chuunin or Jounin, even Hokage. She would be like a pebble in the middle of a raging river full of strong trout forcing their way upstream. Everyone would surpass her at some point in their lives. Her existence didn't matter, and soon it would be washed away by the current anyways. She would fade away from existence all together. Nothing would be left of her.
Her shoulders shook as the tears kept flowing. She couldn't stop, no matter how hard she tried. Nothing she did would change, no matter how hard she tried.
"I know you probably think I'm weak," she said to the silent figure that stood behind her, "And you're probably right." She looked over at Gaara, who had been quietly watching her for a while. He didn't know whether to think of her as weak, or realize that he had longed to cry out so many times before.
"You," she continued, "You're lucky. Your hate fuels you, it makes you strong. You're able to live in this world because of it. But me... I have no one to hate... And since I can't hate, all I can feel... is pain." She had a sad smile on her face. "That night, when I approached you, I knew who you were, who doesn't? I had been hearing rumors of your brutal killings ever since you had arrived. I was hurting so much... that I was really hoping... that you would kill me..." Gaara's usually emotionless eyes widened.
"Then, maybe... I would be remembered for something... My existence wouldn't be so... pointless..." She looked at him with those same eyes, but this time he couldn't turn away, and he stared back at her, feeling all the pain from her pour towards him. "I know I shouldn't be telling you this. Even Naruto told me to stay away from you. You're probably the last person I should be talking to right now. But... you're not a monster, because really... you are... you are just like me." Her arms hung at her sides as she spoke softly with a hung head. "It's strange... knowing that someone else may be feeling what you are feeling... Even if they don't show it..." She wiped the tears from her face, then she did something he did not expect. She gave him a warm smile. Only one other person had ever smiled at him before, and she was now dead.
"I want to... wish you luck for next week. I don't know if you or Sasuke-kun will win... But I know you'll try... Because, well, how else can someone like you prove your reality?" She slowly turned away from him and walked away.
When she was gone, Gaara couldn't hide the astonishment from his face. Was it possible, that a girl who had talked to him for two minutes, had already read his inner workings? Feelings that everyone else around him had interpreted as hate, she interpreted as loneliness and pain. But the loneliness and pain had been transformed. Transformed into hate. Hate that had turned him... into a monster.
"Hey, Gaara," Kankuro walked up to him as Gaara put his impassive mask back on, "There you are. I've been looking all over for you. You really shouldn't wander around this village so much." Gaara gave him an annoyed look, then walked away.
"Geez," Kankuro mumbled, "That guy creeps me out. He'd better not do anything to mess up the plan..."
"Hiya, Sakura!" Kitai greeted her pink haired friend happily, "Ready for tomorrow?"
"Oh, hey Kitai," responded Sakura. There was something strange about her appearance, like she was worn out or emotionally drained, "Yeah, as ready as I'll ever be. Are you gonna be there?"
"Yeah, sure. Why not? Besides, we've got some interesting battles set up. Naruto versus Neji, Sasuke versus Gaara, Shino versus Kankuro, and even Shikamaru versus Temari," she counted off each battle on her fingers as she went.
"Well, yeah... But... Sasuke-kun still hasn't shown up..."
"Is that why you look so worn out?! Relax! He's with Kakashi-sensei, right? And although Kakashi does have a reputation for being (hours) late, he wouldn't miss Sasuke's fight, and neither would Sasuke."
"Right..." Sakura gave a weak smile, but Kitai could still see that she was worried.
"Anyway, how's Lee-san?" said Kitai as she attempted to change the subject.
"Oh, he's getting better..." Sakura had a sad faraway look in her eyes, "He... really gave it his all... and he still couldn't beat him..." Her clenched fists started to shake slightly. "What if, something like that happens to Sasuke-kun?! What if he has to give up his life as a shinobi?! Or worse, what if he dies?!" All the emotional tension that Sakura had been holding in suddenly broke free. Her body began to shake as tears squeezed out of her eyes. Kitai remained quiet, and just let her cry for a while.
"Don't worry, Sakura," Kitai gave a reassuring smile, "Sasuke-kun is very strong, and he wouldn't give in easily enough. Besides, this isn't supposed to be a nice, friendly tournament, right? Naruto and Sasuke will both fight to prove their strengths to each other, and to themselves. We just have to trust them." Sakura had finished crying, and was now wiping the tears with her hand. She gave an anxious smile, to say that she understood and knew that.
"We'll just have to wait and see what happens," Kitai grinned, "And afterwards you have to be there for Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun. Naruto-kun especially, just to keep his head from getting too big." Sakura laughed, then she looked at Kitai sadly.
