Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, just the Gushikans

Chapter 7~ Suna

We only walked for a short while before we began to run and eventually jumped on the trees to travel faster. Despite me going as fast as I could it was depressing how slow Dad had to travel for me, so I continued to push myself. We traveled for a few hours before Dad slowed down to a stop.

"This is taking too long." He said, eyeing me.

"Well, then what do we do? I'm really trying as hard as I can Dad."

"I know Curly Top. That's why for the trip you can take off your weights."

My jaw dropped and my legs shook.

Taking off the weight?!

"Yes sir!" I yell as I pull off the leg and arm warmers, that were dark green, to reveal sets of weights wrapped around my bandage covered arms and legs. I quickly undid the clips and handed the 350 pound bars of weight that had been holding down each of my limbs over to Dad, who easily put them in his bag.

I felt so light, like I might just levitate off the ground. I jumped up and down as I giggled in joy until Dad put a hand on my head to push me down.

"Alright, let's get back on schedule."

I nodded and smiled. I launched off the tree at a speed I couldn't even believe was my own.

My Dads booming laughter was beside me. "Surprised? Well you were trained by me." My Dad boasted

"I feel like I'm flying!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms out and squinting at the rushing air.

"Judging the speed you're going at, you're going the speed of a little bit lower than a new chunin." I laughed loudly as we continued jumping around.

Dad and I stopped at tea houses along the way and slept in sleeping bags at night. The next day, about halfway through the day, we crossed over into the Land of Wind.

It was then I realized how hard it is to actually run on sand. The sun burnt into my already tan skin and I could feel my skin turning a deep tan like my Dads. I got exhausted more often, so Dad and I would stop constantly so that I could have water breaks. We eventually went to sleep on top of a slightly higher sand dune.

The next day slammed us the moment we woke up. It was still dark out but Dad got spooked or nervous, something like that. I woke up to him picking up both our bags and then grabbing my forearm and wrenching me to my feet.

"We have to move. Now."

I stumbled as he pulled me along. I was so tired but I managed to follow.

"Dad? What happened?"

He grimaced as he pulled me along faster. "There's no time, don't look behind you. Takara look for a rock formation." We ran as the wind whipped around us, our curls bouncing and pulling from side to side from the wind.

Sand flung up and slapped my skin painfully.

"There." Dad said loudly. Pointing at a large rock in the distance. We bolted towards it, but I finally looked behind myself. It looked like a wall in the distance, and it was flying towards us.

"What is that?!" I screamed as I watched it fly at us faster.

"A sandstorm," Dad yelled back. The sound of the wind was so ferocious we could hardly hear each other. We finally reached the rock and Dad made some quick hand signs before slapping the rock. It curled around us, making a cave with one wall open. It was very large but the opening was too big. The sandstorm slammed the cave and instantly began to fill the cave, choking us.

"Damn it!" Dad yelled as he made more hand signs and slammed his hands into the ceiling, making the open wall close up, concealing us in complete darkness.

I had never been so startled in my entire life. "Dad, Daddy!" I choked, there was so much sand in my mouth and eyes.

"I'm here Takara." His hand found mine, and his other hand was brushing the sand glued to my face and hair off.

I spat over and over trying to get the sand out of my mouth when Dad handed me a water bottle which I used to spit out the rest of the sand and flush my crusted eyes.

Not that there was anything to see. It was pitch black in the cave.

"Dad, what if the sandstorm buries us?!" I said panicking, my hands trembling.

"Shhhhh, we will be fine Takara, don't worry." He squeezed my hand and patted my head. We sat there after I calmed down, listening to the wind.

"How long will this take Dad?"

He sighed. "Honestly, it's a range of a few hours to days."

My heart pounded loudly as the wind whistled. The time passed slowly and Dad and I stayed in a comfortable silence.

But the longer we sat there the more the air felt warm and stale. "Dad," I wheezed "The air."

