A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a while. But I'll get right down to it anyways. Remember, if people keep reviewing, I'll keep updating, heck, I'll stab myself to try and update for you guys, as long as you keep updating, 5-6 reviews per chapter is enough to nag myself. If you review, I'll write. I don't own Naruto, cause if I did, I wouldn't be writing these stories; I'd be animating them. That and I'd be stinking rich, but I'm not. Boo-friggin'-hoo. I only own my characters. Oh right...this chapter has a lot of Mia's problems getting involved in it more. Please enjoy.

It was so...sad. How could he? Why! Why did he have to hurt her? At this state, Gaara was ready to kill himself. Heck, he tried, but the sand wouldn't let him. All he did was stay up on the roof of his home and cry; wail out to the heavens for hurting Mia. He had lost a true precious person.

As dawn had arrived, his wails and sobs began to subside for the time being. Howling into the night had made him tired. His eyes were red and swollen mixed up with those dark black rings around his eyes, and his voice became hoarse. He hadn't eaten in 3 days since the accident. The whole time, just on that rooftop, wailing and screaming every night.

Finally, Yashamaru convinced him to go out, or go somewhere else to try and help get his mind off things. Reluctantly, Gaara did agree. He went to the park, slowly walking with head bowed. As he slowly made his way there, he recalled the first time they had met. He had helped her like the other kids, but she was not the same. He had hurt her friend, like he hurt the other kids, but she did not see him as a monster. He had even wounded her! But yet...she only smiled as she lay there, hurt and unable to speak. She was not like the others. She was like him! They were alike in so many ways! But...how could he repent for such a crime? How could he?

Reaching his destination, he stood at the tree he watched Mia from at first. Placing his right hand upon the rough bark, he felt around it, sighing as he kept eyes to the ground. As eyes would lift, he inhaled sharply with a gasp only to find Mia in the exact same spot! She was staring at the wall, long and hard, her right arm in a sling around her neck. She walked closer to the wall and placed her left hand upon it, feeling it then turning about, back to it as she looked up at the sky then slumped down.

Gaara took a closer look at her. Why was she more wounded then she should have been? Upon her right cheek, a large square bandage was placed there and the top of her head was wrapped as well.

In silence, he watched her for minutes, which seemed like hours. In one moment, that calmness was broken as the crystal-eyed toddler turned her head and their eyes met. Teal and crystal once more. Gaara's breath hitched and he came from hiding, standing there for a while. Before Mia looked as if she would come to him, he began to walk towards her.

As they came face to face, all Mia did was smile sweetly as Gaara tried to look strong. But this close view of her all torn up made him burst into tears and at once throw his arms around her.

He trembled as he held her with care. "W-Why...? I-I d-d-don't g-get-t-t it-t... Why a-are you h-h-hurt-t th-this-s-s m-much?" The scarlet hair toddler cried.

But the younger one just seemed to smile and pat his back. She took a good look at him as they came eye to eye and she wiped away his tears. "You don't need to worry about that."

"But I do!" Gaara immediately cut her off. In all seriousness, he looked at her and continued to cry for her. Why? Why did he always cry when she was around him? He wasn't this weak! He wasn't! He was strong! But around her, he felt like the weakest one of them all...but he enjoyed every minute of it. "Please! Tell m-me why y-you're h-hurt m-more th-th-than y-you sh-should--"

"It's punishment for bringing you into our home." The two fell silent as Gaara stared at her. His arms fell from around her as he stood on his knees, just staring.

"W-What--"

"Big brother bandaged my arm...but he was still furious that I let you into the house...and..." Mia kept quiet, looking down at her lap before placing her left hand over her skull, tears forming in her eyes. She shook her head hard from right to left and tears fell from her eyes. "...He was so angry he threw me across the room... I landed on my head...it started bleeding and he fixed that too... Then Mint hit me hard across the face for not listening to my big brother...or her..." Tears continued to fall as she held her cheek, looking away from Gaara as she still continued with her story, even as both of them began to break down into tears. "They told me if I ever see you again...I'll receive worse...and they'll kill you too..."