"I'm sorry you can't take the exam," she said. For a second Kitai looked disappointed.
"Nah, I'm over it!" she exclaimed a little too happily, "Besides, I've been thinking about traveling a little."
"Traveling?"
"Yeah. I'm not tied down anywhere right now, so why should I stay in one place, right? I'll go see the ocean and visit other countries. It'll be fun." Sakura smiled.
"It does sound fun. Maybe we'll run into each other again some day?"
"Probably. Who knows, maybe I'll come visit."
"Yeah, we'll miss you, Kitai." Sakura had a sad look on her face.
"Nah, you'll be so busy training that you won't even remember me," beamed Kitai. Sakura nodded as they walked down the street.
Whee! First chapter's done! Read on!!!
.....
I guess I'm not all that good at intro's -sweatdrops-. Just read it and PLEASE tell me if it's any good or if it sucks... I hope you think it's good! Just give it a chance. It might seem boring at first... but it's not... really...
BTW, chapters are kinda short, but there are ten of them, so I guess that makes it a decent sized fic...
Disclaimer: Kishimoto-sensei owns Naruto... and Gaara... but I don't...
Chapter 1: The Beginning
It was another sleepless night for Gaara as he sat on the roof of one of the Leaf's buildings. It had been two weeks since the preliminaries for the third part of the Chuunin exam, and boredom had been occupying most of his days. There was one thing he was looking forward to: the battle with Uchiha Sasuke. Killing him would define being alive for him. A malevolent grin slowly spread across his expressionless face.
"Hey, you're in my spot."
A voice cut through the night and snapped him out of his sleepless dreams. He turned his head, and found himself looking at a girl who was probably about his age. She wore a headband over what looked like shoulder length jet black hair. Her hair seemed to have been cut by herself, but instead of looking ugly and disorganized, it gave her a more carefree look. She wore a stern look on her face, but her eyes gave away her amusement.
Gaara didn't move, but instead gave her an annoyed glare. Everyone he had looked at like this always broke out in a cold sweat, and usually left him alone. But the girls' watery blue eyes just let his stare float away. She shrugged and sat down beside him.
"Fine," she sighed, "If you're too lazy to move, I guess I'll just sit here, for now anyway." Gaara was slightly surprised at her response, although he didn't show it.
"You're one of the Genin here for the Chuunin exam, aren't you?" she asked as she looked him over briefly. Gaara gave a slight nod. "Where are you from?" Gaara didn't answer, but she kept looking at him expectantly.
"The sand village," he muttered, feeling slightly irritated.
"Ohh," she said in a tone of discovery, "You're that guy... um... Gaara of the Desert... I think... right?" Gaara gave another slight nod in response.
"I didn't think I'd see you," she said with a slight laugh, "You struck me as the kind of guy that would stay in a closet to avoid being seen or something. Everyone's freaked about you. Naruto told me you had the scariest eyes." Gaara said nothing as she looked at him again.
"If I'm such a monster, then why are you here?" he grumbled. She didn't answer, but just kept gazing at him. Gaara felt strange, like she could see something he couldn't. It was as if her eyes managed to pierce through his cool exterior. Finally, he felt her eyes turn to the sky.
"Man, just look at you," she said softly, "Anymore scars and you'd fall apart." Gaara turned and glared at her. Something about her bothered him.
"What are you talking about? I have no scars. I can't have scars," he spat. She looked at him with the saddest eyes he had seen anyone look at him with.
"I didn't mean physical scars," she said softly. He got a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. Was it possible that this girl had the power to see inside him? Was there such a clan in this village? He quickly got up. His heart was pounding in his ears as the sand poured out of his gourd. It circled her slowly. He wanted to get rid of her. Get rid of any evidence of what may be inside him. She remained seated as the sand kept circling her, apparently apathetic to the threat that was before her.
"Are you going to kill me?" she asked softly, "Well, if it'll make you feel better... I guess. Maybe death won't be so bad, since living is so painful." Her eyes fell on him again. Eyes that were so sad and empty. So familiar. He looked away, but it was no use. He could still feel her looking at him. He quickly turned around, and the sand automatically poured back into his gourd.
"Killing you would be a waste of time," he muttered as he jumped off the roof. She watched him disappear into the dark night.
"Well," she sighed as she lay down on the roof, "At least the full moon looks beautiful tonight."
Maybe death won't be so bad, since living is so painful...
These words drummed over and over again in Gaara's head for the next few days. He tried to block them out, but then the image her despairing eyes came into his mind. Was it possible that someone else had experienced his pain? No. No one could understand all the pain in him that had slowly been contorted into hate. But still...