Dad put a hand on my head. "Yes, the air is bad. But don't worry, we will be fine."

I nodded. I trust him.

Time continued to pass and the wind still howled. "How long have we been here?" I whispered.

"Ugh I'm going to guess 16 hours." Dad mumbled handing me a protein bar which I scarfed down.

"How much air is left?" I asked, turning towards Dad.

"Not much, an hour or two." His lack of concern was amazing to hear.

'My heart hurts' I thought, my first mission and I'm going to die by suffocating. It was quiet again as it sunk in... Wait quiet?

"Dad!" I yelled, and he stood up. Moments later the ceiling regressed to show a sunset. "We made it." I said dreamily.

Dad nodded. "But we lost an entire day of travel."

I sighed, "What do we do now?"

Dad sighed, "Go to sleep, it's been a long day." So we laid down in the opened cave and instantly fell asleep.

The next day we rose early and began to run. We managed to arrive at Suna a little after noon.

Suna is amazing, the buildings are completely different, being made of clay and other things. The people wear such new clothes compared to us too. I was utterly amazed as we walked through the village until we reached a large building. We were allowed in with barely a glance and traversed a maze of hallways.

We stopped in front of a large door. "Takara, you must act as a Gushikan. Keep a stern face and try not to flinch, twitch, or tilt your head. You may not speak unless spoken to, and use the utmost respectful language." I nodded and he smiled. He knocked on the door and waited until it opened.

We entered and thanked the guards who opened it; then they left the room. A man sat in front of us at a large desk, he was wearing fancy clothes and had a stern face. Oh, this is the Kazekage. I had seen pictures of him before.

"Kazekage-Sama, I am Tenchi Gushikan of the Village Hidden in Leaves. I'm delivering a scroll meant for your eyes." The two of us bowed low. The Kazekage thanked him and took the scroll, setting it to the side.

"I see it took you four days instead of the normal three to get here. Is it because of the young child?" He asked, his eyes searing into my soul.

"No sir, on the third day we were hit with a sandstorm and had to take shelter for about 16 hours. Otherwise we would have been on time."

The Kazekage hummed and stared harshly. "Young girl, what is your name?"

I bowed my head low. "I am Takara Gushikan, Kazekage-sama."

"Oh, your daughter huh?"

My father nodded.

"How old are you?" He inquired.

"I just turned eight, sir."

He smiled a tiny bit. "An eight year old kept up with a joinin? Haha, unrealistic."

I couldn't stop myself. "With all due respect Kazekage-Sama, I have been training with weights since I was four, and I'm quite capable in speed."

Dad slapped the back of my head and pushed me into a deep bow which he followed. "I am deeply sorry for my daughter's outburst sir."

The Kazekage chuckled, "No need, you have a very brave daughter there, it will be interesting to see what type of ninja she grows into. You know I have a son your age." At that my Dad completely tenses up and his hand squeezed my shoulder.

"It would be interesting to see you spar. Unfortunately my older son, Kankuro, doesn't stand a chance against you. All he cares about is working on his puppets instead of training." He let out a sigh of disappointment.

I stood there with an awkward smile on my face, how do you even react to that?!

"Anyway, Gushikan, we need to work now."

My Dad nodded "Of course, Takara, why don't you go explore Suna for a while. I'll find you later."

I nodded and bowed one last time to the Kazekage and backed out of the room, closing the door behind me.

It took me a few minutes but I eventually navigated my way out of the building and began to walk around. The architecture had a totally different air about it and was captivating to look at.

I wandered around for an hour or so until I saw some girls my age. They were staring at me and giggling to each other. I smiled and waved at them but that just made them laugh and run away. 'Huh? What's up with them?' I looked down at myself. 'I guess I'm not wearing culture-correct clothes but it's not like I look funny... Right?'

I became flustered.

I turned and walked out of the populated area and found myself sitting in a nice park. I sighed and stared up at the sky. This would be more fun if my friends were here. It's much more fun to cloud watch with Shikamaru than by myself.

