Sabaku no Momo
(5. I want to be friends with you)
By Anke-chan
Pairing: Gaara x OC
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, only the plot and OC
Warning: There may be lots of OOCness~ If there are [ ] after a certain word or phrase, it is the definition or translation of the word or phrase :D
A/N: Please R&R! :D
Momoko could only stare at Gaara, baffled to find him here, of all places. What was he doing here? This was unusual… It was then that Momoko noticed the somewhat confused expression on his face. That was even more unusual. The dark-haired girl stared back at Gaara as he stared at her. There's no… Deathly aura surrounding him like the last time I saw him… What happened to him in Konohagakure…? Momoko pondered to herself as she looked at the red-head.
"Who are you?"
The kunoichi was surprised when the shinobi boy spoke. She found her voice with difficulty as she said, "M-my name's… Momoko."
Gaara stared at her a moment longer, then turned away. He looked deep in thought… Was he… Struggling for something to say in response? A moment later, he looked back at the girl and said, "I'm sure you know who I am already, don't you?"
Momoko nodded numbly.
"You should be running away right now," he murmured, his expression blank.
The girl stared at him in silence. Neither one said anything, merely stared at the other as both waited for someone to speak. Finally, Momoko decided to speak up first, but apparently, Gaara had the same idea.
"Do you—" Momoko began just as Gaara said, "Why won't—" They stopped simultaneously, staring at each other again. Then, the girl did something the boy had not expected: She laughed. It wasn't a mocking laugh, but a kind one.
When she finally caught her breath, she noticed that the red-headed boy was looking at her in confusion. She smiled and said, "Sorry. I couldn't help myself. I would never have expected something like that to happen the first time I actually talk with you."
Gaara was even more surprised. "Talk…with me…?"
Momoko nodded. "Yes; talk with you." She went closer to him, noticing how sand gathered around his feet. She put up her hands, palms facing outward as she said, "It's okay. I won't hurt you." When the sand slowly stopped gathering, Momoko took one step closer. "I'm glad I can finally talk with you, Gaara-sama." She held out her hand to the boy.
He took a step back, then turned and bolted.
"A-ah! Gaara-sama?" Momoko called out to him, but he didn't stop running. She felt a bit sad, but more hopeful that she would meet him again. "I'm sure… He's just not used to it."
Gaara finally stopped when he thought was far enough away. Why had that girl…been so kind to him? He was confused… What were these strange feelings that he was feeling? …Wait… He placed a hand over his heart. This was indeed strange. He had never felt this way before… Was this… Happiness?
He slowly continued on his way home, his hand remaining where it was over his heart. Had he just gained something that he had never had before? He wasn't sure…but he felt that he might find out soon enough.
Momoko was on her way home when a voice called out to her. "Oi! Momoko!" The dark-haired girl turned. "Ah, Hiashi-kun!" She paused and waited for the other boy to catch up to her. "Where did you come from?"
The boy gave her a sheepish smile before he said, "I was just on my way home, actually." His smile disappeared as he asked, "Why haven't you spoke to either me or Haru the past couple of days? Are you angry with us? Or are you…angry with Amaya-sensei for having hidden the truth from us?"
"Hiashi-kun…" The kunoichi girl averted her eyes, unsure of what to say. "I guess you could say I was angry with Amaya-sensei…but I wasn't with you or Haru!" She turned to look at Hiashi then. "None of us knew anything about Operation: Destroy Konoha! Amaya-sensei hid it from all three of us…"
Hiashi shook his head with a small smile as he reached out and ruffled Momoko's hair with his hand. "It's fine, Momoko. Don't worry so much about it. Amaya-sensei was just doing what she thought was more important: Protecting us. So don't take it too hard on sensei, ne?" He stopped walking, cocking his head to the side slightly as he changed the subject. "Before I bumped into you, you seemed happier. May I ask why?"
Momoko blushed lightly, averting her eyes again. "Ah, that…" She turned to face Hiashi again and smiled. "I finally spoke with Gaara-sama!"
"Eh!? Really? Did he do anything to you?" Hiashi inquired.
The girl shook her head. "Not at all! I think he was too shy to say much…so he left before we could have a longer conversation…" She smiled a little disappointedly, but it changed into a more hopeful smile. "I won't give up though! Next time I meet him, I promise I'll have a conversation with him!"
The other boy laughed. "I'm sure you can do it, Momoko. Once you open up, no one can really stay away from you. Did you know that?"
"Eh? Really?" Momoko looked at Hiashi inquiringly.
He nodded. "Yeah." His ears blushed faintly as he looked at Momoko. "You have this certain charm around you that brings people to you, Momoko. You might not have realized it before, but it's the truth."
A small laugh came out of the girl's throat before she slapped Hiashi lightly on the back of his shoulder. "Flattery won't get you anywhere here, mister!"
"Is that right?" Hiashi raised an eyebrow. "Shall we settle this with a spar then?"
"You're on! Let's go find Haru first though!"
-The Next Day-
Momoko had the day off so she decided to go and do some shopping. She had rummaged through her refrigerator and found that she was low on food. The sun was high in the sky as the girl chuunin walked through the village towards the grocery store. She pulled out her grocery list, double-checking to make sure she had written down everything that she would need to buy at the store today. As she continued looking over her list, she didn't notice another person walking right in front of her and ran into him.
Both of them fell back, although each managed to catch their balance before looking at the other. Both of them could not hide their surprise when they realized who the other was.
"Ah, gomen na sai, Gaara-sama. I didn't see you there," Momoko apologized, bowing politely to the other. She carefully bent down and retrieved her fallen grocery list. When she realized Gaara had not said anything, she looked up. "Would you like to come with me?"
