Another Naruto oneshot for Nast'ia. One of these days, I will write you something cheerful... today is not that day. I hope you enjoy it anyway.
I own nothing.
Gaara stood alone, watching.
Any other child might have walked up, smiled, asked, "Can I join in?" and any other child would've been welcomed, pulled into the game without a second thought.
Gaara knew better than to ask, though.
But there was one girl, who kept glancing at him.
Maybe...?
Gaara didn't let his hopes rise any further. She's just staring, like everybody else stares. That's all.
She looked over again, and bit her lip. Coming to a decision, she left the group and walked over to him.
"Are you okay?"
Gaara stared.
She...?
"Aren't you lonely?"
She's... talking to me?
Unperturbed by his silence, she extended a hand. "Come play with us!"
She wants to play with me?
Gaara looked up at her with wide eyes, and then, shyly, he took her hand. Immediately she pulled him to his feet, and gave him a wide, brilliant smile.
Timidly, uncertainly, Gaara smiled back.
"Come on!" she tugged at his hand and Gaara stumbled after her. She lead him out across the sun-dried earth towards the other children, and he felt... he felt so strange, but in a good way- so warm, and so accepted, as if he weren't really the monster they said he was-
She wants to play with me! She really wants to play with me!
The other children smiled at him, and Gaara felt overwhelmingly, confusedly happy, because they really wanted him to be there and they were welcoming him and they liked him- even though he was a monster, they wanted him to play with them.
"Catch!" one of them called, and without warning, he threw the ball directly towards Gaara. Gaara's eyes widened and he stumbled back with surprise-
-sand rose up instantly, and the ball bounced off it and fell to the ground.
The other children gaped. There was silence.
The little girl let go of his hand, and stared at him with wide, frightened eyes.
"You're the monster!"
Gaara stood perfectly still, perfectly horrified. "I..."
"Monster!"
"I..."
"Don't touch me! DON'T TOUCH ME!"
But- I thought you- you wanted to play with me-
"Get away from us, monster!"
"Yeah, we don't want you! Get away!"
"I..."
"Get away!" yelled a boy, coming straight for him. Gaara felt suddenly afraid- and once again the sand sprung to his defence, sending the boy stumbling backwards.
No, no, I don't want- I don't want-
"MONSTER!"
The girl began to cry loudly, and the adults looked over, their accusing stares boring into Gaara like a drill through rock.
"I didn't mean to..." he said in tiny whisper.
"Monster, monster, monster!"
I didn't- I don't- I thought- I'M NOT-
"Monster, monster, monst-"
"I'm NOT!" he yelled suddenly, and without him even being aware of what he was doing he was raising his hands and the sand was flying up, following his lead and he could feel so much hatred from deep deep deep inside and there was a voice that didn't sound like his own and he was so angry...
The girl was crying, the other children were screaming, there were so many voices somanyvoices and Gaara had no control over what he was doing- he could hear cries of pain and somebody was screeching, shrieking for help and that voice in his head that wasn't his was laughing...
Gaara squeezed his eyes tightly shut, but he could still see the spray of red in his mind.
"Oh god, what's he done to that kid? Quick, get them away from him before he kills them- he's a monster- get them away- get them away!"
He did not move for what felt like an eternity.
When he finally opened his eyes, Gaara was alone.
