Naruto 1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I wish I do, but I don't.

My first Naruto fic. This was inspired by the Shippuden ending: Nagareboshi.

Chapter One- First Meetings

It was your typical, warm, sunny day in the village of Suna. Villagers went about their business and shinobis guarded the walls of their beloved village. Inside the Suna Ninja School, a Chuunin teacher had just finished teaching her students the Kage Bunshin No Justsu. The class was still young so their doppelgangers weren't as good as the Genin level, but not bad for beginners. When the last student managed to create another rather weak-looking clone, she decided that it was time to move on to a different lesson.

"That was alright Hiro," Minako Manabe told her student, gently. She prodded him back to his seat. "Keep practicing and you'll get it. Now, why don't we-"

A hand flew in the air.

"Yes Tomoyo?" she called to another student, a young girl with purple hair in pigtails.

"Minako-sensei, you haven't told us yet how Kazekage-sama proposed to you," Tomoyo piped in her cute little voice.

A small blush found its way to Mina's cheeks. Her chocolate-brown eyes flashed to the sparkling ring on her finger. "Well, that's hardly part of our lessons-"

"Sensei, what was your love story like?" another student, Megumi, asked.

"Kids-"

"My brother said you were the reason why Kazekage-sama is the way he is now," a young boy, Dai, announced. "How did that happen?"

"Well, I-"

"Please tell us!" some students chorused.

Mina shook her head at her students. "My personal life is hardly something to be discussed in class."

"But there's only ten minutes left of class," Tomoyo said. "Please, sensei?"

The class flashed her pouty, pleading faces. Mina bit her lip. One thing about teaching children, their cuteness gets to you.

"It's a very long story."

"We don't mind!"

Sighing dejectedly, the eighteen-year old Chuunin settled herself on the edge of her desk.

"Tell you what, if you all do well on your lessons every day, I'll tell you our story bit by it until it's finished. However, you must be able to perform the jutsus I teach you really well, not perfect it, but at least get close. I'll determine when that's possible. Do we have a deal?"

"Yeah!" the class cheered.

Mina chuckled. "Alright. Since you did so well on your first try on the Kage Bunshin, I'll tell you a little bit of my love story with the Kazekage."

Megumi raised her hand. "Can you start with when you first met? How did you meet Kazekage-sama?"

Their sensei smiled softly, remembering that time. "Well, it all started with a shooting star."

Her class tilted their heads to the side. "A shooting star?"

"Hai. A shooting star…"

Eleven Years Ago…

"There! That's the last box!"

A young, sixteen year old girl wiped the sweat from her brow and placed her hands on her hips. She stared around the bare, future living room. Boxes full of belongings occupied the space. Smiling widely, her eyes found her younger sister, a seven year old girl with dark hair and brown eyes, clutching a small rag doll in her arms.

"Well, Mina-chan? What do you think of our new home?" the teenager asked, happily.

The little girl did not smile. Instead, she stared sadly at her older sister, holding her doll closer. "Why did we have to leave home, nee-chan?"

Kari's happy demeanor disappeared and she sighed. She walked up to Mina and kneeled on the floor to her height. She placed two hands on the child's shoulders. "I've already told you, little sister. There were too many bitter memories back home. I don't want you to grow up surrounded by the past. Now that Otou-san and Okaa-san are gone, there's just the two of us left." She pulled the little girl into her arms. "And I promise you Mina, we're going to have a better life here, much better than the life that awaited us if we stayed in the Mist village." She pulled away and wiped the tears that had formed on her little sister's eyes. "Now, why don't you help me unpack these? We can go shopping for the other things we need tomorrow."

Mina forced a smile. "Hai, nee-chan!"

That night, after Kari had put her to bed and turned off the lights, Mina sat up and took her doll, Yuki. She tiptoed quietly to the window next to her bed, opened it, and cautiously climbed out into the small roof. For a while, the young girl just sat there, staring at the dark skies filled with hundreds of little lights. She liked this spot. It had a marvelous view of the village as well as the night sky. Maybe she'll make this her spot. Besides, when she first saw this roof, she knew that she wanted the room that would allow her to get into it. And good thing Kari-nee let her.

Mina sighed, sadly. She missed the Mist village. She missed her house above the little Music schoolroom. Her mother was from the Sound Village but after marrying a Mist Village shinobi, she moved into the Mist village. However, she couldn't live without her music, so she set up a small music school for children who didn't want to become ninjas. Attached to the music school was an instrument shop. The only shinobi in their family was Mina's father and Kari was in training, but for some reason, her older sister did not feel that the shinobi life was her desired life. She preferred her mother's quiet life with music. It was Mina who dreamt of the shinobi life, but their father did not believe her capable. When Mina was born, she was born with weak lungs; too much exertion would cause her to run out of breath. It was hard for her to play with other children because any time, she would feel her chest constrict, unable to fill her lungs with air. Because of this, their father never expected too much from her. To him, Mina was weak and vulnerable, always the one who should be protected.

When their father died during a mission last winter, their mother wilted away. She refused to teach her music so Kari abandoned her Genin status and taught music in their mother's stead. Mina wanted to go to ninja school but like their father, their mother believed her to be incapable of becoming a shinobi because of her condition. Kari begged her little sister to abide by their mother's wishes; her condition might worsen if she finds out that Mina was in ninja school. But not a few months after, their mother died as well. There were too many bitter memories in the Mist village. So Kari decided that the only way for her and her little sister to move on from the grief was to move away. She decided on Suna because it was different from the Mist. So, she sold the school and the shop, packed their belongings, and moved to the Sand village. And here they were.

Mina looked down at her doll and constant companion. "Yuki-chan, I hope everything's going to be alright. I hope nee-chan will be alright too. I know she's still sad and I am too." She breathed the cool night air. "But I have to brave. I have to be just like Otou-san, a brave shinobi. Well… Future shinobi." Smiling, she held her doll up in front of her. "If I can't be a Mist nin, I'll be a Sand nin! That's a promise, Yuki-chan!"

The doll simply smiled up at her. The little girl held her closely and stared up at the sky. "Otou-san, Okaa-san, even if you didn't want me to be a ninja, I'll still do it! I'll exceed your expectations! I'll make you proud of me!"

A streak of light caught her eye. "Look Yuki-chan! A shooting star!" Excitedly, she closed her eyes. "I wish that Suna will become my home. I wish that I'll become a great kunoichi. And… I wish that I'll have a friend."

Smiling widely, Mina continued to watch the night sky.

At the same moment, a small, seven-year old boy with fiery red hair and dark circles under his teal-blue eyes, sat on the roof of his house, clutching a brown teddy-bear. He looked up at the sky, sadly.

_I want a friend_, he thought. He caught sight of the shooting star. His Uncle Yashamaru said that shooting stars could grant wishes. Maybe he should give it a try.

