A/N: Big praise for me! I'm staring to write this while there are only 4 reviews! Dang you guys got lucky. I just felt like to write. Again, the more reviews, the more I will force myself to write. But at this point, I'm writing like a light bulb. On and off, on and off. Oh and I would like to thank the following people who gave nice long reviews: darklight03, AvariceWhisper, Tainted-reflection-126, and Queen.of.Tea during my first chapter, AvariceWhisper, kakashi'sdaughter, Kira, and Snakeeye12 during my second chapter, Element Girls, darklight03, and Snakeeye12 during my third chapter, Tainted-reflection-126 in my fourth chapter, and Mint Irachi in my fifth chapter. To these people who gave a review worth more than one line, I thank you. It's rather simple, but you are thanked. I do not own Naruto. I never will at this rate. I only own my characters. Please, to those who have also reviewed so far but names were not mentioned, my gratitude has been extended. Please enjoy.

The cursed little toddler would lay in the sand, clutching his stomach his he curled into a ball, eyes cringed shut as his screams of pain and utter horror were bottled up inside. Tears streamed down his cheeks and mixed with the sand as he bit his lower lip, still fighting back his screams. He opened his eyes to look at the world around him, but vision was blurred in tears. The only bits and pieces he did see were of the buildings being broken down, and the sounds he heard were of people all screaming and running away. Mint…she was nowhere to be found. She had abandoned him. He just knew something like that was going to happen. And now… Was this it for him? Was this…it?

Gaara fought and he fought that creature inside him, that thing that he shouldn't let out. He knew he shouldn't. But he didn't know why. Soon enough, he could feel himself losing to whatever was inside him. He was losing this fight. This was it… This was where he'd…he'd…die? Was that thing inside him going to…kill him?

But as he began to finally give up, a miracle came. Mint had returned, and not alone. His fears, his pain, his sorrow and anger had just melted away at the sight. It wasn't perfect, but it was just heaven sent. With all the strength he had left, he pushed himself up to his knees and barely reached an arm out, but the sand misjudged his action and lunged in that direction.

Gaara wanted it to stop right there, he pleaded with everything he had and begged for it to stop, but it didn't. It was going straight for both Mint, and Mia.

"Please! No!" The tot cried out, lowering his hand as tears fell from his cheeks. And just like that…

"Gaara!" The scarlet haired tot looked up towards the source and saw that both Mia and Mint had dodged it. But the sand made a move to head for Mia, but Mint threw a kunai at it and immediately it changed direction. It was Mint's job to look protect her after all.

Mia landed right in front of Gaara, her arm in bandages, and her leg wound up as well. The right half of her face had been wrapped too, but she only smiled, as she looked at Gaara face to face. Arms flung around his neck and immediately, all destruction stopped. The sands that had formed up just seemed to fall down limp, as if nothing had happened. But then they began to stir. The swirled around and around the two, forming a protective barrier around the two as Gaara cried against the other.

As the commotion fell, and silence began to loom over all three toddlers, Mia would lead the other two towards the edge of town, hiding in the shade of a tree. As they all sat for a rest, Gaara immediately curled up next to Mia, and Mint sat beside him. The scarlet haired tot didn't seem to want to leave the other's side ever again, and it was the same vice versa.

"Mia," The child of the sand spoke up, fingers curling around her waist as he narrowed his eyes to the ground. "Please promise me…you'll never get hurt again… Never again…because of me…" As he said this, the other seemed surprised at first.

"Was this what it was about?" Mia stated, leaning against the boy. "…And here I thought it was something important…" She murmured as she looked up to his face with a smile. "I was never hurt because of you. I was just careless. Okay?" Such sweet words coming from someone who seemed to have the problems of the world on her shoulders. Even in the state she was in, she just never found a reason to be upset. The only time she was mad was when Gaara tried to stay away from her.

"Mia…you're too nice…" Mint suddenly hissed out, narrowing her eyes towards the two. "You need to be a little more stern. You always go around fixing his problems!" She stood to her feet, balled fists under that muffler of hers. She looked towards Gaara with a menacing stare then grunted. "You were better then this before we came to this place. Your father would have been disappointed… Having trusted such a serious responsibility to someone like you… You know it's one of the only reason I'm indebted to you and your family! " Then, she stormed off.

Gaara had held onto Mia, flinching to Mint's hurtful words then looking to Mia after she had left. She seemed troubled by something now. Gaara, he…he had to help. "M-Mia…? A-Are you okay…?" His eyes widened as he saw a tear roll down her cheeks, immediately, he held onto her closely and tried to comfort her. "Mia, please don't cry…I hate to see you like this… Please, tell me what's wrong…" Gaara would whisper to her, furrowing non-existent brows.

The young blue haired tot rubbed her cheeks of the tears and looked to Gaara with sadness. "…I…my home…it had been destroyed before we moved here… Papa…he…he…" Mia cringed eyes shut and held onto Gaara, burying face into his chest as she continued to cry.

"…Mia…" The tot was in pain. He couldn't do anything to comfort her, except listen to her when she would talk. The moment he got her back, something just had to go wrong! It was like…his life was just big lightning rod for drama and tragedy or something!