Before long, Gaara found himself seeking out Uzumaki Naruto. She had said that she talked to him. Maybe he could find out more about her by asking him. Not that he really cared...
"No, NO! You're such an idiot! You really don't have any talent!" A voice was carried over the rocky hot springs as Gaara alighted in a tree.
"Shut UP! You pervert senin!! I'm trying as hard as I can!" He recognized the voice as Naruto's, then quickly spotted him standing in a clearing with a large man with white hair. They were both arguing loudly and looked really stupid. Gaara considered leaving, but her voice once again echoed in his mind. He jumped down into the clearing.
Naruto was about to throw another string of insults at Jiraiya when he heard someone land nearby. He nearly jumped out of his shoes when he realized it was Gaara.
"GAH!" shouted Naruto, "What're you doing here?? Whatever you're planning, it can wait until the finals!"
"I want to ask you some questions," replied Gaara.
"Huh? Hey, if you're asking me to tell you about Sasuke's techniques, then you can go screw yourself!" Gaara gave him a you're-getting-on-my- nerves glare. Naruto became quiet (for once).
"I don't need help on my battle with Uchiha. I wanted to ask you about a girl."
"What?" Naruto really looked dumbfounded this time, "A girl? I didn't think you were that type of guy." Another one of Gaara's glares shut up Naruto as a chill went up his spine.
"There's a girl that says she knows you. She has black hair and blue eyes. Any ideas?" Naruto thought for a moment as Gaara's temper started to seethe.
"Oh!" exclaimed Naruto, "Y'mean Kitai. Yeah, I know her. Why?"
"Tell me about her."
"Um, well, she's funny, nice, likes sweet foods and... uh... moonlit walks..."
"I mean where she's from," Gaara was getting impatient.
"Ack, geez! Why do you wanna know that??" Gaara gave him another fierce look. "All right! All right already! Lemme think..." He put his hand on his chin in a thoughtful matter. "Well, Kitai used to live in a village that's not too far from here. From what I know, she lived with her parents and some siblings. But the village was struck with famine, and it died out. Her family died out with it too, I think. She wandered here a few years ago, nearly dead from lack of food. The village has taken her in, although people don't really accept her. They don't like the idea of a non-shinobi living here." There was a disgusted, far away look in his eyes as he finished. Gaara's temper that had been mounting for the past few minutes ebbed away as he listened to her story.
"Hey!" Naruto said gallantly as he puffed out his chest, "If you're planning on hurting her or something I swear I'll..." But he didn't get to finish because Gaara had already gone. He didn't like the strange feeling he got from Gaara. After all, that guy had said that his reason for living was killing everyone else...
Kitai punched the air a few times, then started kicking it. Her taijutsu was exellent, after all, it had been based off of Rock Lee's and Gai-sensei's. She could also do some basic genjutsu and ninjutsu pretty well...
It really wasn't fair. She couldn't be in the Chuunin exam, even though she knew she could probably pass. But the village leaders had decided that she shouldn't, since she wasn't even from a Shinobi village. But that didn't stop her from observing Kakashi-sensei's and Gai-sensei's training sessions. She was actually proud of herself for being even a little bit stronger. But what was the point if she couldn't show her strength to anyone?
She threw another punch, harder than usual since it was filled with frustration. But this time she accidentally hit one of the large stumps. She winced as her knuckles began to throb. She slowly brought them up to her face and examined them. They had turned slightly pink, but almost already stopped hurting. However, she could feel burning tears forming in her eyes. The pain in her hand had long since passed, but she couldn't stop the tears from forming. Soon they were streaming down her face.
Why? Why was she the only one that couldn't take the exam? She would only grow stronger, but she still wouldn't be able to compete with the authority of Chuunin or Jounin, even Hokage. She would be like a pebble in the middle of a raging river full of strong trout forcing their way upstream. Everyone would surpass her at some point in their lives. Her existence didn't matter, and soon it would be washed away by the current anyways. She would fade away from existence all together. Nothing would be left of her.
Her shoulders shook as the tears kept flowing. She couldn't stop, no matter how hard she tried. Nothing she did would change, no matter how hard she tried.
"I know you probably think I'm weak," she said to the silent figure that stood behind her, "And you're probably right." She looked over at Gaara, who had been quietly watching her for a while. He didn't know whether to think of her as weak, or realize that he had longed to cry out so many times before.
