A/N: I updated because this chapter was basically finished already. I will be updating once a week (unless the lazy monster glomps me) so I hope everyone enjoys it! Also, there will be more cute and cuddly romance glomping later on, just trying to keep it slightly mysterious right now! Please enjoy and review!

Ps. I still haven't mannaged to kidnap the creator of Naruto and force him to hand it over to me, therefore I am both a criminal and I do not own Naruto...

That's right, back away slowly!

When Gaara woke up he had no idea what had happened. Slow, distorted fragments of the previous night flitted into his mind as he tried to clear the sleep from his eyes. He looked around to find himself still by the waterfall, with Chiru curled up sleepily against a rock.

I slept? Gaara wondered, feeling uncomfortable. He hadn't known how captivating a deep slumber could really be, and though he felt much better, he almost wished he could sink back into the warmth of sleep.

The chilly pre-dawn air woke him up quickly, though, and he got stiffly to his feet.

"Chiru?" he yawned loudly, wincing slightly as he got to his feet. Why had he slept outside?

"Morning, Gaara-chan," Chiru yawned, doing some kind of backwards stretch with her body. Gaara watched as her joint cracked, noticing her sigh of relief. He tried mimicking the action and felt his own body unknot, the pain fading quickly.

"Kawai, Gaara-chan stretched!" Chiru exclaimed, already back in full spirits even moments after having awoken. He glowered at her, hoping that his embarrassment wasn't too obvious. His cheeks felt uncomfortably hot in the morning air – something that happened often around her, he noted.

She tilted her head to the side with a knowing smile, her hair had come loose and was curling all over her body, making her seem engulfed in flames. For a moment Gaara couldn't help but notice that her hair was the same colour as the red streaks in the sky that were swiftly turning pinkish. Well, almost... it had a deeper red.

Like blood, except it has streaks of sun through it...

"Gaara! Gaara-sama!"

They both turned to find the two sand siblings racing over to their location. Chiru immediately smiled and waved, making them pause a few steps away.

"We were worried when you weren't at the house..." Temari murmured warily, kicking Kankuro who was staring wide-eyed at Chiru.

"Gaara-chan fell asleep by the waterfall. He's so cute when he has just woken up! Gaara-chan, you shouldn't comb your hair!" Everyone turned to stare at Chiru, who was blushing and running her fingers through Gaara's hair. He pulled away, watching her with an unmistakably shocked expression.

He turned silently and left, leaving his siblings to gape at his back. He tensed slightly when Chiru laughed, but continued walking.

"Chiru, you-"

"You are a god! Seriously, who runs their hand through Gaara's hair? Do you know the meaning of fear?" Kankuro burst out laughing, interrupting his sister who was staring warily at Chiru. Chiru watched Kankuro with wide-eyes, her hands covering her mouth in shock.

"Is he mad at me?" she asked, suddenly grabbing hold of Kankuro's wrists and staring deeply into his dark eyes. The ninja stop laughing and studied the girl who was practically in his face.

"Whoa, uhm..."

"Gaara doesn't like physical contact," Temari stated, watching Chiru in the same manner one would watch an alien. The girl gave her another empty-headed stare, her huge puppy-dog eyes accentuated by the way she tilted her head.

"Is that bad?" she asked, ignoring how the blonde's eyes narrowed. Kankuro was laughing again, clutching at his stomach, but the sister watched Chiru with open suspicion.

"Chiru-sama! Lady Chiru, your father has sent you mail!" Yuki ran over – out of breath with flaming cheeks. Her eyes were stretched to the max as she handed over an official looking letter to the girl, who's entire demeanour was suddenly much colder.

"I have work to do. Please escort our guests home," she told the old lady, strolling off in a focused manner. The sand siblings watched her with curiosity, but the old lady held her finger to her lips and led them quietly back to the house.

Gaara sat by the window. He had already decided that this was his favourite spot. He had a view over the beautiful grasslands, and he was nearly inapproachable to anyone in the room. That is, anyone less determined than Chiru. He wondered about her, unsure why she seemed so familiar. He was certain now that her flaming hair and starry eyes held some secret that he was supposed to know. She had had slight bags beneath her eyes... had she stayed up all night?