Gaara's breath stopped as he looked at her. What? No more? It just...stops? He held his head and the sands began to swirl. He shook his head hard, clenching eyes shut while silently praying that the sands would just stop. If he wasn't such a monster, they could play together right? He was sure of it! But he couldn't change that...

He had made up his mind. He couldn't get her hurt again, even if they weren't going to kill him. Her extra wounds, they were still his fault! All her troubles...they had to have started because of him... 'Those wounds...no matter what I do...she gets hurt! Why can't we just be happy! I...I can't take it anymore...'

"Mia...we can't see each other anymore--"

"No!" The young one screamed at him, tears still staining her pretty face. "It's not fair that I can't have any friends! And when I finally find one who understands every little thing I go through, I can't play with them! It's not fair!" Mia began to shout, standing up and looking at him. "I thought you felt the same Gaara!"

Gaara stood and looked at Mia, tears still streaming down his pale face. "I-I do! I-I...I just...d-don't want to see you...hurt..." Both were quiet and Mia just shook her head and hugged him tight. Both were still crying as they hugged, silently wanting to get away from it all. "Mia...don't leave me..."

"I won't..." She responded, eyes closed as she held onto him. "Do you think we can be like this forever...?" Mia asked, tilting her head as she looked at him.

"Yes." Finally, an answer that he gave with confidence. There was nothing in his mind that made him doubt that one thought. If there was someone that would take them apart, he'd kill them. He would erase them. Like he promised, he'd always make all the bad men go away. But, for young Gaara, nothing ever did go right.

In a split second, happiness would have shattered for normal toddlers. In a split second, one would be crying as they stood and watched the other fall. But, in that split second, a choice was made in destiny. Gaara's destiny. That was the time where Gaara decided what would ever happen to his 'precious person'. In a split second, the wall of sand came up from behind Gaara and a kunai was immediately absorbed and thrown back towards the source.

Mia cried out with a gasp and released Gaara, falling to the floor as the scarlet haired toddler turned heel and fought back. Throwing shurikens made of sand, blindly towards the whole area as Mia was shielded in a cocoon of sand, he looked around, blood thirst for anyone who tried to disturb his peace. A kunai came for the shadows and he stopped it and sent it back once more. Out of the shadows jumped Mia's older brother with a glare that turned Gaara pale. Mia...she would get hurt again if they ever got her back from him!

He sent sand shurikens in every direction Myne went, Gaara going on an adrenaline rush right now. But a large, booming sound, echoed in his ear from behind, followed by a large crack. Gaara looked and began to scream as he saw the cocoon of sand burst open with one single hit from the palm of Mia's companion, Mint. Her bright green hair flowed as she hit it just once and the booming noise happened again and the cracking noise occurred when she stuck her arm inside and pulled out a hand. But before he could react, a sudden bolt of pain raced through his body and then everything froze as he fell to the ground. A shuffling noise and then silence as the toddler was there for hours, which seemed like minutes.

Dusk had come and fingers finally twitched as Gaara finally regained control of his body back. He stood and coughed, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked around. Eyes wide as he looked at the pile of sand that lay there and immediately rushed over. He dug through it wildly but found nothing. No Mia. He collapsed into the sand and cried, thinking of the horrible things that could happen now.

He could not do much and decided he'd much rather leave Mia be forever just to spare her pain. Rushing as fast as his small legs could take him, Gaara ran towards Mia's house, breathing hard as time went on. Finally, he got there and knocked on the door, but the sound just seemed to echo. Knocking once more, the sound was still the same, echoing through the empty house. No one would answer him and he knew it.

Suddenly a shrill cry that was so familiar to him sent him moving again. He heard Mia! 'If she's hurting again, I swear, all of the bad men will go away! I'll erase them all! All!'

As he turned corner, his eyes grew wide and he immediately ducked into the bushes near by. They were behind the house and Gaara could see all of them there. Mint sat closest, cradling a baby in her arms, as she seemed to be watching the scene in front of her. What Gaara saw confused him and scared him as well. Mia was there, crouching as she held her right leg, bleeding from a direct hit with a kunai. Her older brother stood in front of her with a scowl on his face as well as burning anger.

