Alright, here is the second part out of three. Hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
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It had been three years. She wasn't sure what had made him change, but changed he had. He had gone from kind-hearted to cold. It was as if he no longer cared whether people accepted him or not, or even that others existed.
He also had a tattoo now, on his forehead; it was the kanji for love. Personally she thought it looked really cool.
She couldn't sleep so she just sat on the stairs, inching closer when she heard a conversation to where she could just see them but where she was still hidden in the shadows.
Her parents were both sitting in the living room.
"He is becoming a true menace to this village."
"Yes. Luckily the Kazekage is taking steps to eliminate this threat."
"He's trying to kill his own son?" Her mother sounded hesitant.
"The safety of the village exceeds the life of an individual."
"Still… He is just a kid." Her mother shook her head.
"A kid that has killed all of the assassins sent after him."
Her eyes widened. They had been trying to kill Gaara? His own father had…?
Didn't he love his own son? Couldn't he have prevented Gaara from becoming a threat in the first place? Or was it just that he didn't care?
"Daddy…"
Her father immediately sought her out when he heard her timid voice.
"If that had been me, would you have hated me too?"
Her parents sent each other worried glances. She shouldn't have heard that conversation.
"Misaki...Weren't you supposed to be sleeping?"
"I couldn't sleep." She yawned.
"Come into the kitchen. I'll make you some warm milk."
"Mommy, Gaara never had anyone to do that for him did he?"
Her mother paused for a moment, lost in her thoughts. "I guess not."
When she went back to bed she stopped and looked out of the window. 'I wonder what Gaara is doing right now.' Crawling back into bed she shut her eyes tightly, trying to forget what her parents had said. 'Poor Gaara… His own father is trying to kill him.'
The next morning her mother woke her up. "Misaki, it's time to get up. You have school today."
She shot up in bed. "Today!" She had completely forgotten. Rushing out of bed she quickly went through her clothes. Grabbing a few off the pile as she went she ran into the bathroom.
As she went off to school she suddenly wasn't in such a hurry any more. She didn't really like school. And what if the other kids didn't like her? What if they were only pretending to like her?
Maybe she would see Gaara today. She quickened her pace.
When she arrived at the school she saw nothing but unfamiliar faces. Disappointed she sat down on a bench all by herself.
At the end of the day she had made a new friend, a shy girl named Kaede. 'But she is really nice.' Misaki thought to herself. Her teacher had been the one to encourage her to at least try. Gaara however was nowhere to be seen. Feeling a bit sad she took the longer route home. She wanted to be by herself a bit.
She walked to the park and sat down against a tall building. Her mother wouldn't be home for a while, so she wouldn't notice if she was a bit later than usual.
Her thoughts drifted back in time.
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"Misaki, I don't want you to see Gaara again. Ever. Do you understand?" Her mother crossed her arms and looked sternly at her. Standing next to her looking even more serious stood her father. He had been really mad when he had heard she played with Gaara.
"No I don't mommy. He just needs a friend." She was crying.
Her father stepped in. "But don't you understand that he could kill you?"
"Gaara would never do such a thing."
"How would you know? You have just met him. Even his own father, our Kazekage, recognizes him as a dangerous person to be around."
"I don't care; he just isn't like that. He is just lonely. Why won't you believe me?" She cried even more. Her mother took her into her arms until her sobs subsided a bit.
"Please honey. Trust us. We know what is best for you." Her father said without hesitation. "Promise us you will not go near him again."
"I won't even get to say goodbye?"
"Of course you can. But after that." Her father persisted, not backing off in the least.
"Misaki…" Her mother started to say, though she didn't finish.
"Alright." She sniffed. "I promise."
The next day she went to Gaara. He looked happy to see her.
"I thought you weren't coming back." He said smiling.
She averted her eyes to the ground. "I just came to say goodbye."
"Goodbye?" Gaara's eyes were starting to tear.
"My parents say I can't play with you any more. They say it's for the best."
"But… why?" Gaara looked at her, his eyes clearly showing confusion and hurt. "Did I do something wrong?"
She didn't answer. Crying softly she flew at him and hugged him tightly. "Goodbye Gaara. Don't forget about me."
"I won't. You are the first ever to have played with me. You are my only friend Misaki." He said softly.
"Promise?" She glanced up at him.
"Promise. Will you… Promise you won't forget about me either."
"Promise." She smiled sadly.
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That was the last time she had spoken to him. Even though she had only known him for such a short time she missed him. However she had also promised her parents she wouldn't go to him again. And one must never break a promise.
Suddenly she felt her cheeks were wet. That memory had made her cry again. She wiped it off furiously. The stance of the sun told her it was time to go home. Pushing herself off the ground she got on her feet. Brushing the sand off of her clothes she remembered her sandcastle.
Shaking her head she continued her way. Breaking into a run once she knew she was coming closer a figure caught her eye. Immediately she stopped, smiling. It was him.
"Gaara…"
She waved at him. He just stared back at her, his eyes now devoid from emotion. Her shoulders drooped as she continued to walk.
Catching her off guard he appeared behind her. "What do you want?" He spoke coldly.
She hesitated a bit with her answer.
"Well?" His voice was still cold.
Flinching she looked at him. "I… I just want to say hi… and I was wondering how you were doing."
"Why would you care?"
Disbelieving what she had heard she glanced at him again. "I… I thought we were friends."
"You were the one who didn't want to be friends any more, remember?"
"My parents… I had to."
Glaring at her he shook his head. "You didn't have to do anything."
"I still care about you." She blurted out.
For a fraction of a second his eyes widened before narrowing again. "No one cares about me. No one ever has and no one ever will. In return I will love myself and only myself."
She ran. This was too much. He didn't really think that, did he? She ran up to her room and threw herself on her bed, sobbing.
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It was late September
And I'd seen you before
You were always the cold one
But I was never that sure
You were all by yourself
Staring up at a dark grey sky
I was changed
In places no one would find
All your feelings so deep inside
It was then that I realized that forever was in your eyes
The moment I saw you cry
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Cya ;)
