Auther's Notes: So I was writing this chapter and other chapters while I had no internet. I was also listening to Deep Forest (both Japanese and English versions, it's from Inuyasha) and I decided to rename the story along something like Deep Forest or something like that from the English lyrics. It gave me inspiration. So yeah. Task for my readers: Look at the Deep Forest English lyrics and message me about what the new title should be.
Also, I will dedicate a special chapter to anyone who can make a video for Gaara and Rin using Deep Forest (either the Japanese version or English). You also don't have to use the picture I have provided for Rin. You can use other pictures as long as Rin has red hair and red eyes. She can be either human or neko (neko is what she is already, but yeah). So have fun with that task ^^. So here is the story!
Rin felt horrible upon waking up. She remembered being attacked by tons of ninja, her father's henchman no doubt. 'That stupid man...he spent all that time making me...and yet he throws me aside. I hope he rots...' she thought gently as she opened her eyes. All she could see was white. The ceiling was white, the walls were white, and so was her bed sheets. 'So he came back for me after all.'
"I'm...glad your awake...Rin Tashioto..." said a rough voice Rin hardly recognized. She looked over, her tail bushing and a growl coming from her throat. Her eyes landed upon a pair of aquamarine eyes.
'G-Gaara...No...No...it can't be...' she thought, almost in a daze. It was as if time had stopped as she looked at her childhood friend. It can't be him, it SHOULDN'T be him. Unless this was what Orochimaru had planned all along. Leaving her near the Sand Village just to tease her, than kidnap her again just to use her as a tool. Rin couldn't let that happen, she had to protect Gaara. 'I have to get out of here...' she thought immediately. She looked away from the red headed shinobi that was with her.
"..." he didn't speak again, but just stared at her. Gaara couldn't understand why she wasn't speaking, like the way she did when they were children. 'She has changed...just like I have...' he thought with a sigh. This wasn't the same Rin. If it was, he wouldn't have had to knock her unconscious a few hours ago when she was fighting his Anbu. 'It was...as if she was a feral cat. Like she wasn't tame.' he continued to stare at her until she suddenly hissed at him then held her head. He went to take a step forward, but was blocked by a barrier of maroon chakra. "Rin...what's wrong..."
"Stay back!" she exclaimed. He was there again. In her head. 'Kill him Rin, you are stronger than you were back then. You can kill him and take his chakra. You need to.' said the snake-like voice of Orochimaru. She knew he wouldn't leave her alone. Rin knew why he had her come back and left her.
'No! You won't have him!' she thought as the voice left and she relaxed. "Gaara, you need to let me free. Get me out of this hospital, or else I will kill you." she said quietly, not looking up at the man she had once loved and still did.
Gaara blinked and looked down. "I can't. You can't leave Suna." he said. It was the truth. As his duties as Kazekage, he couldn't let anyone go who broke into Suna until he knew his village was safe. Which in this case, he knew it was but Rin had to stay a while. He had some questions that only she could answer for him.
Rin growled and looked at Gaara now, her eyes full of hate. She was actually hiding the concern and worry she had for the Sand ninja with her. 'I need to protect him. I need to keep my friend and love safe.' she thought. "No! I will kill you if you don't let me free!" she screamed, letting out a cat-like scream. Rin knew it would upset him, but she had to leave. While he was holding his ears due to the pitch, she ran out the window. The only bad thing about this was that she was in a hospital gown and her whole backside showed to reveal her smooth skin of her back and bottom as well as her cat tail. However, she didn't notice this at first.
Gaara watched as she fled. He immediately started to follow her. He blushed slightly, seeing her perfect pale skin. His gaze lowered slightly until he shook his head and continued after the cat girl. He moved his hand slightly and sand went to catch the neko, who was a few yards away. 'She is fast...must be the Cheetah DNA she told me about...' he thought, thinking back to when they were children.
Rin continued to run and felt the breeze behind her. She then realized how she should have stayed in the hospital at least until she had gotten her clothes. 'Oh boy...now I hate that I go commando...' she thought with a blush. She hopped from roof top to roof top, making her way to the desert. There was no where she could really hide from Gaara, but she could at least try. She hid behind a rock and masked her chakra. 'He won't find me here.'
Gaara entered the desert and looked around. "She couldn't have gotten away that fast..." he said to himself. It appeared that there wasn't a trace of her. That is until he noticed a pair of cat ears and a cat tail coming out from atop and the side of a rock not to far away. He raised an eyebrow and casually walked over, his shadow now standing over the cat-like female. He unknowingly stepped on her tail, which she didn't notice either.
