Hello all, I hope this chapter is pleases you all! Please don't forget to R/R I do love the reviews

They both sat under the warm heat provided by the heater above them. There was hardly anyone around for the early morning, so the café was quiet. The only distracting noises came from the fridges' humming and the coffee machine's screeching.

Gaara reached out his outstretched hands; Hinata dimly looked at his calloused hands to see slim and deep scars line around his hands. How had she not noticed them before? There were so many scars on both palms. Some were long, some were short, and some had different lines around them. Slowly, Hinata gently grasped Gaara's hands in her small ones.

Gaara vaguely smiled before composing again, "I wasn't a good child in my youth." Gaara grimaced, "I was actually a horrible child."

Hinata stayed silent, but she took in every word he said.

He sighed, closing his eyes as he continued. "I have siblings. An older sister and an older brother. I don't, if hardly, contact them so much now. Our relationship is strained, given our circumstances. I don't… blame them, not really. But I won't go out of my way to see or talk to them now."

He opened his eyes to look at Hinata; she was absorbing all his information.

"I had… An uncle too… On my mother's side…." He paused briefly, "Of course, I had a father too… However, he wasn't exactly a father, not with how he treated me. We had some money, and for a time, my dad owned a company that had been in our family for generations. We were a prestigious family, we had the money and fame, and we were the envy of the neighbourhood."

"Until my mother died…." Gaara removed his hand from Hinata's, "She died while giving birth to me."

He leaned back on his chair and wiped his nose with the back of his hands, "I was premature; there were a lot of complications to my birth; unfortunately, my mother and I both couldn't make it. I am sure if my father was given a choice, he would have chosen her, but alas, I was to survive, but my mother was not. The day of my birth changed my father and haunted him for the rest of his life." Gaara chuckled darkly, "It was rather a short one too…."

Hinata shifted lightly in her spot; there were so much she was beginning to understand with Gaara and so many things she had yet to learn.

"My uncle took care of me mostly. My father couldn't stand me, not even on the best days. My uncle loved me… Or so I thought. I got nearly everything I wanted; I was spoiled… Or, as my father once said, spoiled rotten to the core." Gaara sighed deeply, "I was spoiled for a time… Till my father's grief drove the company out of business. He spent a lot of money and made poor decisions. We had to sell most of our possessions just to get by, my siblings were pulled out of their preppy little private schools, and I suddenly wasn't allowed everything I wanted."

Gaara chuckled lightly, "Of course, I retaliated. I made a ruckus whenever we went shopping, and when I wanted something, I made a big scene in front of a large crowd. I did everything a 5-year-old would do to get what they wanted. Till I made the mistake of doing such things in front of my father." He shivered slightly, despite the warmth that spread across them on the little table.

Hinata held her breath as she listened; she understood him. She understood the life of one parent and a tyrant one at that. A life of fame and fortune was never an easy path that came with parenthood. In fact, it only caused a strained relationship between the parent and the child. There was so much they both had in joint.

She was beginning to understand him.

"One day, my dad had come with us kids and my uncle for a shopping trip. Apparently, he wanted to know exactly what food we were buying and what weneeded. Of course, he would just throw everything we needed right back on the shelves and say, 'we'll live without it,' he then proceeded to throw in bottles of bourbon and whiskey in our trolley." Gaara's eyes changed colour slightly, and they began to look darker, "He was only there for himself that day; I knew then that we had truly lost all our money when he hurriedly brought all his drinks in the trolley and threw away all our food. We weren't going to survive long, not with him there."

He took another deep breath before continuing, "I really wanted chocolate cookies; they were my favourite sweets. I never particularly liked sweets, but chocolate cookies were my expectation."

Hinata sniffled a little giggle under her hand, so he liked chocolate cookies. Hinata made a mental note of that whenever she felt like she was in the mood for baking.

Gaara looked at Hinata with a bemused look and gave her a slight smirk, "Yes, very hard to believe, but alas, they were the very things I wanted that day, too. So, when we came around the corner of the chocolate section, I was the first to run over there and grabbed the biggest bag I could carry back to the trolley. Well, my father gave me one look and threw the bag out of the trolley, saying, 'we'll live without it,' I, of course, began to question why but he rudely brushed right past me and continued down the aisle."

Gaara sat straighter in his seat, "I wasn't satisfied. I really wanted those cookies. I needed the cookies. So, instead of keeping my head down and letting my father walk off with all his things in the trolley, as my siblings and uncle seemed to do, I grabbed the bag again and pushed it into the trolley."