"AHHHH!"

I stood up, where did that come from?

I heard it again and ran out of the park and into a construction zone. Some kids ran the opposite way of me and I eventually reached the center of the chaotic screams. A boy with red brown hair. He stood there looking unemotional. The other kids were calling him a monster and running away.

'Oh it's a personal thing, no one's hurt, then I shouldn't be here... It's none of my business.' But then I made eye contact with the boy.

'He needs a friend' my Conscience screams, but he stared at me like an animal, like a dog who was beaten into attacking. It was intimidating.

"Hey! New girl!"

I turn to see a local girl.

"Stay away from him, he's a monster who will kill you!"

I looked back at him, his eyes, he looked sad. Like Naruto Déjà vu. 'I gave Naruto a chance, this guy deserves one too.' Not breaking eye contact with the boy I said, "I know some monsters, and I'll tell you, that he just looks like a kid, like you or me." I finally turned back to her and smiled.

The two of them looked surprised. "You'll regret that!" She said in a huff turning and running away.

"I doubt it!" I snorted. I made eye contact with the guy again and began to walk to him, but after five steps I froze.

Evil. I feel evil in the air.

His eyes pierced mine, the evil is coming from him. Haha I'm in danger.

'Takara ignore it!' My Conscience screamed.

'The evil is not him but it's inside of him. It's a separate being. He needs a friend'. At that exact moment the scaffolding that the boy happened to be standing under made a cracking sound and began to tip over.

'That scaffolding is huge! If it lands on him, he'll be crushed!' I was still 15 feet away from him. 'I won't make it in time,' my brain screamed. 'I have to use chakra to move faster. But if I do that I could collapse from chakra exhaustion. I can't control it.'

Time was moving in slow motion and my heart sped up as the boy's eyes widened, he realized he's in danger.

'I have to risk it,' I gathered what little chakra I have and pushed it into my legs. And then I ran. I had never moved so fast. And trust me, I'm fast without those weights.

I was in front of the boy before he could blink. I grabbed him and slammed us into the ground avoiding the scaffolding while it fell forward.

The boy crashed into me and I broke the fall with my shoulder. There was a loud popping sound when my shoulder made contact with the ground.

Only a moment later, before I could register it, there was sand all over me. Wrapping me and squishing me painfully. But I didn't make a sound. I managed to sit up and hold my shoulder while staring at the boy. He shrunk back in fear after making eye contact and covered his face with his hands. "Stop! Don't look at me like that! I'm not a monster!" He screamed.

"I know."

He twitched and slowly looked up.

"You're not a monster. You're a little boy about my age. You're a person with feelings who deserves respect like anyone else."

He stared at me amazed. The sand constricting me instantly fell off.

"Are you okay? I pulled you really roughly but I tried to take the brunt of the fall."

He continued to stare.

"I-I'm fine, you touched me? And not the sand? How are you so fast?" His voice shook.

"As a Gushikan it's my duty to be fast for those who cannot run away!" I said proudly, puffing out my chest as I stood up.

But then my ears rang and I began to get tunnel vision.

"Are you okay?"

It sounded like he was under water.

I felt my knees give out.

Everything was black and felt calm.

"Miss"

huh? What was that?

"Little girl!"

The yells were getting louder.

"Gushikan girl!"

My eyes flew open and I sat up, immediately smashing my forehead into the boys. Making me and him fall back on the ground. "Even sitting up you're too fast!" The boy whinnied on the ground.

"Haha sorry sorry! Did I faint?" I laughed.

"Yeah, you gave me a heart attack!" He grumbled.

"I'm really sorry!" I clapped a hand on my leg and bowed a little. "Anyway, I'm Takara Gushikan, but you can just call me Takara. What's your name?"

"I'm Gaara of the Sand."

The boy looked so little, and frail. I wouldn't be surprised if I was a few years older than him.I smiled, "Nice to meet you Gaara! I hope we can become friends!"

