Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, its plot or characters. I own any OC, my plot, and anything else you don't recognize unless otherwise stated.

guest: Thanks! ^_^

SNicole25: You do know that it was Gaara's dad that gave him the mission(in case you didn't know he also lied to Gaara). They needed to test his control on the Shukaku not that he was a normal kid. He could be the most normal kid out there and not have control on the demon.

Posting the next chapter in another hour or two. Don't freak out.

She never slows down.
She doesn't know why but she knows that when she's all alone, feels like it's all coming down
She won't turn around
The shadows are long and she fears if she cries that first tear, the tears will not stop raining down

- Stand In The Rain – Superchick

Kenta was frowning as he rewrapped his sister's injured arm with gauze the next morning. She avoided looking at him as he scolded her, again.

"I told you that kid was trouble. He hurt you."

"He didn't mean to."

"How do you know?"

"Cause Gaara's my friend and would never hurt me on purpose. He was just in a bad mood yesterday." Rin said with a frown. Kenta shook his head.

"Bad mood." he scoffed. "Stay away from him." Kenta said as he narrowed his eyes. "He's dangerous."

"He's my friend."

Rin saw Gaara on the swings again. He was watching the other kids play but instead of his normal lonely look he was glaring intensely at them. Rin ran up to him and he turned his glare to her. His eyes flicked to her bandaged arm before looking at her smile.

"Leave me alone." he said. Rin frowned.

"What's wrong, Gaara?" she asked.

"Go away." He said as he got up and pushed past her. Rin's lip quivered.

"Tell me what's wrong. Friends are supposed to be there for each other."

"I don't need friends." Gaara said.

"B-But… we made a promise." She whimpered. Gaara hesitated for only a second but then kept walking.

…

The next day when Rin went to the swings Gaara wasn't there. He wasn't there the day after that, or the day after that. Even so every day Rin would go to the swings to wait for him. She'd clutch her stuffed cat and swing slowly back and forth. Sometimes the other kids picked on her or bothered her but for the most part she just watched them play.

She'd been going to the swings for a month straight when Gaara finally came. The moment she saw him she jumped up and ran to him. The sun glinted off the key around her neck. Gaara glared at it for a long second before reaching out and yanking it from her neck and throwing it. It got stuck on a ledge about ten feet or so above them. Rin stared with her mouth hanging open. Gaara turned and started to walk away. Rin stared after him as she frowned. She looked to where the key rested and a determined look came over her face.

Gaara was gripping the front of his shirt as he walked away. The box the key belonged to was left unfinished on his desk in his room. He couldn't bring himself to smash it or even throw it away. He thought if maybe she didn't have the key anymore it wouldn't bother him. If she didn't have the key it meant the box wasn't for her anymore. He wouldn't think of her whenever he saw it.

Gaara heard a small rocks fall and a small determined grunt. He stopped and looked back. What he saw made his eyes widen and his heart skip a beat. Rin was already seven feet off the ground climbing up to get the key. As she neared the key one of her hands slipped and she let out a small scream. Gaara's feet seemed to move on their own as he ran to stand below her. Even as she was hanging by one hand she was trying to reach the key. Gaara quickly extended his hand and his sand flew to grab her and the key and bring them both down slowly.

"You'd risk your life for a stupid piece of metal?!" Gaara shouted with a glare once Rin was on the ground.

"It's important." Rin said as her lip quivered but she didn't cry.

"Why?"

"You gave it to me." She said. Gaara glared at her and shook his head.

"You're an idiot." He hissed before turning and walking away. Rin picked up the key and held it to her chest.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"Gaara!" Rin called as she knocked on the door. The door opened and Rin blinked at the brown haired boy, who was a little older than her, who answered the door.

"He doesn't want to see you." The boy said. Rin frowned in confusion.

"Why not?" Rin asked as her lip started to quiver. The boy glanced back inside nervously.

"Look, he told me to tell you not to come back. For your own safety I think you should just leave him alone." The boy said quietly. "He's dangerous."

"No he's not." Rin said with a frown. "He's my friend."

"He could kill you before you could even blink." The boy said with wide eyes. "Please just go away before he gets mad."

"B-but…"

"I'm sorry, please go." The boy said before closing the door. Rin's lip quivered more as tears came to her eyes.

…

The next year Gaara and Rin started at Suna's ninja academy. His brother and sister were already enrolled. Rin learned that the brown haired boy who'd answered the door was Gaara's brother, Kankurō. She'd never met their sister, Temari, but she'd seen her around the academy on occasion.

On the first day Rin learned Gaara was in her class. She'd sat next to him with a smile and a happy 'hello' but Gaara got up and moved to the other side of the room. Rin's smile faltered but she didn't let it show that it affected her in any other way. The next day before Gaara arrived Rin grabbed a piece of paper and wrote a quick note, folded it up and put it on Gaara's desk. The other kids in the room looked at her like she was insane as she returned to her desk. A few minutes later Gaara entered the room.

"Good Morning, Gaara." Rin said with a smile. He shot her a glare as he walked to his desk. He directed his glare to the note. She'd drawn a little heart next to his name. Everyone in the room tensed as his sand lifted the note and dropped it in the trash. He sat down and turned his head to glare at her.

Why is she still smiling? His mind growled.

The next day Rin greeted Gaara happily again and he found another note on his desk, this time with a smiley face. As it joined the other note in the trash Gaara turned to glare at her.

Even after another year of the same treatment she would still smile, greet him every morning and leave him notes.

How are you still smiling? Stop it! He thought as he glared across the room. Stop being so happy! She was always smiling, no matter what he did. He threw out all of her notes, he ripped them up, he glared at her, and he ignored her. Nothing worked. She wouldn't hate him, she wasn't afraid of him. It made his chest ache.

Posting the next chapter within the next hour or so again. Please don't freak out.