Disclaimer: I only own Nanase and her family and Mana and her groupies.

"Blah" - talking

Blah - thinking

Blah - Gaara's mind person

Stuck in a Blizzard

Chapter Six:

Meeting Someone New

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Nanase walked down the sidewalk, holding her bookbag loosely in one hand and clutching her cellphone in the other. She walked into the park and sat down on a bench, her long hair blowing in the wind and making the bells tinkle. She stared at the ducks walking by her with sad, puffy eyes, sniffling every so often. She pulled her now dirty bookbag onto her lap and shoved her cellphone into it, angrily.

The ducks seemed to stare at her oddly, cocking their heads to the side and watching her. She turned her head to them and watched them waddle away, back into the water and far from her side. She pulled her legs under her and played with the hem of her skirt, her fingers numb from the cold.

"Shouldn't you be in school?"

She looked up to see a man with black hair, hanging into his eyes and kicking out in the back. "What's it matter?" she asked. "No one wants me."

"A pretty thing like yourself?" he asked.

"I'm not pretty," she said softly. "I'm ugly."

"Far from it," he said and hopped over the bench and sat next to her.

"You look familiar," she said softly.

"Maybe you know my brother, Sasuke," he replied.

"He goes to my school."

"Thought so, the uniform looks familiar," he said, his lips lifting up in a smile. "So, why so down?"

She looked down at her hands, sliding her legs off the bench and letting her feet hit the ground. "I-I fell in love with this boy," she began, the tears welling up in her eyes, "we spent time together during the blizzard because he got snowed in at my house. I thought he was cool and I liked a lot of things about him, I thought he might've felt the same. I was wrong, dead wrong. We come back to school and everything changes. I caught him today kissing this girl named Mana, his girlfriend. I felt like an idiot."

"So it's boy trouble?" he asked.

She nodded. "But that's not even the worst part. I go onto the roof and here he comes, actually having the nerve to sit next to me. I get mad at him and tell him that I saw him kissing Mana and he gets loud, yelling that I'm not his girlfriend. I no I'm not his girlfriend, but it really hurt that he would just toss aside my feelings like that. I told him that I couldn't be his friend anymore because when you love someone you can't just be there friend. Was I wrong to do that?"

He shook his head. "You were right, because that's the truth."

She gave him a sad smile and looked back to her hands. "I tried to call my dad to pick me up, but he's always to busy with work to care about me," she said bitterly. "I tried to call my mom and she didn't pick up, it seems the only ones she ever picks up for is my little sister, Sachi."

"So you feel neglected?" he asked.

She nodded. "Am I wrong for that?"

"No."

She broke into tears, covering her face with her hands as her cries turned into sobs. She threw her arms around his neck when he pulled her into his arms. "Look at me, sobbing all over you and I don't even know your name," she said with a slight laugh, looking up at his face.

He laughed. "I'm Uchiha Itachi."

"I'm Iwamura Nanase."

"Pretty name for an even prettier girl," he grinned.

"Hey, mister," she said and laughed. "They can lock you away for talking like that."

"Hey, I'm nineteen, I'm not to old yet," he said with a grin.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yep, do I look that old?" he asked.

"Those lines," she said and traced her finger down the crease under his eye. "You seem a lot older, but still cute."

"See, I've made you happier already," he grinned. "So, how old are you?"

"I can't believe you're hitting on a girl who just had her heart broken," she replied with a smile.

"Maybe, I can help repair it," he said softly, his fingers caressing her cheek.

"Maybe, you can," she whispered, lowering her eyes.

He smiled. "So, how old are you?"

She laughed. "I'm sixteen, but I'll be seventeen in six days!" she said.

He smiled. "Would you like to go out for something to eat?"

She smiled, blushing a bit. "That would be very nice."

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Aki Iwamura was not happy. He waited at the school for half an hour and still Nanase hadn't come out. He was getting anxious and feeling guilty for having being so neglecting earlier that day. He turned his car on and began to drive, picking up his cell phone and dialing his wife's number.

"Hello, honey," she said cheerfully.

"Chi-chan, we have a problem," he said grimly.

"What, honey, what's wrong?" she asked. "Something at work."

"No, it's Nanase."

"What's wrong with her?" Chiharu's voice was growing panicked. "She called me earlier but I didn't pick up."

"She's not at the school," he said.

"I'll call Gaara to see if she's with him, okay?" she asked.