I started the motion of moving my left arm that I had fallen on, but it made a crunching popping sound, making me go pale.

"Oh no."

We were walking slowly down the street to the main building when Gaara spoke up.

"Thank you for saving me. Although I didn't really need it. My sand would have saved me."

My ears perked up and I stared at him. "Really? How? Like what happened before?"

He looked uncomfortable to which I immediately sputtered.

"Ah don't worry about it! We don't have to talk about it! Anyway, before we enter the building, let's get some food! I'm starving!"

He gave me an incredible look "You do realize your arm is seriously injured right?"

I just laugh and shrug it off... Which was immediately followed with a cracking sound and me groaning.

"Don't worry about it! It's just a dislocation, I get them all the time. When I see my Dad later he'll just pop it back in."

Gaara shriveled up his nose and rolled his eyes.

"So what's good to eat here?"

He shrugged and glanced around. "What do you like?"

I smiled at him "My all time favorite is miso soup but that's everywhere!"

He shrugged again and walked me to a stand where we got miso soup. It was delicious. I slapped a hand to my cheek and got a dreamy look. "Oh miso, why are you so wonderful?"

Gaara stared at me before letting out a snicker.

"Thank you for all your help today Gaara! I hope I can see you again tomorrow!" I said excitedly.

Gaara glanced at me and then looked away. "You really want to see me again?"

"Of course! You're my new friend after all!"

Gaara looked like he was at a loss of words. I think I just have that effect on people.

He walked me into the large main building and took me up to the Kazekage's area. Just as we were getting there the large door opened to reveal my Dads calm face. "Takara? Your back already? It's only been four hours." His gaze then switches to Gaara. "Oh I see you've already met the Kazekage's youngest son. The one he said you should spar."

I turn surprised to Gaara, "You're the Kazekage's son?"

He shrugged in response.

Dads eyes then wandered to the arm I was holding, noticing it looked... Wrong. "Takara what happened to your arm?" His eyebrows furrowed as he bent down to inspect it.

"I fell on it funny when I pulled Gaara out of the way of an accident."

Dads gaze stared me down before he patted my head, "Good job".

He further inspected it while Gaara and I watched, "It's just a simple dislocation."

I nodded, "I'm ready for you to pop it back in."

He nodded back and then grabbed my shoulder with one hand and my armpit with the other. He yanked upward making a terrifying noise but I stood there silent with no emotion.

Dad nodded in approval of my reaction and then turned to Gaara again. "Well Gaara of the Sand. My daughter and I will be leaving Suna the day after tomorrow. I hope you two continue to get along. However, for today we must leave and find a place to stay."

I was shocked, Dad does realize Gaara's a boy right? Why is he not freaking out?

Gaara nodded and turned to walk away. "Goodbye Gaara! I hope to see you tomorrow!" I yelled after him, causing him to stop.

Without turning around "Ok, I'll meet you at the food stand from earlier." Then he ran away.

I turned to my Dad and smiled, "I made a friend!" He chuckled and rubbed my head.

The next morning I woke up to silence, a note said Dad had to leave for a meeting and I probably wouldn't see him again till dinner so I quietly got ready in a sad silence. I was definitely happy to be in Suna but I wished Dad and I could do more together.

I walked out of the large hotel building we were staying at and walked a short distance to the food stand from last night. To my horror Gaara was already there and eating. I ran and landed in the seat next to him.

"Ah I'm sorry I'm late! Have you been waiting long?"

He looked slightly startled and slowly shook his head.

"Oh good! Oi chef-san! I'll have an order of udon miso soup!"

The guy nodded and began to make it.

"So Gaara, what should we do today?" I asked chipper.

"Yes Gaara what should we do?" A voice behind me said.

I turned around lighting fast to come face to face with a girl. She had sand blonde hair in four pigtails and green eyes. She smirked at the two of us and stuck out her hand to me. "Hey, my name is Temari, I'm Gaara's older sister."

