Alone.

The word suited Gaara perfectly.

It described the essence that was his entire life.

Alone.

All alone.

Why did it bother him now? Gaara laughed dryly. He should be used to being alone by now. It shouldn't bother him that he was alone.

But it did.

It did. It bothered him now, the fact that he was alone.

Why! Why did it bother him now!

Gaara still stood in that oceanic black abyss of white shadows he'd awoken in. How long had he been here in this void? Hours? Days? Minutes? Gaara had no concept of time here, no concept of the day drawing to a close or of the dawn breaking. All Gaara knew for sure was that he was all alone. Completely alone. Then the tears began to fall.

The clearing, 3 minutes have passed since Gaara's collapse.

"Gaara… why will you not awaken, my friend," Lee quietly asked the still for of the sand nin. Gaara had resumed breathing after about a minute of frantic CPR on Lee's part, and now the younger ninja's chest was finally rising and falling normally once again.

He should have woken up by now.

"Why? Please Gaara-kun, wake up," Lee whispered. The leaf nin was incredibly worried about his friend, and he had not a clue as to what he should do.

Lee had carefully removed the sebon needle from Gaara's side and the slight bleeding had stopped. The needle wasn't poisoned, nor had it come anywhere near anything remotely vital.

Gaara should have woken up by now.

Lee turned once again to the only unusual aspect of the attack.

When Lee had removed the sebon, a single sakura petal had fallen from its shaft. Lee would never have given it a second look, had the needle not pierced the petal perfectly dead center. And for the fact that fine markings that Lee did not recognize radiated outward from the minute hole in a strange pattern.

He held the delicate pink petal thought fully.

"…sakura…" Lee whispered before turning back to his friend.

"Gaara… my dear friend, what has happened to you…?"

The only answer that Lee received was in the form of the tears glistening on Gaara's cheeks.

He should have woken up by now…

Gaara felt the warm tracks speed down his face. He tentatively touched a drop as it leaked from the corner of one ocean hued eye.

"I'm… crying…" more sparkling drops fell.

"You should be," a dark and sinister voice filtered through the darkening shadows.

"I'll get out of here," Gaara said to himself.

"No you won't," came the oily voice again, louder this time.

Gaara did his best to ignore Shukaku.

"I have to get back to Lee-kun, he might be in danger from who ever attacked me," Said Gaara, less decisively.

"Who's to say he wants you back? Maybe he's left already," Shukaku hissed.

"L-Lee-kun wouldn't do that," said Gaara, even less sure, and his voice quavered.

"Then maybe he's dead," Shukaku whispered in Gaara's ear.

"NO!" Gaara shouted, "…no…"

"That's it. He foolishly tried to protect you, and fell at the hands of your assailant," Gaara could hear the mockery in the demon's voice.

"No…" Gaara put his hands over his ears in a feeble attempt to block the terrifying words out, but it was to no avail, Shukaku's voice rang loud and clear in Gaara's mind.

"Don't you wonder who it was that dear old daddy sent this time? Who do you think it was he sent to kill you? And old friend, or maybe a family member?"

Gaara tried desperately to block out the words.

"Everyone hates you. Everyone's afraid of you. They, all, want, you, DEAD," Shukaku whispered the last word in Gaara's ear as the boy's tears flowed freely.

Gaara mumbled something inaudibly.

"What was that, Gaara-san?" Asked the demon.

"…not me…" Gaara lifted his red-haired head a little and his eyes widened.

"What ever do you mean, my dear vessel?" Shukaku asked, feigning concern.

"Its not me," Gaara stated, stronger now, his eyes staring straight ahead in realization, "Its you. It is your powers that scare them. You're the one they hate. And because you're sealed within me, their hate for you turns into hate for me. It is all your fault I am an outcast from my village," Gaara stood shakily and he turned, " Its you that did this to me!"

"That may be true, but it was still you that killed all those people. Its YOU that's the cold heartless bastard!" sneered Shukaku.

"But I don't have to be," said Gaara quietly, "I DON'T HAVE TO BE!" he shouted, and once again, everything went dark.

Back in the clearing w/ Lee

"I DON'T HAVE TO BE!" Gaara suddenly shouted and his formerly comatose body shot into a sitting position.

Lee leaped back, frankly, the abrupt shout and movement on Gaara's behalf had scared the shit out of him.

"G-Gaara!" Lee scrambled to his friends side, fearful that something else was wrong with him. But, just as Lee was about to ask if Gaara was all right, the sand nin did something Lee would never have expected.

"Gaara-kun, are you al-!" Lee's concerned inquiry was cut short by Gaara throwing himself at Lee and wrapping his arms around the leaf nin's midsection, hugging Lee tight.

"G-Gaara-kun?" Lee was so shocked by this abrupt display of emotion, all he could do was return the awkward hug and calm the sobbing ninja.

"L-Lee-kun, y-you don't h-hate m-m-me, d-do y-you?" asked Gaara between sobs.

"I could never hate you Gaara-kun, why would you ever ask?" questioned Lee, upset.

"A-am I r-really your f-f-f-friend?" Gaara sat back, having calmed down somewhat.

"Of course, Gaara-kun, you are my best friend," Lee smiled and hugged Gaara once more.

"…thank you…" said Gaara so quietly that not even Lee heard him. Gaara returned the hug gladly, knowing that he had at least one friend. And Gaara vowed to not let Shukaku's presence keep him from making more.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO NEVER WAKE UP!" screamed a voice from the shadows and both Lee and Gaara leaped to their feet.

From out of the rushes stepped….