Rin thought she was safe. She had closed her eyes for a split second, only to find that the sun had disappeared from above her. 'Must be a- oh wait...that...scent.' she thought, opening her eyes. Standing above her was Gaara. She jumped up with a screech, realizing that he was standing on her tail. "Ow Ow Ow Ow Ow! Get off! GET OFF MY TAIL!" she screamed. Rin began going berserk, clawing at him.
Gaara was taken by surprise as the girl clawed at him, screaming to get off her tail. 'Her tail?' he thought as he looked down. 'Oh...' he started to move, but had his guard down. At that moment her claws connected with his face. The Kazekage gasped in pain and grasped where the pain was, realizing she had hit his face.
Once he was off her tail, she grabbed it and rubbed it softly. "Geez, Gaara! You weigh more than I remember! You almost broke my tail!" she exclaimed, looking at him and noticing the droplets of blood coming from his face. "Gaara who...oh...oh no..." she said softly, seeing where her claws had connected to his face and left five long scratches down his face. Rin looked down as she began backing away slowly. "Gaara, you should have just let me go. Then I wouldn't have clawed you..." she spoke.
Gaara looked up at Rin, the pain slowly subsiding. It was his own fault, he shouldn't have stepped on her tail and he knew it too. His hand left his face, allowing the marks to show. 'I should have been paying more attention...her tail...is sensitive, so when it is stepped on it hurts. Just like that time we were kids.' he thought, having a flash back.
-FLASH BACK ACTION!-
Gaara and Rin were playing at the park, just like the other many nights they had sneaked out. It was pretty out though. The moon was illuminating the sky and the Village in it's mysterious light as if it was something just for the two children. A present to them from the Heavens. The two were chasing each other, playing hide-and-seek. Rin had sat behind a large rock, which hid her body but not the other two features that she had; the ears and tail. Gaara had spotted her and snickered a little in child-like mischievousness as he sneaked up on her and stepped somewhere he shouldn't have. Her tail. The girl gave a loud screech and went on a berserk clawing spree. Gaara had let his guard down once and her claws connected with his face, scratching it.
"OW! GAARA YOU STEPPED ON MY TAIL! THAT HURT!" she screamed as he was knocked down onto his bottom. He grasped his face with his new marks and winced. Rin, however, saw what had happened and looked at him in horror. "Gaara...I-I'm sorry!" she exclaimed as she hugged him.
Gaara just sat there, small tears escaping his eyes from the pain. However, he knew she wasn't to blame. "RinRin, its okay...really...it isn't your fault, you reacted like a cat would if...someone stepped on their tail...don't be sorry." he said to her as his eyes met hers. He had small beads of blood coming from the claw marks.
Rin frowned and started to tear up as she saw the blood. Slowly, she licked his face. Her tongue slide across his marks and they started to heal up, one by one. 'His blood...tastes sweet...untainted...good...' she thought, her pupils becoming small slits. Almost like a cat. Rin stopped and backed away from Gaara, knowing getting a taste of his blood could bring trouble. The cat DNA in her had started acting up once she licked the blood and getting it's essence on her taste-buds. 'I can't hurt him...' she thought. Taking a deep breath, she calmed her feral cat instincts down and smiled at Gaara. "All better now, let's continue playing!" she said, tagging him and running away.
Gaara smiled and nodded, chasing her as if nothing had happened. His face was healed and had no marks. That night would turn out to be one of the many dreams Gaara would have while he daydreamed while working as Kazekage.
-END OF FLASH BACK ACTION-
Gaara smiled softly as he came back to his senses. It went away, however, as he noticed the girl standing right in front of him. He blinked and looked down at her, small streaks of blood now streaking his face. He watched as Rin stared at his face and into his eyes, seeing the curiosity.
Rin stood there, her tails and ears twitching, as she looked at the blood with curiosity. 'Does his blood taste the same?' she wondered, taking one of her pale fingers and taking a small bit of it on the tip of it. The woman brought it to her lips and licked it. The taste was better than before. His blood made something happen inside her body. As if he had triggered a fire in her heart and soul. 'He tastes more exotic. More...more...' she couldn't put a word on it, but she knew she wanted more.
Gaara watched as the girl change. Her breathing fastened a little, almost as if she was experiencing something that he couldn't see. The red-haired Kazekage blushed, realizing it turned him on a little. 'No, I can't think like that. Rin is a friend. Besides, she wouldn't like me like that anyway. She already said so before...' he thought. It was true, however that was when they both were small. When they thought one another had cooties.