Gaara paused. Briefly, his eyes were suddenly downcasted as the wave of memories washed over him, "I'll never forget that hateful look I saw in his eyes. It was like I had just asked him to give up his alcohol for the rest of his life, which of course, was never going to happen. He grabbed the bag from the trolley again and said those same words he kept repeating "We'll live without it." I, of course, had already rehearsed this tantrum. I sat in the aisle and wept in front of everyone in the store. When my father began to walk away, I threw my arms around and kicked my legs."

Hinata found it hard to imagine 5-year-old Gaara kicking and screaming in a grocery store because he wanted cookies, but it was amusing.

"My uncle tried to stop me; I remember vaguely how tired he sounded and how desperate he tried to console me. Even my siblings tried to hush me and stop me from throwing my tantrums. But my father had enough. He pushed the trolley onto the person in front of him and walked over to me in front of everyone in the store; he picked me up and threw me onto the ground. But that wasn't enough; he stomped and threw punches at me whilst I was still on the ground; I wasn't crying anymore because I wanted cookies, but because my father was abusing me in the store."

"In… In front of… Everyone?" Hinata asked in disbelief.

Gaara simply nodded, "It wasn't the last time he abused me, either. After that day, my father made it his mission to hurt me. Everyday. I endured his abuse of me for years, and I had assumed my siblings were too. First, they were hits and kicking me, but he began to become more bloodthirsty and even going as far as to " Gaara brought his hands forward again, Hinata saw the deep lines that mirrored his hands.

"I tried to keep to myself; I tried to hide when and where I could. My father was often not drunk; it was easy to hide when he couldn't even remember his name. But, when he did catch me…." Gaara shook his head, "He wasn't the worse betrayal."

Hinata arched her brow, "What… What… Do you mean?"

"My father hurt me, but I wasn't close to him. Not like I was close to my uncle… He was my mother's brother; they were twins, and she was the oldest. They were close, or so I had heard. But I know he loved her; even after her death, he loved her more than anyone. I had thought he loved me the same, too." Again, the painful memories washed across his face as he thought of Yashamaru. He gripped his hands tightly in a fist, "But he betrayed me too. I was 8 and came out of my room one day, sneaking out to find some food, even though I knew we hardly had anything. Instead of seeing my father drinking at the small table in the kitchen, it was Yashamaru."

A little boy hid behind the plastered wall as he peeked around the corner to see who was sitting at the little table in the kitchen.

His eyes lit up as he saw the person in the room, "Yashamaru!" Gaara brushed off the wall and ran to his uncle.

Yashamaru's head was resting on the table, his arms outstretched with a small glass of his brother-in-law's bourbon. He glanced up slowly at the little boy standing before him, his head bounding from all the alcohol he had consumed in the last hour.

"G-Gaa-aara…" Yashamaru whispered.

"Hey, uncle. I was worried you were a father for a second there. I know we don't have much, but I am starving. Do we have anything to eat?" Gaara, his uncle, with a whole heap of questions.

"Hmmm." Yashamaru moaned; he laid his head back on the table and ignored the young boy in front of him.

"Yashamaru?" Gaara questioned further.

Yashamaru continued to ignore the young boy; he kept his gaze and head down. Tenderly, Gaara stepped forward and placed a small hand on his uncle's shoulders.

"Go… Away… You monster!" He sneered, brushing off the little hand on his shoulder.

"Wha… What?" Gaara stepped backward, his eyes widened in disbelief.

"Yashamaru? I… Are you… Okay?" Gaara asked softly; his voice dropped slowly as his uncle glared at him with hateful eyes.

"No!" He shouted. A sniffle escaped him as he glared at his nephew, "I haven't been okay since my sister died! Because of you! You killed my sister!"

"I…I…. But…. But…. It wasn't my fault?" Gaara sniffled, his eyes began to water, "I didn't mean to kill her… I… I was a baby?" Gaara had heard the same story repeatedly from his father just before he would hurt him.

"You did! You did!... You ripped… out of her when…. you weren't ready; you came into this world… sacrificing her. You're a monster!... I don't love you; I've never loved you!" Yashamaru stood up angrily, "It doesn't matter… if you were a baby, you've done this, you've done all this!" He glanced around the bare kitchen with the one table and chair as furniture, "We're all hungry…. because of you!"

"Yash-" he was confused; why was his uncle saying all these terrible things? He had heard it all from his father but never from his loving uncle.

"Your father has lost all our money because of you. He can't work because of you! And now… We don't have anything to eat… We don't have anything at all!" He cried, "I have nothing. I have lost everything… I've lost everything…." He glanced down at the ground, "I've lost everything because of you… I've never loved you!"