I instantly smiled back at her and grabbed her hand to shake it. "Nice to meet you Temari! My name is Takara Gushikan! But you can just call me Takara."

Temari turned to Gaara and laughed. "Why didn't you want me to meet her? This girl is a little ball of enthusiasm."

I gave her a cheesy smile. "I'll take that as a compliment!"

"So what were you two planning on doing?"

Gaara shrugged again and I scratched my head. "I actually don't know, the only thing I definitely want to do is go shopping for souvenirs for my friends but that should be last."

Temari shrugged and said "Might as well get it over with. So after eating we walked around as I got little trinkets for all my friends and my mom.

"So Takara, did you know you made a huge impression on our Dad? Especially after Gaara said you pulled him out of the way of falling equipment?"

I shook my head, mentally weighing if I should get Sasuke a bookmark or keychain.

"Well you did, and now our Dad is whining at Kankuro for not being as tough as you even though he's older."

I pulled a sour face. "Well that's not fair, everyone progresses differently."

She let out a "ha" and then continued. "That's a nice way of putting it."

"It's the correct way to put it," I told her.

Temari laughed again, "If that's the case the Leaf Village must be a great place to live."

I blinked at the comment before I slowly nodded, "Yes! It is!"

Temari and Gaara shared a brief look but didn't comment further.

While we walked down the street to nowhere in particular I glanced at Gaara who had barely said a word at all. "Is something wrong Gaara? You're so quiet." He looked surprised.

"No I'm fine, it just feels weird to have a friend."

I stared at him expecting a joke but quickly realized, 'I'm his only friend...'

"Heh well don't worry because we will be friends to the end!" I wrapped an arm around Temari's shoulders and Gaara's and we continued our way. I didn't even notice the sand didn't react but everyone else sure did.

We really didn't do a lot and just told stories and laughed.

I told them about my first time meeting Naruto. How Kiba fell into a creek and tried to doggy paddle. When Shikamaru devised a plan for us to prank our sensei after he got blamed for Naruto's actions. And the time Choji brought all of us lunch, which we shared under a tree.

They told me about Temari sneaking out to hang out with her friends in the park. And the time Gaara begged Temari to sew his teddy bear's arm back on. They seem like great siblings!

Eventually it got dark and I was forced to the hotel. It was a great day though, I made another friend!

The next and last day started in a similar fashion to the previous. I met up with Gaara and Temari and we walked about and chatted.

"So we have a little surprise for you today." Temari smirked.

I smiled huge, "Really!? What is it?"

Gaara glanced at me and said "Today you can come to our house." I grinned like a cat and yelled in joy, they both snickered.

We walked to a residential area and arrived at a large dark house with not much of a lawn. We entered and everything was pretty modest. I already figured that Gaara and Temari were probably rich because of their Dad. Everything was muted colors and was middle class quality. Like their father didn't want people to know just how rich they are.

Temari excitedly showed me around and Gaara would add in occasionally but he definitely looked pleased with himself. I got a glance in every room before we stopped in the living room, primarily talking about family.

"So Takara, what are your parents like? Do you have any siblings?" Temari asked, sitting on the couch with me in between her and Gaara.

"My Dad is pretty quiet and a good leader. He has been called one of the best ninjas in Konoha, so I've always really respected him. He can be pretty tough and he's trained me since I was four, that's why I'm as strong as I am." I started off. I sat on a chair and swung my legs back and forth.

"Most people don't like my Dad because it's part of the clans laws that we don't show emotion but I've always known he's cared about me a lot, even if he doesn't vocalize it." I thought back to how much effort Dad has put into my training and spending time with me.

"My Mom is super sweet. Everyone who meets her likes her and she is a Mom to all my friends, especially one of them who doesn't have parents. She is a ninja too, she works in the T&I division, in fact she's the leader right now. So it's my goal to one day take over the position from her. Compared to my Dad she is extremely emotional, so she is usually the one people sympathize with when bad things happen." I giggled, "She gets teary really fast and whines like a kid."