Rin leaned up and licked his face, the parts covered in blood. She blinked, her pupils becoming slanted. The blood made the wild cat in her go loose. Now all she wanted was his blood. To eat him, devour him. Her tail became puffed up and she showed him her fangs. "You...are good enough to eat..." she said, lunging at him. His sand, however, caught her. Gaara was surprised at her action's.
"Good enough to eat? So you've become a cannibal now." he said, feeling more comfortable to speak more. He watched as she fought against his sand, making him sigh. "Seriously Rin, you have more problems then what I remember..." he rubbed his forehead a little. It was then that he had heard a growl coming from his sand. Gaara looked up and looked at Rin, who was pouting.
"I'm...hungry Gaara...so hungry..." she said gently, shaking a little. Gaara chuckled slightly and walked up to her. It was as if she had never left really. However, she had become more dangerous. As if she hadn't been taken care of or had any human interaction in a while. Gaara looked at her with his now gently eyes.
"If I let you out, promise me you won't try to EAT me again, RinRin. Okay?" he spoke, calling her by the nickname he had dubbed her so long ago. Their eyes met and he saw her smile for the first time since they had been reunited. She nodded to him. Her eyes becoming childish and bright again, just as they had when they were children. 'Oh Rin...so you haven't changed...' he thought, giving a mental sigh of relief.
"Promise~ Promise~ Promise~! I'm hungry...and I am naked now thanks to your sand. Can I have your cool cape thingy RaRa? Peas?" she said, her voice childish and sweet. Gaara sweatdropped slightly, but nodded, taking off a part of his outfit and releasing her. At first he didn't want to look away, but decided it was for the best so he wouldn't get scratched in the face again.
She walked up and wrapped herself in the robe and smiled, rubbing her head and ears gently against Gaara's face. Just like a cat would to their master's legs or hands. She heard Gaara chuckle a bit as he took her arm gently and they walked back into the Sand Village. It was as if they were back in time, when they were children. This made Gaara slightly. "Your smile hasn't changed a bit RaRa, still cute." her voice spoke as he felt her lean against him slightly, her tail caressing his face a little.
Rin loved him, it was true. But this behavior only lead to certain things she knew she wouldn't get. The dark red-haired girl sighed softly and looked around. Before food, she needed clothes. "RaRa, I need clothes...can we get mine from the hospital? Or are they ruined?" Rin asked gently, tilting her head a little.
Gaara nodded gently. "Yeah...we can get them from the hospital, and they aren't ruined. However, they do need washed. There is dirt, blood, and other stuff on them. Let's just get you some new clothes for the time being and a bath."
Rin snorted. "I don't LIKE baths, thank you Ma'am." she said, sticking her nose up in the hair gently. Obviously, she was acting like a diva. Something she had picked up from when she was little, since Orochimaru spoiled her to the point of she would do anything for him. However, one thing she definitely wouldn't do- hurt, kill, or destroy Sabaku no Gaara. 'Definitely something I wouldn't do...' she thought.
Gaara shook his head and sighed. "You WILL get a bath, Rin Tashioto. Or else I will make you."
"Oh, is that a challenge? You know I will just get all dirty again playing in the sand. Or, being around you. I mean, seriously, you WEILD the sand around here."
Gaara shook his head and smiled. 'Yep, same old Rin. Just took a little to get her to come back.' he thought, walking up beside her and placing his hand on her head. It was only then he had noticed how short she was compared to himself. "You...haven't grew that much since I saw you..." he said to her.
Rin growled a little and slapped his hand off her head. He would NOT call her short! "Don't ever...call me short again..." she said, growling slightly.
"I didn't call you short, I just said you haven't grown since I last saw you."
"That's implying I'm short!"
"It is not..."
"Is too!"
"...Nope..."
"Yes it is!"
"...Nuh huh..."
"Gah! Gaara, I hate you sometimes! You get away with everything!"
"..."
Gaara went silent. She hated him sometimes? He sighed and looked away from her. He knew she didn't mean it in a way like that, but it did sting slightly. 'How could my only friend hate me? I...never hated her...' he thought.
Rin notice him become silent and she looked at him. He had a sense of sadness in his eyes.
"Gaara I didn't mean to upset you...I'm sorry..."
She heard him sigh and he place his hand on her head again. Rin heard him speak three little words that made her smiled softly.
"I forgive you..."
They continued part of the day searching for something for her to wear. Of course, no one really wanted her to try on the clothing since she was rather dirty. So they had to go by ear. As in, they had to guess what size clothing she wore. In some of the stores, Rin had a blast due to the fact that she had placed hats on Gaara's head. It embarrassed him a little, but made him happy that she was finally back. He wouldn't let her go away again, he would keep her with him. Or at least try.