Chapter Twenty: Small Talk

Name Lesson: Sachiko's name means Blissful or happy child. I gave it to her because it was ironic. Gaara's name, for those who didn't know, means a demon that loves only himself.

Japanese Lesson: Matte means wait!

A/N: Chapter twenty! I was inspired by another GaaraxOC fanfic. I have great ideas for this story now. I'm very excited! Lol.

Sachiko: Oh Author-sama you will write me a beautiful love story right?

Author-Sama: I will! And it'll be super duper awesome!

Author-Sama: Yes so we must hurry up and write this chapter that way we can get on to the other chapters! JOYOUSNESSSS!!

Sasuke sat atop the roof of Naruto's building complex. He smirked widely. He loved messing with the knucklehead. It was Sasuke's plan to just give Naruto a hard time over Sachiko. Sasuke had no intentions whatsoever to make her his own. After all, Sasuke had big plans for the future and he refused to let the wiles of the opposite sex ever get to him. He was far too close to his own victory to be distracted by some flaunting female. But that didn't mean Sasuke couldn't have fun by messing with Naruto's head.

The plan was for Sasuke to wait on Naruto's roof and check if he would spy on Sachiko. He had used reverse psychology on Naruto by telling him not to spy and so he knew Naruto would do it anyway. Sasuke, in turn, would follow Naruto and then when the opportune moment arose, he would approach Sachiko and flirt with her a bit. Naruto would freak out from his hiding place and then try to competitive. Naruto making a fool of himself was the goal. Amusement surfaced in the eyes of the raven haired boy.

NARUTARDNARUTARDNARUTARDNARUTARD

Naruto poked his little blonde head outside his door. He was checking to see if Sasuke was really gone. Just because Sasuke told him not to be nosy didn't mean Naruto had to listen. Naruto was his own person and he could do what he wanted. The Hokage never took orders from anybody, he gave orders! Naruto was going to do as he pleased and what he pleased was to spy on Sachiko and her date.

NARUTARDNARUTARDNARUTARDNARUTARD

Sachiko stared back into the eyes of the redhead. The black rim of his eyes competed with the sultry rim of hers. It was a childish staring contest, both waiting to see who would flinch first. Though Sachiko tried as hard as she could, her eyelids began to feel heavy and her eyes were watering terribly. She blinked. The staring contest, now over, would be left for another day to continue.

"What is it Gaara-sama," her voice seemed to quiver as she spoke. She couldn't help her shaking voice. Sachiko felt frightened for what was to come.

"Sachiko… why would your parents name you that," he asked her, throwing her off. Was that really what he wanted to discuss; her name?

"I don't know… I guess my mother picked it out for me before I was born," Sachiko began, "She died giving birth… It was too much for her… she was always sick as it was… I think my father let me keep the name she picked as a sick joke. He hates me."

Gaara nodded solemnly. "Was there anyone else?"

Sachiko thought a moment before speaking. "My grandmother… she tolerated me you could say. She loved me because she felt she was obligated to… but the day she died she told me she was sorry for faking her love for me… She said it wasn't her fault and she said that no matter how hard she tried to love me she couldn't… I never trusted after that."

Gaara nodded again. His life had been very similar to hers. But he wouldn't share his stories with her. He didn't want to think or speak of them. No one cared to hear them anyhow. "Do you trust anyone now?"

She cocked her head to the side to think deeply. Trust was fragile like a flower. If nourished properly, trust could grow and become something more between two people. It could become a healthy relationship. But if neglected or not watered, trust would die out. Trust was very difficult to build but so very easy to break. It could be snapped in half like a little twig. In Sachiko's hated Cloud Village, she trusted no one. She had thought to trust Naren but she was a farce created by Sachiko's own demon. Kankuro was kind to her but she didn't trust him with anything too much. She certainly couldn't trust Kankuro with her past, he would see her as a monster and treat her the way he treated his brother Gaara; with fear.

"I trust you," Sachiko said sternly, having thought it over.

Gaara seemed taken aback by this. How could she trust him? He had done nothing but be as cruel as he could to her. He had often tried to hurt her out of spite or a false sense of rivalry. She had a demon too. Did this not make her his rival? "Why?"

Sachiko, certain of her decision on this said, "Because you and I are alike. I could tell you the millions of tales of how I destroyed and murdered in cold blood and how I liked it, craved it, and you would understand. I trust my past with you… I can't do that with anyone else… They'd see me as a monster and be afraid of me. You're not afraid of what I am."

When Gaara didn't say anything Sachiko felt the need to continue the conversation in some way or at least to ask him why he had not spoken. "Do you trust anyone?"

"No." His answer was firm and not to be questioned.

She nodded; she understood why a person like him would not trust anyone. She was surprised she could trust at all. "Is that all you wanted to talk about Gaara-sama?"

"Why do you try so hard to make friends," requested Gaara, "They're worthless to you in the end and you can't trust them."

Sachiko looked Gaara straight in the eye, something no one ever did, and said, "I am lonely and I hate it. I don't want to always be so lonely… all the time. Don't you ever feel lonely?"