"I wish… I wish for a friend…"

A couple of days later, after walking home from the grocery store, children playing in the park caught Mina's attention. She paused to watch them, longingly. She didn't have a friend yet and she was getting really lonely. Noticing the look on her little sister's face, Kari prodded her on the back.

"Go on," she said, smiling. "I'll pick you up before sundown."

The little girl's eyes shined. "Really?"

Kari nodded. "Go on, make friends and have fun. Okay?"

Mina squeezed her sister's legs. "Arigatou, onee-chan!"

With Yuki under her arm, Mina skipped happily towards the playing children. "Konnichiwa minna-san! I'm Minako Manabe, it's nice to meet you!"

"Konnichiwa! Wanna play with us?"

"Hai!"

The once lonely little girl finally had friends. She happily played tag with them, made sand castles, and kicked ball. She was having so much fun! And despite the heavy exercise underneath the heat, she didn't lose her breath.

She kicked the bright blue ball and it landed by the swings. "I'll get it!"

She ran towards the swings, but stopped when she saw a boy holding a teddy bear pick it up, tentatively. She was struck speechless with interest. His hair… it was so… different… and pretty. And his eyes were a pretty blue too but how come he has black circles around them? He looked like… He looked like a cute little panda! The boy saw her and looked terrified. So, she smiled at him.

"Hello," she greeted.

He looked startled. "Y-You're… talking to me?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" She tilted her head to the side.

"B-Because… aren't you afraid of me?"

"Why would I be afraid of you?"

He didn't reply, simply looked at her. She gestured to the ball. "Would you like to play with us?"

He looked taken aback. "R-Really?"

Mina beamed at him. "Yeah!"

But no sooner had she said it when several voices screamed, "Mina-chan! No! Stay away from him!"

"Eh?" Mina turned to the other children in astonishment. "What do you mean?"

One of the boys grabbed her arm and began to pull her away. "He's dangerous!"

"Dangerous? He seems nice to me!"

The red-haired boy began to look sadly and longingly at her. What were these other children talking about? He seems really nice and he looked really lonely. He needed a friend.

Using all of her seven-year old strength, Mina pulled her arm away. "No, I'm playing with him! You're all mean!"

And to the other children's surprise, she ran up to the red-haired kid and took the ball from his hands.

"Hey, that's my ball!" one of the girls screamed.

Mina tossed the ball back to them. "You can have your ball back! The two of us are fine without it!"

They all frowned at her.

"Whatever, people from the Mist village are weird," one of the boys said.

Mina felt her blood boil in anger. How dare they insult her home? But before she could do anything, like tackle them to the ground, they all turned on their heels and ran away to the other side of the playground. Crossing her arms, she turned to the red-haired boy.

"Hmph! We don't need them! We can play by ourselves!" she said, taking his hand and pulling him towards the sandbox.

The boy didn't say anything, just stared at her. Noticing this, Mina stopped in her tracks. "What is it? What's wrong?"

In a soft voice, he said, "You want to play with me?"

"Yeah!"

"Why?"

"Why not?"

He didn't reply so Mina just beamed at him. "I'm Minako Manabe! And this is Yuki-chan!" She showed him her doll. "It's nice to meet you!"

Slowly, the boy smiled. "I'm Gaara. And this is Teddy-chan."

"It's nice to meet you Gaa-chan! Teddy-chan! Let's play!"

The rest of the afternoon, the two children played in the sandbox. Mina was amazed that he could control sand so expertly at such a young age. She could barely do a simple ninjutsu yet but Kari promised to enroll her in Suna's Ninja Academy. When the sun was about to set, Kari arrived to take her home. Mina introduced her to her new friend.

When Kari smiled at the young boy and shook his hand, Gaara looked stunned, as if no one had ever talked to him before.

"Can we play again tomorrow Gaa-chan?" Mina asked.

"R-Really?"

"Yeah!"

Gaara smiled. "Yeah!"

"Great! I'll see you tomorrow then!"

And with that, Mina waved good-bye to her new friend.

After they left, a long-haired man arrived at the playground. He called to the little boy and Gaara ran to his side, smiling widely.

"Yashamaru, I made a new friend today!"

His uncle's eyes opened wide. "Really?"

"Yeah! She's really nice! She said she wants to play with me again tomorrow!"

"Well, that's good then Gaara. I'm happy for you."

Present Day…

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. Mina's students groaned as they prepared to leave. The Chuunin giggled lightly.

"Time to go. Have a nice day everyone!"

"Will you tell us more tomorrow, sensei?"

"If you do well with your Kage Bunshin No Jutsus, then yes. So you better study your scrolls!"

"Hai, sensei. Mata ashita!"

"Mata ashita, minna-san!"


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I wish I do but I don't.

Chapter 2- Friends Forever?

Mina smiled at her class. "Wow, I'm impressed. All of you did so well today."

Indeed, the children surprised her. Every single one of them managed to create at least one healthy-looking clone. The clones disappeared after a few seconds of appearing but nevertheless, it was a great improvement from yesterday. If this keeps up, Suna will have some of the most accomplished shinobis and kunoichis in the whole country. Mina wondered what made her students suddenly so keen on doing well when their Genin exams were not for another year.

"Alright, since all of you had the Kage Bunshin down, let's move on to some Copy jutsus-"

"But sensei!" Megumi's hand flew in the air. "You promised that if we do well on our Clone jutsus, you'd tell us more about your love story."

Oh right. So that was what had them motivated. Well, she did promise…

Sighing, Mina sat on her desk. "Where did I leave off yesterday?"

"After you first met Kazekage-sama," Hiro volunteered.

"Right. Well, after that, Gaara and I became best friends. We met at the playground every day and played. He showed me more of his sand jutsus and once my sister got around to me teaching me the Manabe clan's Elemental jutsus, I showed him what I could do…"

**lovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelove**

11 years ago…

"Wow, that was amazing!" Gaara praised, an impressed smile on his face.

"Thanks!" Mina replied, as the small cyclone dropped golden sand back into the sandbox before disappearing. "That's all I can do for now. But nee-chan said that if I practice a lot more, it'll be bigger!"

"Really? Then you can blow away a forest!"

"Yeah!" She turned to look at the sandbox. "I can't do a flame jutsu or a wave jutsu yet though. Nee-chan said they're really hard."

"It's okay. You'll practice. Hey, can you do that earthquake thing again? That one is cool."

"Okay, stand back."

Gaara took a few steps away from her, clutching both Teddy-chan and Yuki-chan in his arms. Mina took a deep breath, loosened her arms, like what Kari-nee taught her, and with a yell of, "Earthquake-jutsu!", brought her small hands onto the ground. There came one, two, three shakes before everything was normal again.