"People sometimes say that I'm too far gone and will lack emotions like my Dad, which I'm fine with. As for siblings, I wish I had one, I'd love a little brother or sister to dress up and play with their curls." To emphasize I shook my head of wild curls.

Temari laughed at me, "You sure idolize your parents. It must feel nice to be supported like that." Her tone was light and playful but the meaning gave me pause.

"You don't seem emotionless to me." Gaara vocalized and it made me falter.

I laughed a little nervously and scratched the back of my head, "Think so?"

"I do," He stated simply. "Do you want to be?"

I fell silent, the gears in my head roaring to life as I considered his question. Do I? I opened my mouth to respond, but quieted at the sound of someone entering the room.

"Hey guys! What's going o-'' I made eye contact with a boy with short spiky hair. He cut himself off after seeing me. I immediately stood up and walked over to him.

"Oh you must be Kankuro! It's nice to meet you, I'm Taka-"

He slapped me.

Everything froze, Gaara and Temari's jaws dropped and I just stared at him with a hand on my cheek.

My Dads words rang in my head "Takara you are too simple, and you trust too much. Just remember every time someone slaps, touches, or brushes you, that could mean death as a ninja." I slowly pulled the hand away from my cheek and let it drop.

Containing the rage building up in me.

I was waiting for an explanation.

"You- you're the girl Dad's been comparing me to! 'Oh Kankuro this girl is two years younger than you but at this point she would win in a fight! Why don't you train more!' And then you had to go and make yourself a hero and make Temari and Gaara like you! It's just not far for them to compare us! Just because you're better than me now... Does that mean you'll always be better than me? Will I always have to hear stories about you?!"

I raise an eyebrow at the outburst and it feels like something clicks off in my brain. 'Wow he really thought this through. Well there's only one thing to do.'

I bowed to him. Curls flying into my face concealing the placid look on my face.

"You're right. They don't have the right to compare us. We are two separate people who deserve respect. I'm sorry I caused your Dad to be hard on you. And no. I probably won't be better than you for much longer. In fact, all I have is taijutsu. I don't know how much your father knows about me, but I'll tell you something that might make you feel better. But please, keep it to yourselves." I raised myself back up, allowing a natural mask to fall on my face. A look of stoicness.

"There is a chance I can't even become a ninja; I was born with a birth defect. It makes it almost impossible for me to use chakra. My reserves are minuscule and my veins are too thin. Even after two years of physical therapy my veins are only three percent bigger. They need to be 50% for me to function correctly. Therefore I have no ninjutsu or genjutsu except for my kekkei genkai, which has not even come in yet. So don't feel inferior to me. Right now I'm just a lowly citizen that's in good shape. Just be happy you can use chakra". I pressed my lips into a thin line but maintained eye contact. I felt embarrassed that he hit me. I feel ashamed.

Kankuro was stunned silent and Temari and Gaara were looking at me with pity. I hate that. Yes, I don't have chakra but I'd rather not be pitied.

"If you'll excuse me, I think I'll return back to my father now, it is quite late. Temari, Gaara, it was very nice meeting you two and I consider you my dear friends. I believe this to be the last time we will most likely see each other. However, I hope to see you in the future once more. Kankuro, I hope things go better for you. Goodbye everyone" I bowed quickly and made my way out of the house.

I ran towards our hotel at a constant speed until I reached the more populated area. The sun was starting to dip, making the whole village seemingly burn red. It's beautiful.

I located the food stand I had been frequenting and sat down. I ordered my soup and waited. It was not long though before Gaara suddenly sat next to me, startling me. "Gaara? What are you doing here?"

He sighed and ordered his own food before turning to me. "I figured you were hungry." We sat in silence and ate.

"I'm sorry about your... Defect." Gaara mumbled.

I nodded and said thanks.

"Temari punched Kankuro and is scolding him."