Gaara cried as his uncle stalked up to him, a hungry look in his eyes as he stepped closer and closer to him. Gaara's back hit the wall; there was nowhere to hide or run; his uncle closed in on him as he continued to yell at him.

"I never loved you; I never loved you!" Yashamaru repeated over and over.

Finally, Gaara stopped crying. A powerful feeling rushed into him; all the blood in his veins rushed forward and made his blood boil; his eyes turned a different colour, and his mind went blank. His skin tingled, and he felt hot. He looked his uncle straight in the eyes, and he rushed forward.

"I murdered him." Gaara finished. He let out a deep breath he was holding as he said it. Quickly he glanced at the young girl sitting beside him. Her face was unreadable as she absorbed the information.

She sat in silence for a while, compilating what to say next. She didn't feel anything different from how she felt for him. If anything, she felt a little closer to him for trusting her with this information.

"But… But that was 'Rasa,' wasn't it? It wasn't you, not really?" She said softly.

"That was the birth of Rasa… Yes… The other side of me… The not-so-pleasant side of me…" he sighed deeply.

"What… What happened afterwards?" She asked gently, she had seen Gaara shoot a person, and with the type of background he had, she wasn't surprised he had murdered someone. But it was different when it was a close family member, granted the said family member pushed Gaara to his last breaking point.

"I ran away." He stated, "I couldn't stand… Seeing him like that… The fact that I did that… To him. I ran out of the house and ran as fast as my legs could take me… of course, they didn't take me very far. I only ran to the even worse side of town three blocks down the street. No one found me, though, or maybe no one bothered to look." He shrugged, "But I made something of myself. I used my newfound anger and put it in towards fighting."

"O-oh?"

He nodded, "That's how my other side was named, Rasa. Through fighting." He sighed before continuing, "It was when I met Sasuke and Naruto… How our bonds formed."

Gaara dodged the punch that came his way and then escaped the second and third. He was too quick for his opponent, they were beginning to tire from the consent throws and punches they tried to throw at the young boy, but none of them even grazed him.

The boy was hungry for the fight, his teeth were bared, and a smirk laced his lips as he laughed monstrously at the feeble attempts of the opponent. He tried out as quickly as he threw the punches.

Gaara knocked him out with one blow.

All his fights were like that. He would wait for the opponent to tire and end them in one blow. He was ruthless and unchallenged, and he was feared.

He was a quiet, shy boy when he wasn't fighting. But in the ring, he was a totally different person. He was nicknamed 'Rasa', the demon of the red sand. Everyone on the block knew his name and feared even crossing paths with him.

His reputation proceeded him.

He earned good money, enough to get by. He lived in abandoned apartments and could get his own food; no one would dare try to mess with him.

Gaara walked away from the crowd to the man with the significant cash. He had long black hair and piercing black eyes. Gaara took the money without a second glance at him.

"That was some nice work, Gaara." He smiled fondly at the young boy.

He shrugged and began to walk off.

"Well, hang on a second there, Gaara." The tall man stopped Gaara from leaving.

Gaara gave a loud sigh but turned back to him to listen.

"I have another fight for you… It is a great fight, actually…." He stopped to look at the young boy in front of him; he only bore a bored expression, "I will pay handsomely, of course. A triple from what you earned right there." He pointed to the significant cash that nearly spilled from his tiny hands.

1 grand he had earned from this fight, 1 thousand dollars in cash. He was meant to be a difficult opponent for Gaara, twice his age and broader height and weight. But Gaara finished him all the same. Less challenging than he thought, or anyone for that matter.

What he was really after was a challenge or someone that could keep up with him in a fight. Someone that could satiate his blood-rush urges.

Gaara stashed his money in his pockets and cocked his head to the side, and nodded for the man to continue.

He smirked and laughed lightly, "You see, it is an extraordinary fight to me as the person I want you to fight is… My little brother, Sasuke."

Gaara crossed his arms and hummed lightly.

"Yes, I am sure you have heard of him. Rather the up-coming fighter as of yourself. He'll be a challenge for you, no doubt." He laughed again at the young boy.

"Why do you want me to fight your little brother, Itachi?" He asked.

He gave a slight shrug and put his hands in his pockets, "He has been complaining to me for a challenge… For someone to fight as an equal so he can become stronger… To be stronger than me…." Itachi laughed harder and turned away from the young boy, "Do you accept?"

Gaara paused, thinking slowly as he thought of what Itachi told him. Gaara knew of the strained relationship the Uchiha brothers had with one another; everyone knew of them or associated with them. Clearly, Itachi wanted his little brother to be beaten and badly.

