Authors note:
Gaara will be a bit OOC in this chapter.
Naruto: What just happened Lacey!
Gaara: Yeah, what was that about?
Lacey: Gaara walked by! You know what happens when I'm around people!
Gloria: Naruto, Gaara, It will be over. It's a phase, The same thing happened when she ki-
Lacey: Don't you bring that up Gloria!
Tamari: Hey guys.
Lacey: o.O where did you come from?
Tamari: -shrugs-
Naruto: And why in the world did Gaara follow you away?
Gaara: Well… I-
Lacey: How the hell should I know!
Gaara: I give up
Naruto: Jeez don't get so angry!
Lacey: Shut up!
Naruto: No you shut up!
Lacey: Do I have to go over this again! SHUT UP!
Naruto: You can't tell me what to do!
(muffled arguing behind Gloria as she talks)
Gloria: This fight will last a while…
Gaara: -sweat drop-
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I stared up at Gaara. "You didn't have to…" I breathed. I looked at my hands and screamed at the sight of blood. I fell to the ground and stared in awe at my palm. 'What did I do?' Gaara looked at me curiously. "G-Gloria!" I cried. I heard running steps behind Gaara and the others. She squatted next to me. "S-sister… D-did I kill someb-body a-again?" I asked. She embraced me in a loose hug around my shoulders. "No, you're ok." She said softly. I looked up at her. "L-let go of me…" I breathed. She replied with a small grunt and jerk. "What did you say?" She asked. Gaara looked at us as if we were idiots. I sweat-dropped. "I said, let go of me!" I flung my arm back and threw her off my shoulders. I stood up and put my batons safely tucked under my large bow around my waste. "I'm not a child anymore. I don't need any help and I've come to except that I'm different then everyone else!" Choking down another sob and ran off. I tightly squeezed my eyes shut. "Come on big sis! We need to get home!" Gloria trailed slowly behind me. As we approached the house, Gloria peeked through the windows nervously. "What's wrong?" I asked curiously. "Nothing, I-I'll wait here." She said. As I stepped in I heard screaming in the kitchen. I stopped running and opened my eyes. "She knew." I whispered to myself. I jolted around angrily. Instead I let it go. "I'll never get anywhere in life with this… this curse!" I shouted. I sensed someone behind me. I placed my hand over my face again.
"What do you want?" I asked. No reply. I turned around "I said what do you- oh…" It was Gaara. I blushed. "I'm sorry, I do not mean to cry in front of you." I said politely. Still he didn't reply. I noticed he was still wearing the necklace. "Do you even know why you're wearing that?" I asked. He looked at my coldly. "I'll take that as a no." I sat on the ground and looked to the sky. "Let me explain it for you." I felt tears pour from my eyes as I explained my past more detailed then how I did with Naruto. Gaara's cold expression remained the same throughout my story. I sighed again as I wiped off my face. "I wouldn't care if you'd take it off, I don't mind having your feelings, you seem like how everyone thinks of me." I choked. Gaara walked up to my and leaned over. "You got it good." I blushed once again and turned away. 'Why am I reacting this way to him? If this was Naruto, I'd probably smack him right now for getting this close.' One thing is for sure, I don't like feeling this way. I looked at the necklace and he leaned back up. Quickly I reached out and snapped the necklace. It was then I realized I must've been too fast for Gaara because surrounding my fist was sand that never got close enough to my arm to stop it. I stared at my hand. "Naruto's right, I am fast…" I sighed. I stood up and outstretched my arms.