"Mia! Look at this! You're getting worse by each passing day!" He bent over and took the kunai in his hands then roughly pulled it out, making his younger sister cry out in pain. "Shut up! You should be used to this. Father and Mother would be ashamed to have their oldest daughter such a disgrace." Myne threw the kunai down in front of her and continued to scold her, completely mad. He began to walk back and forth, rubbing his temples as he scowled. "You haven't gotten hit with a throwing object since you were two! What is it with you! I just...just... Get inside right now and clean the stupid cut!" He shouted, making his scared younger sibling head for the house, running as she cried.

What exactly was going on here? Gaara was so confused. Why would Mia's older brother hit her with a kunai when each time the toddler was with Mia, the brother seemed to be the shinning image of a protective older sibling?

But he had no time at all to thing of anything like that. Now he thought it was the best time of all to head into the house after Mia. He ran after her, and as her fingers came in contact with the handle of the door, he stood right next to her.

"Mia!" The little one's eyes shot up from the handle towards the source. Taking one look at her face, Gaara felt like he would cry as well. That expression that held so much pain in such a simple way… This was one thing he never wished to see. His special person, Mia, like this. This was just…horrible.

"G…Gaara…" Her hoarse little voice, just the sound of it could make you cry. Fingers left the handle and her back fell against the door as she looked at him, hiding her mouth in the tattered lavender scarf she wore. She looked down at the arm in the sling around her neck then back up at him. She winced slightly as she fell to the ground, the wound in her leg, and from loss of blood, it made her feel numb.

Gaara rushed to her side, brows furrowing as he shook his head. "Mia…this is all my fault isn't it? Because of me…you didn't focus… We really can't see each other anymore--"

"Shut up!" Gaara's eyes widened as he looked at Mia, tears in her eyes as she bit her lower lip. "Shut up! I hate it when people tell me what to do! I hate it when I get a new friend and then someone tells me we're not allowed to be together! It's happened more then once and I don't want it to happen again!" By now, the tot was sobbing.

"B-But Mia, I don't want to hurt you…" Replied Gaara as he helped Mia up, only to be pushed away. He stared at the other, her burning, enraged expression hurting him more and more.

"You're hurting me now!" It was like a kunai through the heart. The look on Mia's face. The way she stood up for him always. Why didn't he see it sooner? Why was he so dense?

"M-Mia…a-am I that special to you--"

"Of course you are! I don't see how you think you're not! You're the only person I feel like I have left!" She fell to the floor, sobbing out as she ran a hand through her hair. "…Gaara…you're my special person…" She mumbled and at once, tears fell from his eyes and he embraced her.

That was something he had been waiting to hear for a long time now. "…Mia…" He held her tightly, eyes closed as tears rolled down his cheeks. But, as always as things seemed to be perfect in his little world, something always had to break.

The sand grew in the form of a shell around the two and Mia screamed. Gaara's eyes went wide as he became scared. It was like earlier today…all over again…

"Mia!" The voice of her older brother rang out and at once, both hearts froze.

Gaara did everything in his power to stop him, but her older brother, along with Mint, they were just too much for him. Even though the fight did not last long, it felt like hours and in the end, Gaara just seemed to be kicked aside like he was nothing. Even though he had not a scratch on him, he seemed to be drawn away from the house, back to the playground by Mia's brother.

"You…" Myne snarled, the golden orbs of this teen burned with rage. "Stay away from my sister… You'll only end up hurting her…"

"But she said--"

"I wont repeat myself again! Stay away from her!" He threw the kunai at hand but sand came up in front of Gaara to protect him. But by the time it lowered, he was gone.

Gaara trembled at the simple thought on what could happen to Mia. How could this have turned into something more then just a simple friendship? Why did it have to be so complicated? Couldn't things just be as simple as saying 'I want to be friends with you'? No. It couldn't. At least, not for him.

The toddler collapsed into the sand, holding his head and took one long breath and with every inch of power in his tiny little body, a loud scream burst from him, the sand nearly wrecking the whole area around him.

This was him. This was him in pain.

A/N: I got lazy near the end of the chapter so bear with me. When I start another chapter, I'll get into it as much as possible anyways. Remember I don't own Naruto. If I did I'd be rich. Which I'm not. I need reviews to be motivated remember. Anyways, see you next chapter.