"You," she continued, "You're lucky. Your hate fuels you, it makes you strong. You're able to live in this world because of it. But me... I have no one to hate... And since I can't hate, all I can feel... is pain." She had a sad smile on her face. "That night, when I approached you, I knew who you were, who doesn't? I had been hearing rumors of your brutal killings ever since you had arrived. I was hurting so much... that I was really hoping... that you would kill me..." Gaara's usually emotionless eyes widened.
"Then, maybe... I would be remembered for something... My existence wouldn't be so... pointless..." She looked at him with those same eyes, but this time he couldn't turn away, and he stared back at her, feeling all the pain from her pour towards him. "I know I shouldn't be telling you this. Even Naruto told me to stay away from you. You're probably the last person I should be talking to right now. But... you're not a monster, because really... you are... you are just like me." Her arms hung at her sides as she spoke softly with a hung head. "It's strange... knowing that someone else may be feeling what you are feeling... Even if they don't show it..." She wiped the tears from her face, then she did something he did not expect. She gave him a warm smile. Only one other person had ever smiled at him before, and she was now dead.
"I want to... wish you luck for next week. I don't know if you or Sasuke-kun will win... But I know you'll try... Because, well, how else can someone like you prove your reality?" She slowly turned away from him and walked away.
When she was gone, Gaara couldn't hide the astonishment from his face. Was it possible, that a girl who had talked to him for two minutes, had already read his inner workings? Feelings that everyone else around him had interpreted as hate, she interpreted as loneliness and pain. But the loneliness and pain had been transformed. Transformed into hate. Hate that had turned him... into a monster.
"Hey, Gaara," Kankuro walked up to him as Gaara put his impassive mask back on, "There you are. I've been looking all over for you. You really shouldn't wander around this village so much." Gaara gave him an annoyed look, then walked away.
"Geez," Kankuro mumbled, "That guy creeps me out. He'd better not do anything to mess up the plan..."
"Hiya, Sakura!" Kitai greeted her pink haired friend happily, "Ready for tomorrow?"
"Oh, hey Kitai," responded Sakura. There was something strange about her appearance, like she was worn out or emotionally drained, "Yeah, as ready as I'll ever be. Are you gonna be there?"
"Yeah, sure. Why not? Besides, we've got some interesting battles set up. Naruto versus Neji, Sasuke versus Gaara, Shino versus Kankuro, and even Shikamaru versus Temari," she counted off each battle on her fingers as she went.
"Well, yeah... But... Sasuke-kun still hasn't shown up..."
"Is that why you look so worn out?! Relax! He's with Kakashi-sensei, right? And although Kakashi does have a reputation for being (hours) late, he wouldn't miss Sasuke's fight, and neither would Sasuke."
"Right..." Sakura gave a weak smile, but Kitai could still see that she was worried.
"Anyway, how's Lee-san?" said Kitai as she attempted to change the subject.
"Oh, he's getting better..." Sakura had a sad faraway look in her eyes, "He... really gave it his all... and he still couldn't beat him..." Her clenched fists started to shake slightly. "What if, something like that happens to Sasuke-kun?! What if he has to give up his life as a shinobi?! Or worse, what if he dies?!" All the emotional tension that Sakura had been holding in suddenly broke free. Her body began to shake as tears squeezed out of her eyes. Kitai remained quiet, and just let her cry for a while.
"Don't worry, Sakura," Kitai gave a reassuring smile, "Sasuke-kun is very strong, and he wouldn't give in easily enough. Besides, this isn't supposed to be a nice, friendly tournament, right? Naruto and Sasuke will both fight to prove their strengths to each other, and to themselves. We just have to trust them." Sakura had finished crying, and was now wiping the tears with her hand. She gave an anxious smile, to say that she understood and knew that.
"We'll just have to wait and see what happens," Kitai grinned, "And afterwards you have to be there for Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun. Naruto-kun especially, just to keep his head from getting too big." Sakura laughed, then she looked at Kitai sadly.
"I'm sorry you can't take the exam," she said. For a second Kitai looked disappointed.
"Nah, I'm over it!" she exclaimed a little too happily, "Besides, I've been thinking about traveling a little."
"Traveling?"
"Yeah. I'm not tied down anywhere right now, so why should I stay in one place, right? I'll go see the ocean and visit other countries. It'll be fun." Sakura smiled.
"It does sound fun. Maybe we'll run into each other again some day?"
"Probably. Who knows, maybe I'll come visit."
"Yeah, we'll miss you, Kitai." Sakura had a sad look on her face.
"Nah, you'll be so busy training that you won't even remember me," beamed Kitai. Sakura nodded as they walked down the street.
Whee! First chapter's done! Read on!!!