She pouted, disappointed. "It's not strong enough yet."

Gaara shook his head as he approached her. "That wasn't so bad. I wish I could do that. All I can do is control sand."

"But that's cool too Gaa-chan. No one around here can do that."

Her friend sighed, sadly. "That's why they're all afraid of me."

Mina's eyebrows furrowed. "I'm not afraid of you. They're all stupid for being afraid of you. You're so much fun to be with!"

The panda-like boy's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"

Mina smiled and nodded.

"You're fun to be with too, Mina-chan. I'm glad we're friends."

"Then that settles it!" Mina clenched her hand into a fist, proudly. "We're best friends forever!"

"Forever?"

"Hai. Forever!"

Gaara's surprised face broke into a smile and Mina was glad. She liked it when Gaara smiled. It made her all warm and fuzzy inside. She wanted Gaara to always smile, to always be happy. And she was going to make sure of it.

"Mina-chan!"

The little girl turned her head. "Oh, nee-chan!"

"It's getting a little late. We should go home now."

"Oh." Mina looked sadly at her friend. She didn't want to leave yet. "Who's picking you up? Isn't your uncle on a mission?"

Gaara shrugged. "I don't know."

Kari came up to them and heard what Gaara said. She tilted her head to the side. "No one's coming for you Gaara-chan?"

The little boy shrugged. Kari gave him a sad look then smiled. "Well then, you're gonna have to come with us. Stay for dinner at our house and then I'll send a message to the Kazekage tower. Do you mind?"

Gaara's panda-like eyes opened wide. "Really?"

Kari beamed. "Of course!"

Mina made a little dance. "Yey! You finally get to visit our house!"

Gaara simply smiled. "I've… I've never been invited anywhere before."

"Well then," Kari said, taking his hand and her sister's. "We're honored to be the first."

On the way home, Mina wondered at the villagers' disapproving and frightened stares. What was wrong with them? They were only going home.

Meanwhile, Kari wasn't oblivious to the stares. She knew why they were staring. But she didn't care. She didn't care that this boy was a jinchuriki. Besides, it wasn't his fault that his heartless father decided to turn him into a vessel for a monster. What was important to Kari was that her little sister had a friend and was happy. Kari couldn't understand Suna's villagers. They were so… Cold. And towards a child at that! But whatever, she didn't care. Besides, Gaara was a sweet child. Not to mention, he looked so much like a panda that she couldn't help but inwardly squeal at his kawaii-ness!

**chibigaarachibigaarachibigaara**

"So you like watching the stars too?" Gaara asked as he and Mina sat on the roof.

It was after dinner and while waiting for a response from the Kazekage tower, Mina took her friend to her spot: the roof. Gaara was clutching his teddy bear and Mina, her doll. His friend nodded. "Hai. They're so fun to watch and you never know what shape they could form. It's like watching clouds, except you have to connect the dots to see the shape. Like that one!" She pointed to the sky. "If you connect those stars with those, and those with those, they form an ice cream."

Gaara looked and saw that she was right. He squinted at the sky and smiled. He pointed. "And that group looks like a smiling face!"

"Oh yeah. Great job, Gaa-chan!"

They spent the next couple of minutes connecting the stars to form different figures. They were having so much fun!

When it was almost ten o'clock and no response from the Kazekage tower, Kari decided to let Gaara stay for the night. She'll take him home herself the next day. When she entered her little sister's room and looked out into the roof, she smiled softly. The children were curled up next to each other, fast asleep. Smiles played on their peaceful faces. Slowly, Kari went out into the roof, picked up her little sister and took her back to the room. She laid Mina down on the bed then went back out the roof to get Gaara. She laid him next to Mina, pulled the cover to their chins, and kissed their foreheads.

Before leaving the room, she heard a soft, "Kaa-san?"

Kari turned to see Gaara reach out, clutching air. Instantly, she felt her heart ache with pity for this child. She walked back to him, took his hand, and gently placed it back on his stomach. She remained in the room for several more minutes before leaving.

**chibigaarachibigaarachibigaara **

A few months later…

"I'll be back before you know it!" Mina assured Gaara.

Her best friend shifted, uncomfortably. "I'll be lonely without you," he muttered.

Mina frowned. "Well then, while I'm gone, why don't you try making friends? But if they hurt you, tell me and I'll use my cyclone jutsu on them."

Gaara frowned. "Why do you always want to protect me?"

"Because you're my best friend silly!"

The little boy averted his eyes from her, holding back tears that were threatening to fall. His best friend and Kari-nee (yes, he called her Kari-nee now) were leaving to visit a sick friend of Kari in the Mist village. They would be gone for at least a week and Gaara didn't know how he could get along without them. Besides Yashamaru, they were the only ones who were nice to him.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Kari-nee beaming at him. "We'll bring you back lots of souvenirs Gaa-chan. Promise!" She kissed him on the forehead. "Be good, okay?"

Gaara nodded before wrapping his tiny arms around her waist. Kari's hand ruffled his unruly red hair. When he pulled away from her, he turned to Mina. "I'll miss you, Mina-chan."

Mina bit her lip. "I'll miss you too Gaa-chan."

Gaara shuffled his foot, shyly. "Um, here." He opened the small bag at his feet and handed Mina a black and white panda bear. "So that you won't forget me."

Mina's eyes were wide as she accepted the bear. She squeezed it against her chest before throwing her arms around Gaara's neck. "I love it! Arigatou Gaa-chan! Of course I won't forget you, you're my best friend!"

A few minutes later, as the caravan began to leave the Sand village, Mina poked her head out the window and waved to her best friend. "Sayonara Gaa-chan! I'll see you soon!"

Gaara weakly lifted a hand and waved back. "Sayonara Mina-chan."

**chibigaarachibigaarachibigaara**

A week later…

As soon as she set her bag down on the living room couch, the seven-year old dug into her bag and finally found the neatly wrapped package. Excitedly, she ran out the door.

"Mina-chan! You should change first!" her sister called after her.

Kari's words were not heeded, but nevertheless, she smiled fondly at her retreating little sister. She must really have missed Gaara; in fact, both of them missed him. But Mina missed him the most. Kari hoped that he'll like Mina's little gift; her little sister spent three days looking for the perfect present to bring home to him. Sighing, Kari was about to go back into the house when a neighbor called to her.

"Yes?"

The neighbor, a middle-aged woman nervously looked at her. "Is your little sister on her way to the playground?"

"Oh yes. She's there to meet a friend."

The woman suddenly looked frightened. "Go after her, now! And bring her home!"

Kari began to look confused. "Why? What's wrong?"

The woman's eyes narrowed. "It's that… That child!"

Kari rolled her eyes. Of course it was about Gaara, what else?

"That little monster killed his uncle a few nights ago!"

