Long time no see, fellow Fan-artists! I know there's a lot of fan fiction for Naruto, especially Gaara, but does anyone focus on Gaara as a child? We all know he grew up friendless. But perhaps…maybe…just maybe…he DID have one friend. Just one.
This is the beginning of 'First, Last, and Only'. Go easy on me, it's been a long time since I've written anything. Enjoy!
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Used to the crowd ignoring him, the red-headed 7 year old made headway against the surging mass, green eyes to the ground. Every day was like this, and Trade Day was different only by account of more people in the village itself. Sure, the strange costumes and barking attitudes of the other tribes were a bit of a amusement for a moment or two, but melted back into the throng after a passing glance. Today would be like every other day.
So he thought.
Consumed in the blank haze that came from too little caffeine, Gaara's path was quite suddenly interrupted. Plowed into, both members of the collision fell backwards, their senses and foreheads assaulted.
The littler Gaara lay there for a minute, soaking up the pain in his head and watching the bodies go running past him. His sand hadn't even protected him, his attention had wandered so.
Best not let it happen again.
The red-headed of the two promptly sat up, fearing another assassination attempt, and found something a little less frightening sitting up across from him. He tilted his head, watching the other member of the collision sit up, rubbing her forehead and eyes closed. The well tanned skin had formed a red lump where the two had bumped noggins. Thankfully for her, the blonde mess of her bangs obscured most of it. Apparently able to open an eye now, the brilliant, rippling blue met Gaara's icy green.
Gaara's attention, from that point on, was grounded on this girl he had the indeterminate luck of running into. There was no fear in those eyes, no recognition of who or what he was, or any suggestion of negativity at all. As his study moved on, the reason grew obvious. The hand-sewn and fiery colored clothes showed a direct tribal descent.
A tribes girl… He pondered, his expression blank. …no wonder…
He was snapped out of his funk by a few words from his peer, his attention coming back. It was to no avail, though. Seeing the language barrier, the female's expression momentarily flicked into disappointment before returning to its sheepish smile. Gaara watched her stand, the two children ignored by the passing crowds. She bent, expectantly holding out a hand.
"Are you ok?" She chimed, ashamed and genuinely apologetic. Gaara took her hand wordlessly, still a little taken aback by her utter lack of fear. The girl pulled, almost jerking him to his feet.
"Yeah…" This was more socializing then Gaara had done in a while, especially with someone he guessed to be his own age. His awkward words were to be expected. "It kinda startled me…"
"I guess my head's just as thick as my dad says it is." The tribal girl didn't seemed fazed by his slow, uncomfortable words. Instead, she leaned in, her curiosity causing a nose to nose encounter, even if she did have to stand of tip-toe to do so. Gaara yelped and stumbled back, not used to this close proximity with anyone at all, much less some strange girl he crashed into on the street.
To his surprise, she giggled. Gaara bit his lip, disbelieving that a sound could be so disarming without some ulterior motive.
"I'm Mara." She said. The bright yellow hair flashed briefly in the afternoon sun as she briefly dipped her head. Still uncomfortable, he couldn't manage one back, unable to meet those brilliant azure eyes. Instead, he stared at the ground, grinding a foot into the dust. His voice came out more unsure then ever, positive conversation not his forte.
"…Gaara." He murmured, his quiet voice drowned out by the clamor around the pair. The blonde's playfulness disappeared. Inwardly, Gaara winced.
Now she's gonna run away, like all the others do-
"I can't hear you!" Mara said, her words a little elevated in tone. "Could you speak loud-"
"I'M GAARA!" He shrieked, his voice silencing the bustling crowd around him. Embarrassed, he immediately jerked his mouth shut at the reaction of the crowd, his face almost as crimson as his hair.
"….yeah…Gaara." He stared at the ground, willing his face to stop rivaling the chili pepper. He couldn't shake off the feeling that this wouldn't be the last time he'd publicly embarrass himself either.
…It could be worse, right?