"Alright, call me back," he said and hung up the phone, looking around for any signs of where his daughter have went. He sighed softly as he stopped at a red light, massaging his temples as a migraine formed. "Where have you gone, Nanase?"

He was startled when he phone began ringing and picked it up, flipping it open. "Yes?" he asked, driving when the light turned green.

"I called Gaara and he said they had some fight earlier and she was really upset," Chiharu said, tears evident in her voice. "I called Ino as well, she's not with her."

"Shit," he cursed and turned around a corner.

"It's our fault," she whispered. "We were to neglecting, weren't we?"

"I believe we were, Chi-chan," he said softly. "I feel so bad. She called me, crying hysterically, earlier and told me to come pick her up. I told her to just wait for me to pick her up after school."

"You did what?" Chiharu screeched. "Why wouldn't you pick her up if she's crying hysterically?"

"I figured it was something trivial," he said. "You know how young girls are."

"Not our young girl," Chiharu said angrily. "How could you have been so stupid?"

"What?" he asked enraged. "You didn't even pick up when she called. How do you know this isn't your fault?"

"My fault!" she yelled. "This is your fault, if you had just picked her up we wouldn't be in this damn mess! You know she has depression problems, some father you are!"

"Some mother you are!" he yelled in return. "I'm hanging up because you're going to get me into an accident."

"Fine, hang up. You're not a ma-"

He threw his phone into the passengers seat, angrily glaring at the road. He picked up the phone when he rang again, and gurdgingly flipped it open. "What?"

"Daddy?"

His tone softened. "Honey, where are you?" he asked. "I'm so sorry."

"Dad, I'm fine," she said. "Don't worry about me."

"Honey, just tell me where you are," he said.

"Go home," she said. "I'll be home very soon."

He sighed and flipped the phone shut, making a U-turn and heading in the direction of his home.

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Gaara paced back and forth in his kitchen, his hands behind his back as he glanced over at his cellphone. "Damn it, Nanase," he whispered harshly. "Why do you have to be so fucking emotional?"

"Gaara, you keep pacing like that you'll make a hole in the floor," Temari said from her seat at the table. "Please sit down, your friend will be all right."

He sighed. "She's in love with me," he said.

Temari's eyes widened.

"And I shot her down like nothing," he said.

"Gaara," she said softly.

"I said yes to Mana hoping it would help me get over Nanase," he said. "She deserve so much more then me."

"Gaara, stop!" Temari yelled, getting to her feet. "You put yourself down all the time. She just wants to love you and if you love her, let it work. Let her love you and give in to your feelings, return them to her. Do you love her?"

"Yes."

"Then show her," she said softly. "There is nothing wrong with you. Uncle Yashamaru wasn't your fault so stop blaming yourself and get over it. Mom would've wanted you to, because I know she loved you. There is nothing wrong with you."

Gaara stared, wide-eyed, at his sister.

"Go find her."

He nodded, a smile slipping onto his lips. "Thank you, Nee-chan," he said, giving her a breif hug before running out the door and grabbing the keys to his brothers car. He drove to the place he knew she'd be. The park.

He got out of the car and walked over to where he saw her on a bench, his eyes widened. He glared at the man that sat next to his Nanase, stomping up to them and pushing the guy.

Nanase gasped and turned to look at Gaara. "Gaara?"

"This is the guy that hurt you?" Itachi asked. "So now you're jealous?"

Gaara didn't respond, just punched the man square in his jaw. "Stay away from her!" he yelled and pounced on the man, throwing punch after punch.

"Gaara, no!" Nanase screamed. "Gaara! Stop! Gaara, please, stop!"

He stopped and climbed off the guy at Nanase's frantic cries, turning to see tears dripping down her cheeks. He looked at the ground, ashamed of his behavior. "Nanase, I-"

"Just go away, Gaara," she said and helped Itachi up. "Just go."

"Nanase..."

"Go!" she screamed, glaring at him.

Gaara frowned. "Fine."

Nanase watched him walk away, turning towards Itachi when she felt his fingertips wipe away her tears. She smiled up at him and sniffled lightly, helping brush the dirt off of him. "I'm sorry about that," she said. "I don't know why he attacked you."

"Don't worry about it," he replied with a grin. "Wanna go grab that food now?"

"Yeah," she replied. "Yeah, I'd like that."

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Sorry it's so short, but what do ya think? New drama involved, right? Eh, like the Itachi bit? Come on, I'm desperate for feedback. Gimme what I want, please!