The sixteen-year old paused. "Nani? What do you mean? Gaara would never-"

"Oh, but he did!" the woman wagged a finger at her. "Everybody knows about it.

Yashamaru-sama's funeral was yesterday and that little monster been spending time in the playground. Anyone who went near him were either strangled by sand or trapped in it! You have to get your sister!"

Not realizing that she had begun to shake, Kari decided to follow the woman's advice, not because she believed that Gaara had done such a thing, but because she was worried about how it had affected the kid, himself. Gaara loved Yashamaru and Kari believed that he would never hurt him. He was very close to his uncle and the man's death must have hit him pretty hard.

**chibigaarachibigaarachibigaara**

Meanwhile, Mina happily skipped around the playground, looking for her best friend. Finally, she found him at their usual spot by the sandbox. He was sitting at the edge of the box, just staring at the golden grains at his feet.

"Gaa-chan! I'm back!" she called, waving at him.

But when Gaara turned his head to look at her, Mina stopped in her tracks. Her best friend looked… Different. What's the mark on his forehead? And why does he look so angry? Was he mad at her for taking so long in coming back?

Tentatively, she approached. "Um… Gaa-chan, I'm back."

He simply replied with silence.

Hurt, Mina tried again. She held out her present. "Here's the souvenir Kari-nee and I promised!"

Still, no reaction. He didn't even move to take the gift.

"Gaa-chan? What's wrong? Did the other kids make fun of you again?" Mina narrowed her delicate, brown orbs. "Not to worry, I'll protect you!"

"NO!" Gaara screamed at her.

The little girl jumped back in surprise. Did Gaara just… yell at her?

"LEAVE ME ALONE! I DON'T NEED YOU!"

And with that, he got up from the sandbox and began to walk away. Mina's present fell to the ground, but she hardly noticed as she rushed after him.

"Gaa-chan…"

To her shock and dismay, Gaara's sand had begun to swirl around her torso and flung her back against a tree. The sharp bark pierced her delicate skin. She could feel something trickle down her arm but she was too afraid to look. She was watching Gaara and, for the first time, watched him in fear. Gaara looked at her, angrily. This wasn't Gaara… This wasn't her best friend…. Gaara would never hurt her… Who was this person?

Mina began to cry, salty tears flowed down her cheeks. But Gaara just stood there, a small, sadistic smile on his face. A terrible, mean smile. Slowly but surely, the sand released her and she fell to the ground.

"You're not worth killing," he said before turning around and walking away.

"Gaa-chan…" Mina choked out, the tears coming faster than ever. "Gaa-chan… Gaa-chan…"

Mina didn't know how long she stayed there on the ground, watching the spot her best friend had stood, smiling evilly at her. Who was he? Where was Gaara? The real Gaara? Her best friend Gaara? She didn't know that her breathing came in short, hurried gasps, that her ailment was acting up, that she needed her medication or else she'd die.

That was why when she woke up in her room, on her bed, she was confused. Was it just a dream? Did she dream everything? Maybe Gaara wasn't the mean person he was in her dream. He was still Gaara, her best friend.

"Oh, Mina-chan, you're awake." Kari entered the bedroom with a tray of food. She set it down on the bedside table, next to a soiled package: Gaara's present. "How are you feeling, little sister?"

"I had the most horrible dream nee-chan," Mina replied. "I dreamt that Gaa-chan wasn't Gaa-chan. He hurt me in my dream, but he would never do that."

Kari simply gave her a sad look and stroked her hair. "Mina… That wasn't… a dream. Gaara-chan did hurt you."

The little girl's eyes widened. Finally, she felt the ache in her arms and saw the single scar running down her right forearm. Gaara… did this?… He… hurt her?

"'But onee-chan, why?" She had begun to cry again. "Why would he hurt me? We're best friends forever!"

Kari took her shoulders. "Listen to me, little sister. Gaara's… changed. His uncle… He killed his uncle by accident a couple of nights ago."

Mina sniffled. "But Gaara loves his uncle Yashamaru."

Her sister looked at her, sadly and sighed. "The world of shinobis is full of violence and death. When you become a shinobi, you will understand. I… I don't want to expose you to these things at such a young age, but because being a shinobi is your dream, I suppose it's for the best." She sighed, playing with a strand of her little sister's dark hair. "Nothing in this world is easy, Mina-chan. The reason I didn't want to become a kunoichi is because of this; killing and death. Many shinobis kill with honor and die with honor; and deserve it. However, there are some who are given honor, and don't deserve it." Kari shook her head, as tears sprung to her eyes. "Our father deserved that honor; he died protecting us and the village; he is a true shinobi. Gaara's uncle Yashamaru; the people believed he died with honor but I must tell you this; he doesn't deserve that honor."

Mina gulped and blinked. "W-W-Why?"

"Because he tried to kill Gaara, his own nephew."

Mina's hand flew to her mouth. "B-But… W-Why would he?"

Her older sister gave her another sad look. "Do you know why people stay away from Gaara? Why the other children wouldn't play with him?"

Mina shook her head.

"It's because before he was born, his father turned him into a vessel for the Shukaku, a demon. They wanted to use Gaara as a weapon, but they underestimated its powers. Gaara's ability to control sand is because of the Shukaku inside him. To the eyes of the people in this village, Gaara is a monster, simply because he has the demon inside him."

"But, he's not a monster! Gaa-chan is a really nice person and a really good friend. How could they think otherwise?"

Mina's body shook with grief and anger that Kari pulled her close, comforting her the best she could. "Shhh… It's alright… It's okay to cry… But Mina-chan, promise me something? Promise me that from now on, you must keep away from Gaara."

Mina's eyes opened wide and she pulled away from her sister. "W-W-What? No… No! I won't do it! Gaa-chan needs me!"

Kari shook her head and took Mina by the shoulders. "Right now, Gaara needs to find himself. This new person is not him. You must allow him to find himself again Mina-chan."

"B-But-"

"Listen to me." Kari's brown eyes locked with her sister's own. "I'm not asking you to stay away from him because I now believe that he's a monster, I don't. To me, he is still Gaara. But I don't want either of you to get hurt." She wiped a tear from the young girl's wet face. "Please understand why I'm asking this from you. You must leave Gaara to discover himself."

"But I want to help him."

"And you can. But you must do it from afar."

"H-How?"

Kari shook her head. "That's the hard part. You must figure it out. I'll help you in any way I can, but it's up to you Mina-chan. You're his best friend. You might not know how at this moment, but you will. For now, give him some space. Okay?"

Sniffling, Mina reluctantly nodded. "Okay. But nee-chan, I'm still his best friend. I'll do anything to help him!"

Kari smiled and pulled her close. "That's my girl."