Gaara suddenly wished that he hadn't fallen asleep. His thoughts seemed murkier since he'd woken up, and he had no idea what she had been doing while he was asleep. The thought made him feel immensely vulnerable.

He glanced up as his siblings entered the house. Yuki began talking about going hiking or swimming, but Temari interrupted loudly.

"Who is Chiru?" she asked, glaring at Yuki who seemed to have a heart attack.

"Chiru-sama is just another customer..."

"That's unlikely. You would not keep a normal customer in the same area as someone as important as a Kage," Gaara spoke up calmly. He was not at all arrogant about his standing, but rather knew just how things worked for him. He was also equally curious about the girl with the coppery eyes. She seemed so cheerful, so relaxed... Why did that give him an uneasy feeling?

"Lady Chiru is the daughter of a feudal lord... therefore, you understand, we can't make her leave until she wants to," Yuki said, seeming unusually stressed. Kankuro watched the scene pass, but had no idea what was going on. To him Chiru was fun and a nice distraction from his more serious-minded siblings.

"No daughter of a feudal lord would act like that," Temari retorted, closing in on the old lady. She seemed scared as she backed into a corner, wringing her hands.

"Please, please don't say anything. Please just stay away from Chiru. She is dangerous, and if i say anymore..."

There was a cold silence in the room. Gaara felt something akin to a shudder at the old lady's words. What she had said, how she had said it... it was almost as though she viewed Chiru much like the villagers had viewed him not so long ago. Temari and Kankuro gave him concerned glances, trying to see if they should continue interrogating Yuki, who seemed near to tears.

Gaara shook his head imperceptibly, studying the old lady in silence. He wanted to speak to Chiru again. He wanted to know why Yuki was so afraid of her. He promised himself to ask her about it when he saw her again.

"Let's go swim," he told his siblings expressionlessly. Kankuro immediately gave an excited yell and stormed off to get dressed, while Temari watched him with concern.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"What did you do last night, Gaara? With that girl... she is suspicious. I don't like her."

Gaara watched Temari, feeling a rare kind of tenderness toward her. He was grateful for his siblings, who accepted him as he was.

"She helped me last night..." he replied, not bothering to elaborate. Temari nodded after a moment, then went to get dressed too. Yuki stood silently watching Gaara, uncertain of what more she should do. She knew that her boss would be furious if she found out, but the old lady had been in too much pain and fear to continue lying.

"Gaara-sama..."

"Yes?" she was surprised when he replied. He turned, giving her his full attention, which sent shivers down her spine. He had such extremely cold eyes.

"Chiru is very dangerous. She won't hesitate to kill if she gets annoyed."

Gaara had a hard time imagining and angry Chiru. To him she seemed hyperactive and always excited. He recalled how quiet and unyielding she had seemed in the darkness of the night. While she had played she had been a different person. Subdued, cold, almost ethereal. Different.

"I used to be like that once," he told her. He was not certain why he felt the need to defend her. She seemed so... fragile at times.

"Not like that. Gaara-sama, she is worse. I fear for your safety if you have caught her attention. Please, just watch her carefully," she pleaded, not noticing Gaara's quiet surprise at her words. He had never heard of someone being described as worse than he was. He had always been at the bottom – the monster, the demon.

When Gaara had seen those huge, coppery eyes there had been no trace of his loneliness. There had been no pain or despair... How could she be worse? How bad was Chiru really? Even more so, why was she so taken with Gaara?

"You like her," Yuki observed softly, tears spilling from her cheeks. Gaara was not certain how to reply to the crying woman.

"I have no reason not to," he explained, watching the woman's trembling. She shook her head.

"Gaara-sama, please..." her voice trailed off. Gaara felt irrationally angry. Why did this woman hate Chiru much?

"I won't-" he began angrily, but she spoke first.

"Please save her from him, Gaara-sama! Please save Subaku no Chihiru!"