I let out an airy chuckle, the poor guy. It was silent again.

"You told me your secret." Gaara said slowly and quietly.I turned and looked at him from the corner of my eye. "So I'll tell you mine. My Mom died giving birth to me because I have a demon in me. The sand seems to be from him. I can't be touched or hurt. It's the ultimate defense."

I silently raise my eyebrows and think back to all of our experiences. "That's… I'm sorry." Because what else can you say?

"I just want… someone to care. To hold my hand. To tell me they love me." His voice was weak, and I had to strain my ears to hear him. "But Everyone calls me a monster. You saw those kids… And… it feels true. The sand moves on its own… It hurts people. Kills… them." His eyes were wet with tears, but the tears never fell.

I closed my own eyes and shook my head. "That's not fair. It's not your fault."

"My own Dad hates me," he cuts me off. He misses my Mom a lot. I hear him get angry about it and yell."

It was hard for me to imagine my father hating me. I couldn't relate to him and I started to feel awkward.

"My uncle tried to kill me. No one loves me. My siblings are afraid of me." He continued but I set a hand on his shoulder drawing his eyes to mine.

We stared at each other for what felt like minutes but was probably only seconds. After he rubbed the tears from his eyes I gave him a tiny smile.

"Gaara you're my friend, so I love you! You're not alone and I'm pretty sure Temari cares about you too. Don't be sad." He leaned his face on my shoulder and I patted his back in a comforting way.

"You're going away, but you're my only friend." Gaara said sadly, muffled by my shirt.

"Oh Gaara, I'm positive we will see each other again. Not a doubt in my mind!" I responded as I ease him off my shoulder and give him a large smile. He cracked the tiniest of smiles too.

"Takara, you said your Mom acts like the Mom of your friends right? Do you think she would do that for me?"

I squeeze his shoulder, "Of course! When you meet her I'm sure she'll adopt you just like she did all of my friends! Be warned, she is weird."

That elicited a larger smile.

We didn't sit there much longer, and I walked home by myself.

Dad was pissed that there was an outline of a hand stamped on my face and gave me another lecture about being killed if I let people get too close. He regaled me with a story of someone he knew getting their throat slit by what they thought was a friend.

I'm not sure if the stories are true but I do know he's dramatic.

We got up super early and got ready. We had a light breakfast and then walked to the gates where...

"Takara!"

Temari tackled me into a hug. "I'm so sorry about Kankuro! Don't worry he was punished! And I'm sorry about what happened to you, but you're strong, I know you'll push through." Then she bent down to my ear and whispered, "Don't worry, your secret is safe with the Sand Siblings!"

I laughed and hugged her back saying I'd see her again.

Then Gaara came and gave me a melancholy goodbye to which I responded, "It's not goodbye! See you soon my friend!" He smiled at me.

Surprisingly Kankuro was there too. "I'm sorry for slapping you." He pushed sand around with the tip of his shoe. At least he looked ashamed of his actions.

"It's okay, I know you were just fired up from everything." We shook hands and everything was satiated.

Dad and I walked out of the gate while I waved at the trio.

"See you again someday!" I yelled, and then Dad and I started the journey back.

Authors Note:

So I will be on vacation again for all of next week.

Hopefully I should finish the next chapter while on vacation, but I might not be able to upload until Monday or so.

It all depends if there is wifi for my laptop or not.

Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. I have been itching to introduce Gaara to Takara for a while now. I just love the dynamic, like Naruto too.

Also if you have been interested in my DeviantArt (Link here: ) then you'll be glad to hear I added a new picture of Takara, this time as a three year old. I still think it's cute. If you're not too excited about these age pictures then you guys can request scenes you liked and I can try drawing those. Maybe a little Manga scenes?

I'm not sure, but I do want to hear your opinions and requests. Also because I'll be gone, the next drawing I'm preparing might be a little late as well.

All and all, thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it, and have a nice day.

~ToL

Updated!