That night, when Kari-nee thought she was asleep, Mina grabbed Yuki-chan and Panda-chan and climbed out onto the roof. She stared up at the stars, sadly. She missed Gaara. She wanted to see him. She wanted to tell him that she was still here, she'll help him. But… He'll just push her away.

Sighing, she looked up at the sky. "Please help me find a way to help Gaa-chan. He needs me."

Meanwhile, little Gaara stared up at the sky from his own roof.

_You don't need anyone_, the voice inside his head said.

"I don't need anyone," the little boy repeated.

_I am your mother. I'll protect you._

"You are my mother and you'll protect me."

_Good Gaara. Love only yourself._

"Love only myself."

**chibigaarachibigaarachibigaara**

The next morning, before her sister was awake, little seven-year old Minako Manabe sneaked out of her home and ran through the village. In her arms was a package with a note. She was still tired and wanted to go to sleep. But she knew she probably wouldn't have a chance like this again. This was her only chance. After what felt like a long time running, she found it: Gaara's house.

Breathing in deeply, she set her sights on a window she knew to be his. If he was there, that was great; she could still talk to him. If he wasn't… then yesterday was the last time they would ever speak until the day comes when her best friend finds himself again. With a purpose, she set the package on the ground.

_Hope this works, _she thought, raising her palms to the package. "Cyclone no jutsu!"

A small whirl of wind appeared and carried the package. She directed the little cyclone up the window and hoped that it had landed somewhere where Gaara could see it. Disbanding her jutsu, she waited a few minutes. Nothing.

Holding tears as her heart broke, Mina looked at the window one last time before turning on her heels and running back home.

When Gaara entered his room from breakfast, his eye caught sight of a brown package on his bed. Curious, he walked to it and picked it up. There was a note with the words:

I WON'T GIVE UP ON YOU! I PROMISE!

He simply stared at the note before proceeding to open the package. A small book tumbled out: The Book of Stars and Constellations. At first, Gaara just looked at it, his head tilted to the side in astonishment. Then, he sat on his bed, turned to the first page, and began to read.

**lovelovelovelovelovelovelove**

Present Day…

"Now, now, why are you crying?" Mina grabbed a tissue box and handed it to one of her students. "It wasn't that sad, was it?"

"It was very, very sad sensei!" a little girl by the name Isuzu cried out.

The other girls agreed.

"Don't be such babies, we all know it's going to be a happy ending!" Dai snapped.

"Dai…" Mina warned.

"Gomen sensei."

Suddenly, the bell rang and the class groaned in disappointment. Mina just giggled.

"If you do well on the Copy jutsus tomorrow, you'll hear more! So I suggest some advance studying."

"Hai sensei!"

And with that, her students left the classroom one by one. Not even after the last child left, Mina felt a familiar chakra nearby. _What on Earth is he doing here so early?_

Sure enough, she could hear her students yell, "Kazekage-sama!"

The Chuunin could feel heat rush into her cheeks. After years of being together, he still had that effect on her. Why?

As if answering her, the red-haired Kazekage entered her classroom, no longer in his official robes but in normal, shinobi clothes. He smiled softly at her and she couldn't help but smile back.

Well, because he was Gaara.

Her fiancé walked up to her and kissed her on the forehead. His lips lingered there for a while. "I missed you."

She giggled. "We saw each other last night."

"It felt longer."

She loved the feel of his arms around her, his warm body pressed against hers. Damn, how she loved this guy!

"I heard you telling your students about us," he said, releasing her a bit so he could look at her.

She chuckled and pulled away so she could erase the board. "They wanted to hear our story. And I made a deal with them that if they do well in their lessons, I'll tell them our story bit by bit. And so far, it's working; they're all motivated."

His arms snaked around her waist and his nose buried in her dark hair. Sighing, she leaned against him, content before turning around to peck him lightly on the lips. He leaned his forehead against hers as one of his hands ran down her right arm. A finger traced the faint pink scar running down her forearm.

Mina frowned. He only did this when he felt guilty about something.

"Love? What's wrong?" she asked, staring into his face, worriedly.

He shook his head before pulling away. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it." He smiled then took her hand. "Come one. Let's go."

Deciding that it was best that she didn't ask, Mina grabbed her bag and hand-in-hand with Gaara, walked out of the classroom.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I wish I do but I don't.

Chapter 3- Finally a Genin!

Passer-bys could hear the groans from disappointed students from inside the Ninja school. Inside, the students begged and pleaded with their teacher. But she was persistent with her "No."

"One more try for all of you," she insisted. "And then I'll see if you deserve a story today."

One by one, the students lined up in front of her, doing their best to copy her image. A few managed but most couldn't. This new jutsu was harder than they thought. But they were persistent, she could tell by the amount of chakra each of them were releasing in order to complete the jutsu. And she was rather impressed with her class' efforts. Anything to hear her and Gaara's love story. It may seem ludicrous to the other Chuunin teachers but her class was taking everything seriously. She really wondered what was it about her and Gaara's story that her students actually wanted to do well so they could hear it?

Ten minutes later, she decided to reward them with another piece of her tale.

"Alright, so after that little incident, I did stay away from Gaara, but that didn't mean I completely forgot about him. To me, he was still my best friend. So, I looked out for him as we went to Ninja school together…"

**lovelovelovelovelove**

Six years ago…

Three friends walked to school together.

One of them was a thirteen-year old boy with shaggy blonde hair and blue eyes. He wore a green shirt, a pair of black trousers, and black boots; a small pouch hung from a brown belt on his waist. He was enthusiastically waving his arms as he told his story to his two friends.

The girls giggled at him, amused; both girls were twelve years old. One had a long braid of indigo hair and matching indigo eyes. She wore a yellow tunic over a pair of black leggings; she had a belt on her waist from which hung a small pouch and she wore black sneakers. Meanwhile, the other girl had shoulder-length dark hair in a ponytail and chocolate brown eyes. She wore a black vest over a light blue t-shirt, a black mini-skirt, black knee-length leggings, and a pair of ankle-length boots; around her body was a black messenger bag.

These friends were on their way to school, all pumped up and ready for their Genin Exams.

"I'm nervous you guys," one of the girls, Kana Watanabe, said. "What if I mess up my copy jutsu? What if my clones are too weak? What if-"

"What if you actually pass and become a Genin and we don't?" the other girl, Minako Manabe teased. "Honestly Kana-chan, you'll be fine."

"Yeah," the boy, Ichiru Tanaka, added. "What I should be worried about is what if we don't get put into the same team? I do better with you guys. I don't want to be stuck with a bunch of wannabe's who don't really care as long as they get their headbands."

Mina sighed. "That's true. I don't want to be separated from you, guys. Not everyone in our class takes the exam seriously. How do they expect to become great shinobis if they don't take anything seriously?"