Tamari and Kankuro walked up from behind Gaara. "Gaara, what's taking you?" Tamari said. Kankuro nudged her and gestured his head at me. I could hear the faint whisper "I think what we heard was her childhood." Tamari shrugged and stepped up to Gaara. Something felt different about Tamari… Then it hit me. "That's not Tamari!" I realized. "Gaara, watch out!" I yelled. Gaara's stance hadn't changed. Tamari smirked as she outreached towards Gaara's neck. I stood still as well regardless of my worry. As the fake Tamari's hand reached Gaara, sand burst up and threw her back, revealing Ookami. 'I knew it!' Then he just disappeared again. I sweat-dropped. "Is he a strong-ass or a Houdini!" I joked. "I've had enough of this guy…" I sighed. I sprinted off behind Gaara, determined to find Naruto and Gloria. Then I remembered. "Gloria… she knew about mom and dad. I stopped in my tracks. 'Now all that's left of our team is Sensei, me and my double-crossing sister…' I was remembering Blade. 'His last memory of me… His last memory of me was me trying to kill him in the fights. I sat on my legs and cried into my hands again. I tried my honest hardest to look at the bright side. I couldn't get myself to get it. I looked at the bloody wound on the back of my hand and the stained palm. "Maybe… maybe I am just a monster… Maybe there is a reason even my own sister betrayed me… Maybe… Maybe…" I broke out in tears again. "…Maybe I deserve to die…" I finished. I choked down another sob and held my hands to my dirt covered face. "What am I…?" (A/N: If you haven't found any similarities between her and Gaara yet, you are crazy!) I sniffled. "That's not true… Gloria couldn't have known… Right? A-and I'm not a monster… Yeah, I'm not. I hope…"
I looked into the darkening sky. It was then I realized I was nowhere near the cabin and wouldn't make it there in time to sleep. I looked around. Maybe I could sleep on a pile of leaves or something…
I woke up with an uncomfortable feeling in my side. A bunch of kids were huddled around me and one was poking me. I blinked a few times out of tiredness. "Hey cut it out!" I swung my arms at them. They chuckled at me and ran away. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. "Little brats." I heard Naruto's voice from down the path. I saw Naruto and his team walking up the path. I rubbed my eyes and squeaked out a pathetic "Hi." Naruto ran up to me. He outstretched his hand to help me up. I clutched his hand and yanked myself off the ground. "Thanks. Hey what's your teammates' name's?" I asked. I looked at me then them. "Oh yeah!" He pulled me over to them. "Hey guys, meet Lacey Natashima! Lacey this is my sensei Kakashi and my teammates Sasuke and Sakura." The girl named Sakura smiled at me and Sasuke just stood there. "Yeah, hey." He mumbled. "I see you made a friend there, Naruto." His sensei said calmly. I rubbed the back of my head. 'I don't think his team likes him much…' "Nice to meat you too." I mumbled.
"Listen Naruto, are you still wearing that necklace I made you wear?" I asked. He nodded and pointed to his neck proudly. "Take it off." I said. He looked puzzled at me and blinked a few times before he slowly slipped it off. "I don't care if people wear them anymore. I'm just excepting the fact that I'm an outcast." I said, forcing a smile. Naruto handed me the necklace and I slipped it into my pocket. "Well, It's nice meeting you all, but, my friend is at the hospital." I said. Naruto looked at me. "I thought he was dead…" He murmured. I got angry and wanted to punch on the head very hard. "I'D RATHER YOU DON'T BRING THAT UP!" I shouted. "Ok fine, He's dead. You happy now!" I asked as I sat back on the ground. His team just stared at me confusingly. I heard a rustling. Kakashi and Sasuke noticed as well. I stood up and jerked around. Before I knew it, and to my surprise, Blade leapt out and embraced me. "Gloria told me how much you worried." He said. I looked at him awkwardly. "Uh… Blade… You were stabbed in the chest… You shouldn't be hearing anything." He looked up with a grin. "Replacement jutsu works awfully great doesn't it?" I smiled and I hugged him back. The team began to walk down again. "Naruto, come on."
I felt an extreme pain in my arm. I fell back and everyone looked at me in shock. Blade stepped back and Ookami was revealed. I clenched my teeth in pain. "B-bastard." I whispered. I forced myself up. "What do you want?" I said chokingly, holding my hand to a bleeding wound in my arm. My arm dropped. I felt determined to kill. "N-NO!" I shouted holding my head. I threw a necklace at him. It ricocheted off and hit the ground. "Guys, get out of here!" I shouted. I grabbed my batons then I realized they were broken. I heard a sound from in the trees. Sand appeared and surrounded Ookami. "G-Gaara?" I whispered. Gaara walked out and had his arm outstretched towards the evil shadowy figure. My arm twitched from pain. "I-I've never been stabbed all the way through before…" I mumbled. "Hey, Lace, need any help?" I turned around and stared at Naruto. "Your annoying." I mumbled. Naruto stood there shockingly and I heard Sakura laughing in the background. I stared menacingly at Ookami. "Gaara, let him go. He's not worth having his blood spilled by any of us. He's too low." I said. Gaara didn't let go. I blushed. 'Is he determined to help or determined to kill?' "Gaara! Did you hear me! Let him be!" I shouted. I saw sand inching towards me. 'He's determined to kill…' I thought. I swallowed nothing in fear. I backed off slowly. "…Maybe I deserve to die…" I gasped for air out of shock and backed off faster. "What am I…?" I clutched my arm again. "Nothing, I-I'll wait here." Tears flowed down my face. "Maybe I do deserve to die." I whispered as I stood still. I tightly sealed my eyes.
The sand stopped approaching and stopped surrounded Ookami. "I'll let you off only this time." He said. I opened my eyes. The sand went into a hole on the top of the gourd and he stuck a cork in it. "T-thank you…" I blushed. I ran off behind Naruto and ran to the cabin. "Sensei!" I screamed. "That was awkward." I heard Sasuke mutter as I ran. "A-annoying?" Was the last thing I heard from anyone in that group.