-Note-

I do not own the characters from the Naruto anime or manga. They are the property and creation of Masashi Kishimoto, and are used without permission for fan-based purposes. Although, most of the characters and events in this fan fiction are in fact of my own creation. Please do not sue me, unless you want a really nifty pair of socks. I am an extremely broke otaku!

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The sun hung low in the sky, casting deep shadows across the village of Sand. Wind whipped sand into the air, but brought little relief from the heat. Most people had already returned to the comforts of their homes, but a few still remained outdoors. Mostly they were children, who had just been dismissed from the Academy for the day.

"Tan tan tankuki!" rang out small voices in chorus, accompanied by a low "Click, click, click", as a rope struck the ground. Two girls skipped happily in a courtyard, one jumping while the other turned the rope. The other end was tied to a pipe which jutted out of the wall. "No kintama wa!" they laughed. Suddenly, the clicking stopped as the jumper fell to the ground.

The girl who had held the rope ran to her friend, her cousin in fact. "Amaya-chan! Are you hurt? What happened?" she asked in a hurried voice. Amaya laughed as she got to her feet and brushed the sand from her clothing. "I'm okay Yamiko" she said calmly. "I just tripped on the stupid rope. That pipe is way to high! It makes the rope spin on a funny angle. If only..." she stopped herself, and looked at her cousin.

They were both about the same height and build. The only major difference was that Yamiko had relatively short black hair hanging in front of her eyes, while Amaya had long black and silver hair tied back into pig-tails.

Yamiko looked away sadly. "I-I'm sorry" Amaya said quickly, reaching out to her cousin. Yamiko pulled away. "I know what you were going to say" she said in a low voice. "And I am sorry. If you were not related to me, or even if you were not my friend, the others would play with you. Everyone hates me. They think that I cause accidents. They think that I am a jinx... Ekibyougami..." Yamiko was near tears. Amaya's eyes narrowed as she stepped toward her. Promptly, she flicked her cousin in the side of the head. "Ow!" cried Yamiko, and stared at Amaya. "What did you do that for?" "You can't keep saying sorry! YOU - DID - NOT - DO - ANYTHING! Get it through your head." She knocked on her cousins head gently with her knuckles. "It is not your fault that they are superstitious, and... And... Stupid!" Yamiko laughed as Amaya gestured emphatically in her rage. "Besides" she continued, pointing at Yamiko. "Not EVERYONE hates you. I, for one, don't. And when did you meet EVERYONE anyways?" "But none of the other children will play with us." Yamiko sniffled.

Amaya bit her lower lip as she thought. The wind howled, whisking more sand into the air. In the distance, she saw a lone silhouette sitting on the swings. She smiled. "I will prove that you're wrong" she said. Grabbing Yamiko's hand, she dragged her towards the swings. As they neared, Amaya called out "Hello there!", but the red-headed child did not acknowledge her. Irritated, she tried again. "You, on the swings! Are you deaf?" Yamiko tried to pull out of her cousin's grip, but Amaya held fast. Slowly, he raised his head to look at them. His eyes were dark and sad, as he looked at the two girls in bewilderment. "Gaara-sama" Yamiko whispered, recognizing the child of the Kazekage. She hid behind her cousin shyly. She had heard of him before, but did not know much about him. Unlike others in the village of Sand, the Kinsei clan mostly kept to themselves.

Amaya smiled. "Do you want to skip with us?" she asked in a friendly voice, dangling the rope in her right hand. Gaara's eyes grew wide, as he looked from one girl to the other. Yamiko blushed slightly when he looked at her. She quickly brushed her bangs into her face in an attempt to hide her own dark eyes. Neither seemed frightened. Gaara pointed to himself, and went to speak. "Yes you" Amaya said quickly. "I don't see anyone else here." He seemed nervous. Amaya spun the rope lazily. "C'mon! It will be fun" she said with a smile. She nudged her cousin. "Right, Yami?" She nodded, and said quietly "It is Yamiko". A small smile appeared on Gaara's face, which was still held by apprehension. Amaya reflected it.

"I am Kinsei Amaya. And this is my cousin Yami-chan." "Yamiko!" she said a bit more forcefully. " Okay. Yamiko, formerly known as Yami-chan", Amaya said with a laugh. Yamiko pouted slightly, but continued to look on Gaara with great curiosity. Her father had always told her to stay away from him, but she had never known why. Like her, he seemed lonely. But, unlike her, he appeared to be truly alone.

"I am... Sabaku No Gaara" he said quietly, looking at the ground. Amaya shoved one end of the rope into his hand. He looked up, rather surprised, into her still smiling face. "Now that we all know each other, let's play!" He smiled widely this time, as the three of them ran from the swings. Amaya nudged her cousin again. "I told you so", she laughed. Yamiko smiled nervously and took the other end of the rope.

As other children watched in wonder, the three happily took turns jumping. "The click, click, click" of the rope and their own laughter quickly drowned out the jeers which followed to turned faces. But through their laughter, a darkness slowly gathered. Deeper than the shadows of the coming night, and more forbidding than the howl of the winds, it lingered near their feet unnoticed and unheeded. As Amaya jumped over the rope, it took form and wound itself around her feet. As she pushed off the ground, it held her fast. She yelped in surprise as she fell backwards.

Quickly and without thought, Gaara summoned his sand to catch her. Amaya screamed, and Yamiko and Gaara's eyes widened. The shadow tightened it's grip, but then vanished as the sand slowly fell away. Yamiko dropped her end of the rope, and ran to her cousins aid. Sitting on the ground and clutching her ankle, Yamiko knelt beside her. "I-I'm okay. I-I just..." Amaya stammered, unsure of what actually happened. She looked to Gaara, who was standing a few feet away, his end of the rope still clutched in his hand. His eyes were sad as he stared at them. Yamiko brushed her bangs into her face nervously, and put her hand on her cousin's shoulder. The rope fell from his hand to the ground as he turned to run. "Hey wait!" Amaya called.

Tears streamed down Yamiko's face, as they did Gaara's. Hate... Fear... Everyone.

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I have had this story in my head for quite a while (before the jinchuuriki for the nekomata was revealed, so please don't get upset at me), but have been having trouble putting it on paper. It was originally supposed to be a doujinshi, but this will have to do for now. If people like what I write, then I will post a link to my doujinshi when I am done a chapter or two. Next chapter coming soon!