The shinobi way of life was the reason for the bond among these three. For some reason, not many of their classmates took their lessons seriously. They were either forced to become ninjas, came from a long line of ninjas and were simply upholding family traditions, or had nothing to do with their lives. Mina, Kana, and Ichiru were three of the very few who took their lessons seriously and actually wanted to become shinobis and defend their village.

"Well, all we can do now is hope and pray to Kami-sama that we'll pass and end up in the same team," Kana said.

Nodding their heads in agreement, the group continued on to school, joined by majority of their classmates. All the while, her friends were unaware of the thoughts running through Mina's head.

_Gaara is definitely going to pass; failed or not, he's going to be a shinobi. I wonder if it's possible for us to be on the same team? Nah, I highly doubt it. He'll mostly end up in the same team as his siblings. They're the only ones who could work with him; in fact, they're the only ones brave enough to work with them._

Mina sighed, softly. It had been five years since her best friend changed. Five years and all her efforts to help him revert back to his old self ended up in vain. Gaara was no longer the Gaara she knew. She still couldn't believe that the curious, playful, and happy Gaara no Sabaku was now cold and cruel. Rumors had been going around that many more assassins had tried to kill him and all of them followed the fate of Yashamaru. But, she wasn't giving up. She would never give up.

**Chibigaarachibigaarachibigaara**

After the Genin Exams, all of the Ninja Academy's students gathered in the hallways, talking happily and excitedly with each other. All of them passed. All were now sporting the steel headbands engraved with Suna's symbol. Finally, after going through many ups and downs, scratches and bruises, and chakra drainage, they were now Genins and only a couple of steps to becoming Chuunins. They didn't know what their teams were yet but they hoped that they would be teamed up with their friends.

"This is so exciting!" Kana squealed. "Did you know that I'm the first in my family of this generation to become a kunoichi? It's amazing! By the way, we'll be having a little celebration at my house tonight. You two should come!"

"I might have something too," Ichiru said. "I'm the last among my brothers to become a shinobi so we're definitely having some type of celebration tonight too."

"Aww, that sucks." Kana looked disappointed. She turned to Mina. "How about you Mina-chan? Are you doing anything tonight?"

Mina just shrugged. "I don't know. Kari-nee didn't really mention anything. She's kinda busy these days."

A year after they had settled in, their savings were almost depleted. After many appeals and meetings, Kari managed to convince Suna's council officials to give her permission to set-up a music school and a music shop. At first, she had only five students and the shop didn't earn much. The villagers didn't care much for music. But over the years, the number of students had increased and she even got students who were studying to become shinobis as well. She was thinking of hiring a co-teacher but since there were no other musicians in Suna, she couldn't. Mina helped her out when she had time off from Ninja school but most times, Kari taught on her own. She taught five areas: voice, piano, guitar, flute, and violin. Yes, her sister could sing and play all four instruments. Mina only sang and played piano and guitar, so she taught these when she could. So far, they were managing pretty okay from both the school and the shop.

Ichiru snapped his fingers. "I know! Why don't we celebrate together, Kana? That way, Mina can celebrate with us!"

"That's a great idea Ichiru-kun! What do you think Mina-chan?"

The dark-haired girl furrowed her eyebrows, considering. "Well, I suppose. But how are you going to combine them? Not to mention, I have to talk to onee-chan about-"

All conversations suddenly halted. It was a chain reaction so Mina found herself silencing also. When her classmates parted to form a path, she knew why everybody was suddenly silent: Gaara was walking through. Sure enough, she recognized the fiery-red hair and sand gourd. His face was blank, stoic. He was followed by his older sister, fifteen-year old Temari, and fourteen-year old older brother, Kankuro.

As he passed Mina, the twelve-year old girl wanted nothing more than to reach out and take his arm, like she used to when they were kids, and congratulate him. But he would hurt her and everybody would start calling him a monster behind his back again. And she didn't want that. She didn't want anybody calling him a monster; she couldn't count the number of times in the past when she defended him openly; everyone thought her to be weird and isolated her too; she even got hurt a couple of times. Her classmates knew about her past friendship with Gaara but none of them could understand it. Only Kana and Ichiru were willing to try and understand why she was still holding on to this broken friendship.

All Mina could do was break away from the line and watch his retreating back, longingly. She wanted to call out to him, to tell him that she was still there, she was still trying. But she remained silent. She could hear everybody begin to talk again. Gaara was now out of sight. Mina felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Kana, giving her a comforting smile. Ichiru was doing the same. Mina replied with a forced smile.

"I'll talk to onee-chan about your offer," she continued, as if nothing happened.

**chibigaarachibigaarachibigaara**

The Watanabes and the Tanakas decided to have a joint celebration of their children's success in the Genin exams. The Manabes were invited of course, since Mina's accomplishment deserved recognition as well. They celebrated at a fancy restaurant were various other families were celebrating their children's rise to Genin. However, halfway through dinner, Kari had to leave early to finish a lesson plan for tomorrow's music class. After the dinner, both families offered to take Mina home, but she politely declined, since their homes were far from hers. Guided by the streetlamps and the moon in the sky, Mina walked home, alone.

As she passed by the park, her eye caught sight of a lone figure, sitting on a swing. Curious, she cautiously approached. Who would want to stay alone in the park at night? Sure it was bright and cheery during the day but at night, it was creepy. Feeling and hearing her approach, the figure looked up and the next thing Mina knew, sand flew at her and wound itself around her torso. It squeezed her and she gasped for breath. Sand… only one person could control sand…

"G-G-Gaara! S-S-Stop!" she choked out, wriggling to escape her prison. Her lungs were burning, begging for oxygen. But the sand showed her no mercy.

_Oh no! What do I do? The sand will kill me if I don't do something soon! Think! Think!_

Wait, she was still on the ground. If she could channel enough chakra to her feet, maybe she'd be able to recreate her Earthquake jutsu. Ignoring her body's need for oxygen, Mina focused all of her chakra into her feet. Praying that her idea would work, she stomped her right foot as hard as she could onto the ground. The ground shook and she saw Gaara stumble, out of balanced. The sand around her torso disintegrated, releasing her. Collapsing to the ground, Mina gulped huge breaths of air. But she still felt deprived of the much-needed oxygen. Oh no, her ailment was acting up! Ignoring the fact that she was in front of the most dangerous shinobi of her generation, Mina fumbled through the contents of her bag.

Meanwhile, she never noticed that Gaara had risen to his feet, his sand ready to attack her. However, he stopped when he noticed whom he had attacked. He became curious when he saw that she was breathing heavily as she emptied her bag, desperately looking for something. Her face was a strange shade of color. Finally, he realized what was happening to her. He had seen her in that state a few times before. A part of him wanted to go to her, to ask her if she was alright, to help her.

