A/N - Submitted again, at the urging of my friend. The first part is a bit less... good than the others, I guess. Gaara will be somewhat out of character.

OMG it's Gaara!

Chapter one: Gaara-san

Riia groaned, as she hoisted her messenger bag onto her shoulder, picked up her lunch bag and sketchpad, and started towards the door of the school. It was Friday, and, thank the heavens, the last day of school. Fridays had stopped being fun the moment she'd entered Seventh Grade, having been full of homework.

She pushed open the door, smiled, and inhaled deeply. Time for a whole three months of freedom that would fly by like two weeks. At least the school year had gone by just as fast. She followed the sidewalk, and took her lonely path home. Life was too boring. The most she could do to liven it up was draw, and fantasize, mostly about Zim and Gaara.

The thirteen-year-old adjusted her strap, and turned a corner. At least Cartoon Network was having a summer vacation Naruto special today. She could look forward to that.

Suddenly there was a loud thud just behind her, and Riia froze. "Oohh…" She slowly turned around, and recoiled in shock when she realized that SABAKU NO GAARA had FALLEN OUT OF A TREE. Riia's mouth dropped open, and she bit her lip. Her heart was going a mile a minute, and then Gaara noticed her.

He stood up. "Gaa-?" She couldn't finish. Gaara had rushed up, and placed a kunai on her neck. She stared at him, fear in her eyes, and sweat dripping down her forehead.

"Shut up. You don't talk unless you're answering my questions." Riia nodded. "Who are you?"

"Riia."

"I don't see a headband on you. Where are you from?" Riia didn't answer that one. "I said: Where are you from?"

"It doesn't exist in your world."

"My world?"

"Look around you, Gaara-san. Does this look like any of the nations you know?" Briefly he wondered how she knew his name, then looked up. Indeed, this was a world of stone pathways and tremendous buildings. Things on wheels dashed back and forth on the larger, black paths, and the pack and clothes Riia wore were truly not anything he'd ever seen.

"No…" he muttered. "It doesn't. Explain, girl."

"This," Riia gestured out at the unfamiliar world. "Is America." Gaara tried to get his mouth around the word.

"America…"

"Also known as the USA. This is New Jersey that you're in. Be glad that you didn't land in New York."

"New… York? Why?"

"Because. I don't want to get into it right now."

"Why?" he demanded.

"I can't explain right now..." This was getting rather annoying. Gaara had lowered his knife, but Riia was careful. She knew what Gaara was capable of.

"I ask again: why?"

"Please, Gaara-san, no more questions."

"Why?" She should have seen that coming.

"It's tedious. I'll explain everything if you'll come to my house. You're also lucky you dropped in on the last day of school. Come on." She motioned for Gaara to follow her, and, surprisingly, he did. She continued the walk home, feeling quite awkward with Gaara behind her. Occasionally, she looked back, to see Gaara staring at everything, with a look of disbelief on his face. They turned another corner, and Riia's house came into view.

"There it is, Gaara-san."

"What?"

"My house." She pointed to a fairly large beige building. Gaara nodded. Riia tentatively opened the door. "Mom? I'm home!"

"Hi! How was the last day of school?"

"Um… fun." She hesitated. "I brought… um… a friend."

"Really? Who?" Her mom was in the kitchen, and they were yelling at each other. Gaara stood looking at Riia with a blank expression, but Riia knew it was close to threatening. Riia bit her lip. "Honey?"

"Gaara, Mom."

"Gaara?" Her mom peeked around the corner, and was startled to see a dangerous looking redhead standing behind her daughter. "Wait! He's from your anime, isn't he? How is that possible?"

"I don't know myself, mom."

She screwed up her face in confusion, and went back to the kitchen. Riia put her backpack by the door.

"Gaara-san, stay here." She took off her coat, and went to put it away. "Mom?" she whispered.

"Yes?"

"Gaara's going to be staying with us for a while. Is that okay?"

"Does he have to?"

"There's no where else. And I'm not letting you put him out in the streets."

"But, where would he sleep?"

"Gaara doesn't sleep, Mom." Her mom put on a confused expression. "I'm not going to get into why, but he just can't sleep. He is physically unable to."

"He looks… imposing."

"He is, Mom."

"Riia, he looks like he could hurt someone. I don't want him in my house."

"It's okay, Mom! I promise he won't hurt anyone. Please?" Her mom nodded hesitantly, and it was final. Gaara would stay at her house. Riia hugged her mom, and went back to Gaara. "Gaara-san, you wouldn't mind staying here, would you?" The sand nin looked around.

"Fine with me," he muttered. Riia leaned in close.

"I've got a few rules, though. I know you won't like them, and please don't get mad. Number one, and most important: Please don't kill ANYONE while you're here. Not even if they annoy you. That would get you arrested, and I don't want to have to bail you out of jail. Number two: no using your sand powers in the house, unless it's very, very minor. Three: Do not attack the cat. Or my brothers or my parents. Please, Gaara-san." Gaara nodded. She was right, he did not like them. He felt like crushing the girl in front of him. But, he had to follow them, it seemed. "Yay!" She grabbed his wrist, and dragged him up the stairs to her room. She closed the door behind them.

"Riia-san, what's this for?"

"I said I was going to explain everything, right?" Gaara nodded. "And now I will." She took out a spiral sketchbook, with a green cover and the word Sketch on it in large white letters. Riia flipped through a few pages, and then stopped. She folded over the book, and handed it to Gaara.

It was a pencil drawing of the sand nin; sand swirling around him and a stick of pocky in his mouth. Gaara's mouth fell open.