Playtime

Summary: Gaara sees someone drowning (you'll have to read to see where), what should he do? Why, save her of course! A short ficlet with Gaara as a young boy and an OC. Based on one of my childhood mishaps. Dedicated to Ayane (you know who you are ).

Pairing: uh… children can't have that kind of relationship right?

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto (darn it!)

AN: Young Gaara here is not like the young Gaara we know from the series.


A new shop had just opened in Suna and it's a place dedicated to children. Kids at Work as it's called and it's a large playground in a form of a fortress with several passageways, and numerous rooms, each different from the other, bringing entertainment to children whose parents are just too busy to look after them and are not yet ready to go to ninja school yet.

"I WANT TO GO HOME!" And here comes another one of those children who just don't want to be left by their parents in a godforsaken place, and also doesn't want to be with them either apparently.

"Ayane, please don't shout darling," her mother cooed as she kissed her daughter's forehead while her husband had their daughter slung over his shoulder.

"I don't' want to be here!" Ayane said, pouting. She had dark purple hair in two pigtails at the sides of her head and big, not to mention adorable, pair of black eyes. "I want to train so that I can go to the a-a,"

"Academy," her mother finished for her.

"You're good already," her father said, putting her down inside the play area. "You almost got us in trouble when you threw that shuriken at the expensive vase and almost tipped it over."

"But I don't know anyone here," Ayane said, trying to reach up and be carried by her father again. "I'll be lonely."

"You're sure to make new friends dear," her mother said, bending over the fence that separated the play area from the waiting area and kissing her daughter on the forehead.

"But mom," Ayane started.

"No buts now, just be good and enjoy, we'll be back by 3 o'clock," her mother said then they were off.

Ayane looked over to the fortress, went around twice, when she finally saw the entrance, a small door made out of cloth which you can pass through without any difficulty. A sign could be seen on the door with the number nine and several words she didn't understand. She went inside and instantly fell on something, uh, things, hard yet does not hurt her. She looked around and saw that she was on top of a pool of different colored balls. At the other side of the pool was another door so she tried to get up but her small hands slipped between the balls and sank. She tried pulling herself up but she sank even deeper. She tried to scream but only a muffled sound could be heard since her face was being covered by balls. When her small body was submerged, she lifted her hands and tried to get to the surface of the pool and hope that someone would notice her drowning. Then someone, against all odds, grabbed her hand and pulled her up. When her face broke to the surface, she stared into a pair of pale green eyes.

"What are you staring at?" her savior asked.

She noticed that he had a turf of red hair on top of his head and that his eyes were rimmed by thick black circles.

"What happened to your eyes?" Ayane asked. "Did you get into fight with someone?"

"Hmpft, what would a girl like you know, you don't even know where to go. You're only six and you already went to the nine-year-old and up side of the playground." And with that he went out of the door he came from.

Ayane gripped the bottom of the door frame and pulled herself out. She ran towards the red head boy and jumped in front of him.

"My name is Ayane," Ayane said, extending her hand towards Gaara.

"Gaara," he said then stared at the hand being offered to him.

"You shake it," Ayane said. "Like this," she said, then took Gaara's hand and shook it. "Come on, I'll treat you to some ice cweam for saving me." And then she pulled him towards a small stall with free ice cream.

The End