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Chapter 8

Minoko walked to the training grounds in a daze. Mommy never came back after she walked out last night. She couldn't help but blame herself, even though her daddy tried to tell her that it wasn't her fault. She knew that he was lying.

Mommy always loved her before she decided to be a shinobi. Sure, mommy wanted her to learn how to bake and sew and paint and yelled at her when she wanted to stop to play outside or read big kid books, but mommy said that it was so she could have a normal life. Mommy liked simple, normal things. Minoko was a little girl, so she needed to know how to do things like other little girls. When she was older, she could read different things, but she would only be allowed to read age appropriate books.

If it hadn't been for daddy, Minoko didn't know what she would have done. She would have been sooo bored. She didn't mind simple things, but she also loved adventure and learning as much as she could. Daddy knew that and would bring her new books when mommy wasn't home. He would get yelled at later, but he shrugged it off and would do it again after a while.

Minoko sighed. Her life was going to change so much. Why couldn't she have had a dream bubble that warned her about this?

"Minoko, good morning," came a timid voice.

She looked up and realized that she arrived. She smiled at her friend as best as she could.

Gaara had been worried that it was his fault too. He knew she agreed to become a shinobi so that she could protect him. He apologized several times last night, even when she and daddy said that he shouldn't blame himself. Daddy said that Gaara stayed until she fell asleep before going home.

What would I do without him? she thought.

Minoko's smile became more real as she walked over to him. She grabbed his arms and put them around her waist while hers went around his shoulders, "You're my best friend, I love you bunches and bunches, and we'll be together forever," she whispered into his shoulder.

She felt him squeeze her lightly before he pulled back. He had a small, genuine smile on his face, "What was that for?" he asked.

Minoko shrugged, trying to act as carefree as she ordinarily would, "I fell asleep before you left last night and didn't get to say goodbye. Plus it's a thank you, too."

Gaara's brow scrunched a bit in confusion, "Thank me? For what?"

Minoko smiled more fully, "For being the bestest best friend ever!"

Gaara blushed a bit and opened his mouth to respond before a different voice called out, "I'm glad that you're both here on time. Training from here on out will be even more difficult than before."

Gaara looked over to his uncle, "Yashamaru-oji-san, can't Minoko take a break from training today? She-"

"No Gaara. You both are genin now. As shinobi of Suna, you have a duty to your village," Yashamaru stated in a firm tone, "There will be times in the future when you're exhausted, your comrades have died in battle, or something back home has made you emotional. You will want to stop, to quit, but you will keep going because that is your mission. That is your duty."

Both children looked at each other briefly before they straightened up, both remaining silent. Yashamaru nodded in approval, "From now on, Gaara, you will call me Yashamaru-sensei everywhere except when we are home. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sensei."

"Good," Yashamaru's features softened slightly and the genin relaxed their stances, "Now, I believe that I promised to find out your affinities."

Yashamaru turned to hide his smile at their squeals of delight. He'd let that go for now. Genin or not, they were still children.

…

It turned out that Gaara's talent with sand didn't only come from the demon sealed within him. He had a duel affinity to wind and earth which manifested into a kekkei genkai of his own. It was reminiscent of the Third's control over iron dust and the Fourth's control over gold dust. Gaara's innate skill was, however, greatly enhanced by the demon.

Minoko, on the other hand, had an affinity towards earth. This meant that Yashamaru would train the both of them in earth style techniques when they were all together and find a tutor for Gaara that could control wind. Yashamaru vaguely remembered a jonin that was recently promoted that was skilled with wind blades. Baki was his name, wasn't it?

Yashamaru shrugged at the thought and turned to his students to dismiss them for lunch. They had been working on a chakra control exercise all morning that allowed them to get in tune with their element. They needed to take a rock and, using only chakra, turn it into sand, then back into solid rock again. Gaara was able to do the first part fairly well, almost instinctively, on his very first try. The second part seemed to stump him, though, causing him to glare at the grains in his hand. Yashamaru would never admit that it was adorable.

Minoko took about two hours before she could dissolve the rock in her hands completely. But an hour after that, she was able to reharden a small pebbles-worth of the fist-sized rock. She truly was a prodigy. He wouldn't be surprised if she could reform the rock completely by the end of the day.

Yashamaru clapped his hands, gaining his pupils' attention, "Time for a break. You both did well. Get some food and rest to replenish your energy, then be back here in two hours."

Minoko flopped onto her back dramatically in over exaggerated exhaustion. Gaara walked to stand over her and said something quietly, causing the young girl to giggle and jump to her feet. She grabbed his hand and pulled the gently smiling red head behind her out of the training grounds.

Once they were out of sight, Yashamaru's features settled into a blank mask. The Kazekage wanted them to start missions tomorrow. For the first week, he knew that they would only help around the village, but the sandy-haired medic knew that it would only be a matter of time before they were sent out of these walls.

No matter what, he couldn't let himself get attached to them.

A/N: That wraps up chapter 8! Sorry that I was a day late in uploading the new chapter. I'll try to make sure that it doesn't become a habit :) Let me know what you think!