_You don't need anyone, _his mother whispered to him. _You don't need her! Kill her now while she's vulnerable._

**But mother, I can't. She was my friend**, Gaara replied.

_Have you forgotten, Gaara? She abandoned you too! _

**But it was because I hurt her. I wanted her to stay away from me.**

_You're going soft, Gaara. I'm disappointed in you._

Finally, she found what she was looking for, an object that he recognized to be her inhaler. His eyes stayed on her as she pumped medication into her body. He watched as she seemed to have found relief when she removed the object from her mouth. When she lifted her head to look at him, Gaara was prepared to see the usual reactions: anger, loathing, fear. To his surprise, she displayed none. The look on her face was something else entirely. But he didn't know what it was.

_Kill her!_

Gaara closed his eyes, turned, and walked away. **I'm sorry mother. But she is the one person I am willing to spare.**

After Gaara had walked away from her without saying a single word, Mina mechanically picked herself up from the ground. She didn't know how she managed to get home, but she never told Kari what happened.

That night, as she sat on the roof, watching the stars, clutching a stuffed panda, she felt the familiar tears spring to her eyes. She had cried so many tears for him, for their broken friendship, for her weak self. A shinobi must never show emotions. But, Kari had always told her that there was strength in tears. And right now, she needed strength. She needed the strength to go on. She needed the strength to help Gaara find himself.

**chibigaarachibigaarachibigaara**

The next day, Mina woke up very early and left the house early with a note for Kari, saying that she needed to run an errand before school. The twelve-year old ran through town until she arrived at her destination. She looked around, making sure that there were no witnesses before taking out a small paper bag from her bag. Releasing the smallest amount of chakra, she used her Cyclone jutsu to bring the package up towards the window. It landed on the sill, her desired mark. Satisfied, she smiled, turned on her heels and walked away to meet up with her friends

Meanwhile, Gaara just finished getting dressed and was about to pick up his sand gourd by the window when he saw a paper bag on the sill. He picked it up, seeing the familiar kanji handwriting on the note:

CONGRATULATIONS ON MAKING GENIN!

P.S.

THANK YOU

_Thank you? For what? _Gaara thought. He was pretty sure he didn't do anything nice to someone. Besides, he wasn't nice.

Opening the bag, he found a small panda key chain. He could feel the sand inside. He simply looked at it before placing it on his desk next to The Book of Stars and Constellations, a glass bottle filled to the top with blue-colored sand, newspaper clippings on a solar eclipse and an upcoming comet, a stuffed tanuki, a sketchpad, and a box of colored pencils. He stuffed the letter in a tin box filled with the similar notes.

For a few seconds, Gaara stared at his desk before slinging his sand gourd around his body and leaving his room.

**Lovelovelovelovelovelove**

"… as expected, he did get placed in the same team as Kankuro-nii and Temari-nee. I was in the same team as Kana-chan and Ichiru-kun and I couldn't be happier. But, a part of me still wished that I was on the same team as Gaara so that I could have the chance to maybe become his friend again. But nevertheless, I was satisfied with my team. So basically, everything that happened after that are just the usual D-rank missions and the occasional C-rank. We weren't old enough for B-rank and A-rank missions yet. However, the sand siblings were different. When the rest of us were just getting used to C-rank missions, they were already getting A-rank missions. I feared for Gaara whenever I heard that they had another A-rank mission. And I was always relieved when he came back alive. Now, when news spread about the Chuunin exams being held in Konoha, most of us wanted to participate. But for some reason, the Kazekage allowed no other team to take the exam except for Gaara's team. We didn't know that-"

The sound of the school bell cut off Mina's story. Her class remained in their seats, not caring that they were now dismissed. They wanted to hear more.

"Sorry everyone. But it looks like you have to wait until our next class to hear the rest."

"But sensei, tomorrow's Saturday!" Tomoyo complained. "We don't have school on until Monday."

The Chuunin furrowed her eyebrows. "Normally, students cheer at the fact that it's Friday. You on the other hand…"

"But we want to know more!" Megumi whined.

Mina chuckled and shook her head. "Well, you're gonna have to do well on Monday to hear more."

And with that, she dismissed her disappointed students.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I wish I do but I don't.

Chapter 4- The New Old Gaara

On that lovely Saturday morning, the streets of Suna were filled with people going about their business; mothers did their shopping while children played and roamed the streets. Meanwhile, a Genin team was running around in panic, unsuccessfully trying to locate the two-year old child they were assigned to baby-sit. While attempting to do this, they ran into two of their old teachers from the Ninja Academy.

"Souma-san, Kato-san, Takahashi-san, it's nice to see the three of you actually taking being Genins seriously."

"I agree. Do you remember when these three were one of the worst troublemakers back in the days, Kana-chan?"

"Yes I do, Mina-chan." The indigo-haired eighteen-year old giggled at the blushes on their old students' faces.

Mina smiled before pointing behind the three. "I think I see your target."

The Genins turned, gave a startled yell before running after the mischievous child.

"Arigatou, sensei!" they called behind their shoulders.

The two Chuunins waved. When the three disappeared amongst the crowd, they went back to their business.

"So, what else is on that list?" Mina asked, as they began to walk again.

"After we finish with your accessories, you need to see the seamstress to get fitted for your dress," Kana replied, consulting the piece of paper Mina's sister gave her. "After that, you need to see the hairdresser. Then, you and Gaara-sama have to meet up with the chef to decide on the food. Oh, and Kankuro-sama arranged for some guy to provide the entertainment. You and Gaara-sama have to meet up with him too. And we need to get extra envelopes, we ran out for the invitations and they have to be sent to Konoha by tomorrow so they could RSVP and we can finalize the guest list. Oh, there's also the flowers but Gaara-sama said he'd take care of that part. "

Mina groaned. "Tell me again, why did I agree to let you and Kari-nee plan the wedding?"

Her best friend grinned. "Cause we love you and we want to make your wedding the best! After all, it's not just your wedding, it's your wedding to the Kazekage! It has to be the best! All of Suna and Shinobis from other villages are coming."

The dark-haired girl just sighed in reply. Who knew that there were so many things to do when planning for a wedding? Multiple things to do, errands to run, and people to meet were piled up, she didn't know how she could handle the preparations for another month. But then again, it was her wedding day. She thought she'd never get married and stay single for many more years like her sister. And here she was! Getting married before her older sister! And to the Kazekage no less! Yet, he was also her best friend and the only man she had ever loved.

So, Mina allowed her best friend to drag her around until they found the perfect jewelry and hair accessories. Mina had to make sure she and Kana didn't get anything too extravagant or expensive. She didn't want to look like a glittering Christmas tree. The pieces she chose and approved by Kana were simple and not at all attention-grabbing. Kana said that the attention must not be on the jewels but on the bride. The store clerk gave them a discount because Mina was the Kazekage's future bride. Mina refused it but the man insisted, so she had no choice but to accept. She still couldn't get used to the fact that many of Suna's villagers knew her now.

