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.
scarecrow09: Don't be sad. You'll probably like the next chapter.
This is really short but I did post three chapters in one day.
So many thoughts that I can't get out of my head
I try to live without you, every time I do I feel dead
I know what's best for me
But I want you instead
-Over & Over - Three Days Grace
Every day Rin would bring her stuffed cat with her to class but would normally keep it hidden in her bag. One day before the teacher arrived, a boy knocked over her bag as he walked by and it fell out. The boy picked it up and laughed.
"What's this?" He asked as he held it up. "She still brings this stupid thing with her!" He laughed to the other students. Some of them started snickering. Rin jumped up from her seat and tried to get it back.
"Give her back!" She said jumping to get it. Gaara looked over.
…
"Give her back!" Rin squeaked. The two boys laughed. Rin's lip began to quiver.
"Awe, baby gunna cry?" The other boy teased. Rin lowered her head and brought her sleeves covered hands to her eyes.
"Hey, I thought you guys were playing with us?" A girl called over to the two boys. "Leave the weirdo alone."
"In a minute!" The boy holding the cat called back. "What's wrong? Don't you want it back?" He asked Rin. She nodded. "Then jump for it." Rin sniffled into her hands.
"Hey." The two boys turned to face the familiar voice.
"It's Gaara." The other boy whispered. Gaara was frowning as he clutched his own stuffed animal with his little fists.
"Give it back." He said. The boy holding the cat quickly dropped it and backed up.
"Let's go." He said to the other boy and grabbed his arm before they ran away. Rin sniffled as Gaara walked up to her. He picked up her cat and held it out.
"Here." Gaara said softly with a nervous expression. He was ready for her to run or scream. Rin peeked out from behind her hands and blinked at him. He blinked back. She reached out to grab her stuffed cat and hugged it tightly with her eyes closed. Gaara had a little smile on his face. Rin opened her eyes and smiled at him making him blink.
"Thank you." She said.
"Y-You're welcome." He said quietly as he looked down at his feet, holding his bear to him. Rin leaned over and pecked his cheek. Gaara let out a tiny gasp as his head snapped up and stared at her with wide eyes.
"Mommy does that when papa does something nice for her." Rin explained. Gaara nodded and looked away as his cheeks turned pink. "My name's Rin." She added quietly.
…
"You're gunna be a ninja, aren't you?" The boy said to Rin. "You can't keep carrying this dumb thing around!" There was a loud rip sound and Rin stared in horror, tears coming to her eyes. Gaara's eyes widened a fraction. He hadn't seen her cry since that day when he hurt her arm; his eyes flicked to the scar and he clenched his teeth. The sound of a chair scraping across the floor pierced the air and sand shot out to grab the boy by the neck. It lifted him off the ground by a few feet and the stuffed cat fell to the ground as he attempted, in vain, to pull the sand from his neck. Rin gasped and saw Gaara standing with his arm extended, glaring intensely at the boy whose face was turning purple.
"Gaara stop!" Rin shouted. He turned his head to look at her. "Please!" She was crying even more making him clench his teeth even harder. He dropped his arm and the boy fell to the floor coughing and gasping for air. Everyone was staring in shocked silence as the sand returned to the gourd Gaara carried with him; no one dared to say a word or to move. Gaara walked over and glared at the kid in the chair next to Rin's. His sand yanked the chair back and the boy scrambled to get away. Gaara sat down and glared forward. Rin picked up the remains of her stuffed cat and sat back down in her seat next to Gaara. She glanced at him as she sniffled. "Thank you, Gaara." She whispered. He didn't respond.
When the teacher came into the room, he noticed Gaara and the boy had switched seats but didn't say anything. When he saw the boy with the black and purple neck he told him to go to the hospital and had another student escort him but didn't say another word on the matter.
Every day since, Gaara's new seat was beside Rin and the teacher didn't say a word about it. The message was very clear: You mess with Rin, you deal with Gaara. He still glared at her, threw away her little notes and ignored her but she kept smiling and greeted him happily every day. It was obvious to everyone that Gaara didn't need the same training as everyone else; he had mastered his sand the year before with the help of his father's training. The only reason he remained in the academy sat beside him every day with the smile that took away the pain.
Next one out tomorrow. Thank you everyone for reviews!