Today was the big day! The chunin exams! Hinata had been waiting for this her entire life! Finally, a chance to prove herself in front of all those that doubted her, especially Neji! And maybe then her father would approve of her and she could be seen as strong. She put on a tank top and a baggy jacket, black capris, her kunai pouch, navy blue sandals, her ninja headband around her neck and her plastic pink ring. She smiled at it and memories flooded in her head, memories of a rosy haired boy with eyes like the sea, memories of the weirdly delicious taste of a roasted newt, memories of a pair of tiny pair of lips pecking hers rapidly. She wondered how Gaara was doing and if he had kept his promise to remember her. She felt inside her heart that he did and she wondered when she'd see her first friend again. Maybe at the chunin exams!
Cheerful and optimistic the young Hyuga heiress walked outside to greet a bright new sunny day as she breathed in the fresh, crisp morning air she knew that today was definitely, 100 percent her day to shine! And maybe even Naruto would notice her. She blushed. The thought of Naruto seeing her accomplish her goals and cheering her on made her heart thump louder than a marching band. Naruto was her crush ever since a year or so ago. He was loud, optimistic, happy-go-lucky, funny and silly at least to her and had wild, bright blonde spikes, electric blue eyes, black cat-like markings on his face, and loves the color orange.
'Naruto-Kun, today you will see me succeed and you will notice me. Today is the day.'
At the hotel Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara were preparing to go out to the chunin exams in their own way. Kankuro was putting purple paint on his face, pulling up his cat like hood of his ensemble and strapping on his large puppet that was all wrapped up in bandages. Temari parted her blonde hair into four sections, pulled on her mismatch fishnet leggings and grabbed her massive fan. She looked over at her brother alone in his dark corner, in his "own world" doing his usual routine; standing there brooding with a dead look in his piercing aqua eyes. He got ready on his own time in his own room and because he didn't sleep, thanks to the Shukaku, he was dressed and up earlier and surly, impatient and always ever so insensitive with a bitter, frosty demeanor.
A dark shadow passed in front of his face as he felt eyes upon him. He glared over at Temari who looked away quickly and put on her ninja headband. Kankuro followed suit but before they headed out the door Gaara had to go get his. He went into his bedroom and retrieved the headband with its shiny metal plate that had the sand village symbol carved on its middle from his dresser. Right next to the headband was a dark gray ring with a white swirl through it. He picked up the smooth, cold, round object and stared at it for a while, partially confused by why he had it. A misty memory of two pairs of lilac eyes with no pupils danced around in his gloomy head along with a symphony of a small child's voice calling his name. A body of a little girl with no face, a face with no body, a voice unaccompanied by its speaker, a foggy speaker with no voice. He grabbed the sides of his head, right near the temple and started convulsing. His brain pounded in his skull and his chest felt like someone was taking a match and setting it on fire while cutting small tears into it, his brain was a construction site. Images broke the dam in his brain and flooded his mind and now the inside of his head was swimming with her.
'Shukaku…who is she!? Why am I seeing her?! Why does it hurt!?'
The Shukaku's voice inside his head grumbled unhappily. 'Her? She isn't important, boy. If she was, she'd be here but she isn't because just like everyone else she's scared of you and doesn't love you.'
This was truth to Gaara for he knew he had no real friends or memory of this girl all he had were images of her. If she had been his friend when he was too naïve to realize nobody cared then it didn't matter now. He was alone and unloved, that's how it always was and always will be, and he came to terms with that a long time ago. Still, he slipped on the ring as if without it he'd feel naked or like it held some power over him. For some reason he felt like he had to put this silly little fake ring on, which now had blood stains on it. He headed out the door always in lead with his siblings flanking him.
The chunin exams would be a time of destruction on his opponent and blood, as crimson and deep as his hair, would rain all over those lifeless meat sacks that called themselves human. The thought sparked an electric charge of excitement in him that was apparent in his deadly eyes and sinister smirk. His siblings watched a dark aura appear around their little brother and inside they were squirming like worms with fear of the blood bath that would be going on today. Kankuro spotted the ring on his finger as it fell to his side momentarily only to take its place under the other arm, crossed.
'You don't remember her do you? You act like you don't, you say you don't and so I truly believe you don't. And yet, there is that ring on your finger. You wear it always like a heart on a sleeve. Gaara the killer, Gaara the murderer, Gaara my brother…'
Temari could see Kankuro lost in thought and seemed to complete his thoughts for him with her own.
'My littlest brother, crazed with bloodlust and carrying the burden of a ruthless demon inside him. Why can't you go back to being a sweet little, naïve, and innocent thing? That's how you were and for the first time since mom died we were all smiling. You were smiling with that Hyuga girl. You don't remember her…you never will and it pisses me the hell off! She is and was and probably will be your only and true friend and you've let her slip your mind. But…that ring. No, it's all a distant memory to you, my brother, the blood-soaked demon of the sand.'
Together Kankuro and Temari shared a prayer they always said in their heads. Gaara didn't know the prayer because it was about him and he'd probably get some sick kick out of it.
'Mother watch in dismay of what Gaara will do today and Kami watch us as we pray and mother shield Gaara another day. But we all know that his wrath displeases you both so we know this to be true. Kami protect the people and we will protect him and forgive us Kami because loving our brother is our greatest sin.'