Gaara looked at her questioningly. "Go with you? Where?" His tone of voice showed his suspicion. The girl couldn't blame him for it though.
With a smile, she said, "The grocery store. I wanted to go and buy some food. I was wondering if you wanted to come with me?" She offered the piece of paper in her hands to the boy for him to see.
Taking the paper with caution, Gaara quietly looked over the list. A moment later, he handed back the list as he asked, "Why do you want me to go with you…?"
Without hesitation, the girl said, "I want to have a conversation with you, Gaara-sama. I really want to be friends with you!"
The red-head was taken aback by the girl's words. "You…want to be friends with me? But… Why me?"
"I've wanted to be friends with you for a long time, Gaara-sama. I didn't like seeing all of the villagers doing those things to you," Momoko said. "Would you like to be friends with me?" She held out her hand to the boy.
The boy stared at the girl's outstretched hand, but made no move to take it. "I…guess I could go with you… I don't have anything else…to really do right now," he murmured in a low voice.
"I'm glad," the dark-haired girl replied, happy. She began walking, letting the boy fall into step beside her. "How are you feeling these days?"
Gaara glanced at her, surprise clear on his face. It was the first time someone was asking whether he was all right. A warmth suddenly flowed through the boy's chest, but he composed himself and answered in a soft voice, "I'm…doing better."
"I'm happy to hear that. I was really worried," the girl said, heaving a small relieved sigh. She continued eagerly. "Have you been coming to the village more often these days, Gaara-sama?"
He nodded. "I have… It's better than staying inside doing nothing…for the time being."
"The time being? What do you mean by that, if I may ask?"
The boy hesitated momentarily then said, "I want to grow stronger."
"Stronger?"
"…"
The girl tucked back a strand of her hair. "I apologize if I seem nosy."
"Why are you apologizing?"
"Ah, I thought you might be annoyed with all of my questions," the girl chuckled nervously.
Gaara shook his head. "No, it's okay. I…don't really mind…"
Momoko turned to look at him, her expression one of surprise. A smile quickly upturned her lips as she said, "May I ask why you want to become stronger? I won't laugh, I promise."
The red-head stared at the girl in silence for what seemed a long time. Then he answered in a small voice, "In Konohagakure… I met someone else like me. Another Jinchuuriiki who carries a tailed-beast inside him. He showed me compassion even though he didn't know me. He showed me what true strength is and I want to follow his example. I want to grow strong to protect others."
The girl suddenly stopped in her tracks, making the boy stop himself. Gaara suddenly felt afraid. Was she really going to laugh at him?
The dark-haired kunoichi surprised him when she reached forward and took his hand in hers. "That's a wonderful dream to grow stronger! I will be here to give you full support!"
Blushing slightly, Gaara pulled his hand away from Momoko's. "What makes you give me support? We barely know each other…"
Without batting an eyelash, Momoko said, "We're friends. Friends give their support to one another no matter what. I know it's sudden, but I truly do want to be friends with you, Gaara-sama. Even if others might condemn me for being friends with you, I can live with it. I don't want to see you alone anymore."
Gaara stared at Momoko in silence. He felt a warmth in his chest, but he didn't understand what it was… It was the same feeling he had felt yesterday after he had bumped into her. Was this truly what happiness felt like? He had looked away from the girl, but now turned his mint green eyes back to the girl's brown ones. "You really want to be friends with me? A former monster? Someone who killed without regret…?"
The next thing that happened surprised the boy to no end and would be something he would never forget. The girl had reached forward then and gently wrapped her arms around him in an embrace. "It's okay with me, Gaara-sama. Whatever you have done in the past… I will never hold it against you. I will always forgive you."
The baffled boy pulled away from the embrace. He had not felt such warmth in so long… It felt so foreign to him. The last person he had ever received such warmth from had betrayed him in the end… What if it happened again with this girl? He didn't want to go through that again. "How can I trust you…not to betray me…?"
Momoko took a moment to think it over. "I would give my life for you."
Sand quickly gathered and turned into a spear that pressed against the girl's throat. "Even if I were to threaten you like this? You would still die for me?" The boy's expression was blank as he stared at her.
The girl surprised him again when a warm smile came to her. "Of course, Gaara-sama. It may seem like a bad thing that I'm willing to die for you, but I still hold value in my life."
"What value?"
"I know that I can connect with people. It may seem like a weak value in this world of shinobi, but I think bonds make everything worth it. I've been waiting all these years to become friends with you so the wait for me was worth it," Momoko replied.
The sand fell away as Gaara looked at the girl, speechless. His heart was beating faster than normal and in a way that felt similar to when he had killed before. Except that this time, the feeling was not spurred by a kill, but rather by…happiness? He still couldn't comprehend what it was he was feeling.
"Let's keep going! The store is just another block ahead of us, Gaara-sama," Momoko said, gesturing to the path ahead of them. She walked a few steps ahead then paused to look back at Gaara, waiting. "Shall we?"
Gaara stared at the dark-haired girl who had just proclaimed to be friends with him in silence. Never had anyone been so open towards him…it was strange. Yet somehow, he felt…happy inside. He felt needed and he finally had someone who was more than willing to be friends with him. Without thinking it over another moment, he took a step forward and fell into step beside the girl.
For once in his life, Gaara could say that he had found a friend.
For the dark-haired girl, she was happy that she had found the courage to say the words that had been waiting to be spoken for so many years:
"I want to be friends with you."
The pair continued on towards their destination, both happy in their own ways although the base for their happiness was their newfound friendship in one another.
TBC~
A/N: I'm happy that I finally finished the fifth chapter! I apologize for having kept you all waiting for so long! Please R&R and look forward to the next chapter!