He ignored her question. It was a silly thing to ask that so he didn't feel the need to answer. Instead, Gaara persisted with his own questions and inquiries. "Have you ever loved?" The word was harsh on his tongue; the word love that is.

Sachiko didn't have to think about that one. It was easy. "No. I've hated and I still hate many. I've never loved. I thought I loved my grandmother for a time… but things changed and I realized I only put up with her because no one else was nice to me or faked niceness to me."

"Does your demon… crave… a lot?"

"She does… Chihoko can be very annoying at times… She always talks to me when I don't want her to and has a comment about everything. During full moons she craves the most. When I was younger she used to crave small children a lot… I killed… too many little ones because of her… They used to lock me in a room lined with electrocuting chakra. They would blindfold me and tie me up. I would dangle by a thread of chakra. If I moved too much it would snap and I would be shocked until I'd go numb. They did it to remove my bloodlust temporarily. My grandmother taught me a jutsu that I could perform on myself to rid myself of the lust… Inazuma is my kekkai genkai but the Inazuma strike is something else entirely," Sachiko explained in a lengthy monologue.

"Who is Naren?"

Sachiko cringed; Naren was a touchy spot. She wasn't sure if she should answer the question. Gaara had declined one of her questions. Surely she could do the same. She stared into Gaara's sea foam eyes and saw curiosity. It was strange to think that he was so curious about her. "Naren isn't real… I thought she was… My demon made me believe she was real… But I guess I was Naren the whole time."

Gaara said nothing for a long time. This bothered Sachiko. She had done so much talking but Gaara kept his answers only a few words long. Perhaps it was Sachiko's fault for trying to explain everything to him. But it wasn't her fault for being lonely and wanting so desperately to speak with someone; anyone. Sachiko's stomach began to rumble very loudly and she blushed from the embarrassment. She kept a hand over it as if it were a hungry mouth instead of a hungry stomach but it refused to be quiet.

"I'm leaving," Gaara said as he stood up, "You should go eat lunch."

And there he left her, in all her lonely splendor.

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Sachiko began to walk back to the main part of Konoha, toward Ichiraku Ramen. She felt defeated and downtrodden. All her efforts to make Gaara less lonely simply were futile, her efforts for naught. She stared at the dirt roads as she walked on them. She felt guilty because she accidentally squished an ant. She crouched low on the ground, apologizing to it.

"Gomen nasai little ant… You were just trying so hard weren't you? I should have been more careful as I walked… you were just trying so hard…" She stared at the distorted ant's body hopelessly. At that moment she felt just like that ant; small and worthless.

"I've never seen anyone apologize to a bug," said a voice she hadn't recognized.

Sachiko didn't bother to look up. She honestly didn't care who the person was. Perhaps if he had caught her at a better time she would have introduced herself. "I didn't mean to step on it. I was looking at another bug and I then I stepped on the ant… Now it's gone."

The person grunted. "It's gone but another ant will come to replace it. Ants are just workers after all; their only goal in life is to work for their queen…"

"It doesn't matter," Sachiko practically wanted to wail, "People all work for something too… And then they die and get replaced. Ants deserve better than just being replaced when they die because of their hard work."

"When a human dies others are affected. When an ant dies, the queen just gives birth to another…"

Sachiko stood up finally and agreed, "I guess you're right." She got a good look at the boy that stood in front of her. He had spiky brown hair and very dark sunglasses so she couldn't see his eyes. He had a huge neckband that almost covered his mouth.

"Aburame Shino," said he as he bowed.

Sachiko bit her lip. She couldn't say her last name because they would all no she was the Raikage's daughter. They would at least know her last name was not one of Suna. "Kazemichi Sachiko," she said awkwardly, returning a small bow.

"See you around," he said, turning to leave.

Sachiko continued walking. She wandered around the Leaf Village aimlessly for what felt like hours but she knew she only killed about fifteen minutes. Sachiko blew air at her bangs, trying to make them land elsewhere. She needed a trim sometime soon. Her bangs were beginning to grow bothersome.

"Sachiko-san! Matte!"

Sachiko stopped in her tracks. She didn't turn around to face the person. She wasn't a patient girl and could wait for whoever it was to catch up to her. She could hear a dog barking but thought nothing of it until Kiba's face came into view.

"Sachiko-san have you had lunch yet," he asked her with a toothy grin.

"I have not," she replied with a small smile.

"Well then," he breathed, "Shall we?"

Her smile grew a bit more as she spoke, "We shall."

Kiba's little puppy Akamaru barked happily as they walked together.

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Naruto had decided to give up on Sachiko. He had spent nearly thirty minutes searching for her and she was nowhere to be found. He was sitting down at Ichiraku Ramen. He had already finished two bowls and had paid for them. He sighed heavily.

"Patience is a virtue Naruto."

Naruto turned around to see his teammate, Uchiha Sasuke. Naruto's face turned into an upset scowl quickly once his brain registered it was Sasuke. "Sasuke… what are you doing here?!"

"It's a free village Naruto, I can do as I please," Sasuke replied nonchalantly. He was pushing back a smirk and Naruto could tell.