"…I'm always here to listen…" He told her, eyes half-shut as he held her close. "…No one will take you away… I promise… I'll make all the bad people that make you feel like this go away… They all will…" At this point, Gaara was making this a promise he would keep at all costs.

Time passed and Gaara kept Mia close as she sobbed and cried into his chest. He knew it must have been some painful memory that she had recalled, so he would not ask about it until she wanted to reveal it herself. The sun fell and the stars rose. He knew that her brother must have been looking for her by now, but if they'd find them here and try to take her away, he wouldn't hold back. He'd make them all go away.

Finally, her tightened sobs began to fade away into small sniffles, and she'd clean her face of stains and such, slowly building up that smile that he loved.

"Thank you…" She smiled at him a cute little smile.

"For what?" He leaned close and rubbed his nose into her hair. "…Mmm…you smell of vanilla…" He would sigh, fingers tightening around her as he heard a soft giggle. It was such a relief to hear it. "Mia…if you ever need someone to listen to you… I'm here. Okay…?" His words were in whispers and it only made here smile even more.

"…Gaara, I should…probably tell you…" That sweet, sweet smile slowly faded, a look of desperation suddenly overwhelming her. The lil boy tot looked at her, scared for her.

"Tell me what? Whatever it is…I'll listen. But if it hurts, don't push yourself…" His eyes slid half shut and he ran his rough little hands over her cheeks, his right hand tracing the lining of the bandages on her right cheek. Mia placed a hand on his, closing her eyes to the feel. Such passion between youth beginning to unfold; yet the tragedy was yet to truly begin…

"No but…I want to tell you…" She tried to caress Gaara's cheek with her fingers, but obviously cursing the fact that bandages separated her digits for full touch. She closed her eyes, tears falling down her cheeks and dampening up her bandages. "These stupid bandages… I hate them! Why am I so different?! I'm not! …I know we're so much alike Gaara…that's why I like you so much…" She looked at him, those crystal eyes so pitiful, pitiful enough that it made Gaara start to tear. "…I…these stupid…why…" She continued to trail off, eyes closed as she balled a fist then proceeded to tear them all off.

Gaara's face paled as he watched her. "Mia! Stop! What are you doing?!" He tried to stop her as she tore off all the bandages, on her legs, arms, face, and even tossed the arm sling away. But to no avail, she only shoved him away every time he tried to stop her. Why the sand did not react, not even he knew.

As the last of her restraints came off, she looked at Gaara, a somewhat fresh look of relief in her eyes, but Gaara's expression had a mixture of fear and worry.

There the lil tot stood, part of her legs gashed with cuts and scrapes, stitches obviously made, her arms had bruises and cuts as well, some looking so fresh that the stains of blood still lingered on her fair colored skin, and her face was battered up. Her cheek was bruised and red, and right above her right eye was a cut. She was in horrible shape and her injured arm that had been held in the sling looked purple. But she still looked like she was in so much relief.

"M-Mia! W-W-What happened?!" Gaara was in tears as he stood, looking at her torn up body. She seemed so fragile and she was hurt so badly, but she held a sweet smile on her face. "I don't get it…y-you're hurt so much! Why?!"

"…Training. Chunin training…" She simply smiled, looking down at the ground with tears pouring down her face.

Scarlet haired boy looked at her. Baffled for a moment there. "W-What…? B-but…you're only—"

"I know!" She balled her fists, looked up at him. "…I don't come from around here okay? I don't come from any of the common nations or countries that you know of… My family…we're from a secluded island…an uncharted island just between here and the Fire country…"

Gaara could see that she was tense; that she seemed so troubled by talking about it. He was about to tell her that she didn't have to tell him, but then she spoke again.

"Where I'm from, kids my age… We are preparing ourselves to become Chunin. My brother, he was preparing to become Jounin at the age of eleven…and right before him, my father had become the Kage of our village at the age of eighteen. In my village, if you don't succeed, you don't belong… Inside me home…I was…accepted… I wasn't a monster… I…I miss it…" Lil tot got onto her thrashed up knees and began to silently sob, but Gaara couldn't comfort her. How could he? His little angel, so torn up…and he continued to blame himself for it…

"Mia…if you miss it so much…why don't you just go back?" Gaara simply put. I mean, if she was so sad about leaving, why doesn't she just go back? Wasn't it supposed to be that simple?

"I…I-I c-c-can't…" Mia sobbed.

"Why?"

"…It was destroyed a long time ago…"

The little boy looked down in silence for a while before looking up to ask a question he so fearfully dreads the answer of. "Destroyed by what?"

The little girl looked up at him, rubbing the tears away from her cheeks as she inhaled sharply, eyes red and puffy from her soft cries she had. Her head hung low, as if in remorse as she looked at the ground for a moment before she slowly lifted her head up to face him, a new tear just trickling down her left cheek, lips trembling as she spoke.

"…By me…"

A/N: OMG! I'm not going to say anymore. Anyways, I may be even more delayed in the next chapter since I'm going away for 3 weeks. I don't know how much time I'll have to exactly get it all done but I am SLOWLY getting out of my writer's block. Please review it nicely and I don't own anyone except my characters. I will update more often if I get more reviews. Remember that. You could review me multiple times for all I care with different names. Just don't let me know. Let me bask in my illusion that I am actually good okay? Good.