"when and where?" Gaara smirked sinisterly.

"Tomorrow, here at 12." He laughed, "I look forward to it… Gaara."

The crowds in the streets were packed, a tight circle weaved together on the pavement as everyone shouted and roared in approval between the two young boys as they threw their fists at each other. The fight was bloody and raw. They both had each other's blood caked on their bodies, and sweat glistered and clung to them. The crowd was excited and hungry for more.

Gaara paced around, dodging all the other boy's fists, and he sent many his way. He couldn't keep the smile off his face. It was a heated exchange, bloody and fierce. This fight, this beating, is one he will remember.

Sasuke glared at the redhead with hatred as he dodged all his attacks; he was fast and swift just as he was. His hate-filled all the anger, and he used that for more powerful spells. Screaming in rage, he sent one powerful punch towards Gaara.

Gaara caught it in the crook of his arm; pain surged through his shoulder to his neck as he absorbed the attack. At the moment of opening for Sasuke, he threw another fist for another powerful spell, but Gaara caught that in the crook of his arms.

With the pain escalating, Gaara threw his head forward and headbutted Sasuke. Blood poured freely through the new wound, and he fell to the ground in pain.

Gaara pounced on him, hitting him repeatedly and with more powerful hits. Anger surged through him as he continued punch after punch. The power that rushed through him was indescribable.

"Stop… Stop!"

Gaara was thrown off Sasuke mid-punch.

He looked at the person that threw him off with a hateful glare, and everyone in the circle stopped cheering and watched with caution.

Blonde.

"Sasuke… Are you alright?" The other boy bent down to help his friend, but Sasuke only pushed his arm away and propped himself up.

"Go away… You dope…" Sasuke groaned in pain.

"You… You Bastard!" The blonde growled.

Gaara snickered at the blonde, his fist raised, "I want more… Give me more!"

"W-What happened… That was N-Naruto, wasn't it?" Hinata asked softly.

Gaara's eye was closed as he re-lived his memories. The memories of his childhood were never pleasant or enjoyable.

"Yes… Yes, it was…"

"And, w-what happened next? With Naruto?"

"We fought, and we become friends… It was an intriguing fight to say the less… The only match I ever lost was to him… But he really saved my life that day."

Hinata smiled and took his hands; the warmth spread them again as they stared at each other with fondness.

"That… That i-is a lot to t-take in, truth be told." She made slow circles on his palms, "B-but I am glad you t-told me, Gaara." She smiled brightly at him.

"…Thank you, Hinata…" He whispered.

Slowly, they both leaned forward, and their lips met in a soft kiss. It was warm and full of love and hope; a tingling feeling spread through both of their veins, both wanting more. Her lips were so addicting he couldn't stop, he brought a hand to tangle in her beautiful locks, and she got hers to tug on his.

Needing to come up for air, Hinata reluctantly pulled away from Gaara, to which he growled disapprovingly.

"I'm sorry." She smiled wistfully, "May I-I ask… One question?"

He nodded, playing with the loose strand of hair that fell off her shoulder during their kiss.

"H-How did you, b-become friends… With N-Naruto if you fought with him?" she asked, "A-And don't you… work for Sasuke now?"

Gaara sighed deeply, looking her in the eyes, "Yes, I work for Sasuke now. After Naruto and I fought, as I previously said, it was the only fight I have ever lost, which Itachi was hoping I would get rid of his little brother and take over the company himself. But after the fight with Naruto, I was of no use to him anymore, which brought me to the dilemma of how I was supposed to make a living." He twirled one of her strands with one finger.

He smirked, "Naruto was impressed with our fight; he was just as badly beaten as I was, but… He saw something in me, and he helped me… He saved me. I will be grateful for that for the rest of my life; I owe him a debt I can never repay. After the fight, I woke up in the hospital and… He was there, along with Sasuke, he told me of the dojo, and how it helps young boys such as me control their urges, one would feel for a fight and that I could stay there for as long as I wanted as long as I learned to control my anger within a fight and…." He snorted, "If I could train with Naruto at any opportunity."

Hinata giggled lightly; after that fight, he had a friend for life, one that he could never shake off.

Gaara's eyes began to darken again, "But in turn, I would also have to work for Sasuke for what I did to him. I humiliated and beat Sasuke; that is another debt that I can never repay. I had found myself working for another Uchiha once again for money and a living. But I had Naruto by my side; I had a broken family."

"I would like to be a part of your family, Gaara." Hinata whispered softly; she took his hands in hers and stared at him with admiration, "I love you, Gaara."

Well here is the next chapter, it has taken me a while but I hope you enjoy and once again please R/R.