"Sasuke you came to spy didn't you," Naruto accused him instantly.

"No," Sasuke said, "But I guess I could since you mentioned it… Where is she?"

"I can't find her," Naruto admitted sadly.

"Too bad… Oh look here she comes," Sasuke said with a grin.

"Who's she with?"

"Looks like Kiba," Sasuke replied, "Hmm… trouble for you Naruto."

"What's that supposed to mean?! Girls like me way more than they like dog breath over there!" Naruto slapped his hands against the table harshly.

"Doesn't look that way," said Sasuke with a chuckle, "Well, I guess I can stop pretending to like her… I just wanted to give you some competition Naruto… But Kiba is more than enough for you." Sasuke got up to leave.

"Bastard," Naruto said, eyes winced.

Sasuke laughed it off and said, "Well maybe I'll stick around to watch…" Sasuke disappeared in a flash as Kiba and Sachiko entered the ramen hut.

"Here's my chance," thought Naruto as Kiba and Sachiko took a seat. "Sachiko-chan!"

Sachiko turned to her right to see her blonde friend Naruto sitting there. "Konichiwa Naruto-kun. You're always here aren't you?"

Kiba tried to ignore Naruto but he knew Naruto was going to say something he would regret.

"Believe it," Naruto replied, "So what are you doing here with dog breath?!"

"Naruto stay out of it," Kiba barked at him and so did Akamaru.

Sachiko blushed from embarrassment. Naruto certainly was blunt and straightforward when he should bite his tongue. "I was wandering around and he invited me to lunch. You're welcome to join us."

Kiba groaned, "Don't invite that idiot to join us."

"Oh yeah dog breath invited you huh?" Naruto stuck his tongue out at an angry Kiba and kept speaking, or rather, insulting. "Dog breath can you pay for Sachiko-chan or are you expecting her to pay for the both of you? How rude of you dog breath."

"Shut up you whiskered freak," countered Kiba, "You already finished eating so your giving the owner bad business. Leave."

"Free village dog breath," Naruto said and then inwardly cursed at himself for using Sasuke's line. Sasuke was probably watching somewhere and smirking because he used that line.

"Then I'll make you leave," Kiba threatened, Akamaru barking loudly and growling.

"If you two are going to fight I'm going to have to ask you to leave," said the owner from behind the counter.

"Gomen nasai," Sachiko quickly told him, "The boys were just about to stop fighting."

The two boys faked friends and the owner served them each a bowl of ramen and then turned around to leave them alone. "Naruto-kun, I'm beginning to think you don't just argue with Sasuke-kun all the time."

"It's difficult when you live in a village where every other guy is jealous of you," Naruto said with a laugh and a grin.

"Oh please Naruto," Kiba scoffed, "Nobody in this village is jealous of you."

"I am," said Sachiko, "He gets to live in this nice village…"

The two boys stopped arguing to face Sachiko, both confused thoroughly. "Sachiko-chan, you don't like the Sand Village?" Naruto had an almost worried look on his face.

"Not really," said Sachiko, "I wish I could live here with you guys. This village is so much prettier… I love it."

Both boys nodded in agreement. They all got along as well as they could after that so that Sachiko could enjoy the time she had with them. After finishing up the meal, Sachiko had to bid them goodbye. "I'd like to hang out longer with you guys but I think I should be getting back to my teammates now. Goodbye."

She waved goodbye and was on her merry way. Sachiko certainly had gotten a lot done that day. She felt very tired what with having to keep up with all her appointments. Naruto had certainly turned out to be a handful but all was quickly forgiven. Naruto may have been a knucklehead and most would call him annoying but he was beginning to grow on Sachiko. He was a blonde and blue eyed adorable menace. He almost seemed like he wouldn't care if he knew she had a demon. Almost.

A/N: That's the end. It was 6 pages long on Microsoft word. So that's not shabby. I think my average chapter length is about 4-5. Lately I had been pulling off 11 and then 10 pages. That was pretty good. I have some great ideas for this fanfic and so I'm very excited. It's been difficult to write because I want to jump ahead but I'm trying to pace myself. Oh yeah and I read something very funny in the reviews… I'm sorry that Gaara didn't tell Sachiko, "When a man loves a woman…" stuff but that would have been pretty hilarious yet scary at the same time. Especially if Gaara ripped off his shirt, threw a rose in his mouth, pulled out a guitar and began to serenade Sachiko… Wow… weird mental image… Gaara loving someone in that way… er… not gonna happen. Lol.

Sachiko: Author-sama gave me friends and possibly a love interest soon?

Author-sama: We'll see Sachiko-chan. I think after this fanfic I can continue my death note one. I'm so sorry to my faithful L.A.C. readers… But I've just been with writers block for that story. I can't continue it. That's why I'm doing a lot for this one and giving myself a break from L.A.C. But don't worry! I WILL finish it. Hopefully by this year… heh… DON'T HURT ME! -Runs away-

Sachiko: Author-sama runs very fast at times… -sweat drop- Well readers, REVIEW please! Arigato!