After that, they went to the seamstress where both girls were fitted and Mina chose the material she wanted for her dress as well as the day for deliver it. Then, they headed for the hairdresser and decided on a simple hair-do and the time to meet on the wedding day. As the two friends exited the shop and were looking around for a place to have lunch, Mina began to have a strange feeling.

"Kana-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you get the sense that we're being stalked?"

Kana furrowed her eyebrows. "A little. But it doesn't seem threatening to me."

"Me neither. But I still can't help but feel uneasy."

Her indigo-haired friend turned her head. Mina watched as Kana broke into a smile.

"Don't feel too uneasy. Look who's stalking us, rather, you."

Confused, Mina turned around right on time to see Tomoyo, Megumi, Isuzu, Dai, and Hiro along with Jan, Yukio, Akira, Teri, Suki, and Miyako dash into an alley, attempting to hide. Why on Earth were her students following her?

Mina cleared her throat. "Alright minna-san. Come out of there and explain yourselves."

None of the came out, but she could hear them whispering to each other.

"She saw us!"

"What do we do now?"

"Let's just ask her."

"No way, she won't tell us."

"Then why are we following her?"

"So we can get to the Kazekage and ask him instead!"

"Ooohhh…."

Kana raised an eyebrow in question at her. Mina only shrugged.

"I'm going to count to three and if you don't come out, there will be no story on Monday. One… Two…"

Before she could say "three," the children dashed out of the alley. They stood in front of their teacher, nervously. Mina tapped her foot.

"Well?" She raised her eyebrows.

Dai took a deep breath and stepped forward. "It was my idea to follow you, sensei. We wanted to know more of the story so we decided to follow you so we can see the Kazekage. Maybe he can he tell us the rest of the story."

Kana burst out giggling while Mina blushed tomato-red. They were following her because they wanted to hear the rest of the story? Unbelievable. Nevertheless, she sighed.

"Did you have lunch yet?" she asked. A growl from the children's stomach was her answer. So, she nodded. "We're about to have lunch. Eat with us and I'll tell you what I can."

A couple of minutes later, after the server placed plates of noodles in front of them, the children dug in and Mina began her story.

"After finding out that the Chuunin exam was an attempt by the Sand and Sound to invade the leaf, everybody wasn't sure how to react. We had good relations with the Leaf for so long, we didn't know why the Fourth Kazekage wanted to invade their village. Then, we were told that the Kazekage was an impostor…"

**Lovelovelovelovelove**

"I can't believe this," a male Genin said. "How did that ninja manage to fool the Elders?"

"He must be very good at disguises," another added. "Only a real genius can pull that off. I must admit though, I'm a bit impressed."

"Are you kidding? That guy killed the Kazekage!"

"He deserved it," Mina said, quietly.

Kana and Ichiru turned their heads to look at her. She had an impassive look on her face as she stared at the ground.

All the Genins were gathered outside the Ninja Academy, discussing the news their senseis had just told them. They still couldn't believe it. For some months now, an impostor had managed to fool them into thinking that he was their Kazekage. Everything was too much to take in: the invasion of Konoha, the reveal of the impostor, the Kazekage's death.

"And get this," the boy said. "It seems like Gaara got beaten up by some leaf nin while he was there."

Mina's head snapped up in attention. "Nani? Are you serious?"

Her colleague turned in her direction. "Yeah. Yuku and I saw them the night they came back. Kankuro-san was carrying him and he had bandages all over. Why do you think he hasn't been out and about for days?"

"Tsk, got his just rewards," the other boy added. "He's a murderer. That leaf nin should have just killed him."

Before he knew it, a kunai was at his throat. Mina was looking at him, murderously. The other Genins gasped. Minako Manabe was a very nice girl, but whenever you insulted someone close to her, the kunoichi in her would take over.

"You're forgetting that the reason why Gaara kills is because people often want to kill him," she growled. "You, all of you who judge him created him. Can't you see?" She lowered the kunai and looked at each and every one of her classmates. "Can't you all see? Gaara's just like us. He doesn't want to be killed so he makes the first move. Unlike the rest of us, no one supported him throughout the years. No one was there to give him a shoulder to lean on."

"But he hates everybody," a kunoichi countered in a soft voice. "Anyone who as much as touch him on the shoulder, he kills."

"Yes, but have you forgotten why? His uncle tried to kill him at seven years old! How would you feel if someone you thought loved you tried to assassinate you? Huh? And I'm pretty sure all of you remember that before I came along, all the rest of you did was isolate him, call him a monster, made him feel like a monster." A shinobi should never show emotions, but Mina could feel tears sliding down her cheeks. "Each and everyone of you know how many assassination attempts have been made on him. How is he supposed to feel when every time he tries to relax, someone tries to stab him with a kunai or use deadly jutsus on him? Tell me! All of you! What is Gaara supposed to feel?"

No one answered her. Some were looking at the ground, at their shoes, anywhere else but at her. Ichiru and Kana were staring at her, their expressions unreadable. Some passer-bys had stopped and were listening to her. Some were shaking their heads, believing her insane. But others couldn't look at her straight in the eye as they listened.

Mina's shoulders were shaking. She had to stop before she burst out crying, but she couldn't stop. For the past five years, she kept all of her ill-feelings towards the way her classmates treated Gaara bottled inside. Now, everything came out. She let out a sarcastic laugh.

"You call yourselves shinobis? Do you not realize that being a jinchuriki is not Gaara's fault? How could you ever think that anyone would want a monster sealed inside of him? You must all be stupid for believing that Gaara chose to become a vessel for the Shukaku! You're forgetting that the Fourth Kazekage, his own _father_, turned him into a monster! Gaara didn't have a choice! And here you are, blaming him when you should be blaming the Elders! You should be blaming the Kazekage! And you know what? I'm glad he's dead! I'm glad the Kazekage is dead because he deserves it! He got his just rewards! Instead of mourning, we should all be celebrating because if you ask me, not only was he a lousy leader, he was a lousy father!"

And with tears streaming down her face, Mina broke through her stunned classmates and ran, ran with all the strength she could muster. She mustn't stop. She won't let them see any more of her weakness. When she finally stopped, she could feel her chest constricting against her chest. Fumbling hurriedly inside her bag, she took out her inhaler and breathed in the medicine. The chemicals soothed her lungs and she could breathe again.

_Man, I really let myself go back there_, she thought.

She sat in that spot for a while longer before getting up. To her surprise, she hadn't realized that her legs had taken her to Gaara's house. She looked up at his window, wondering if he was there. She was tempted to knock on the door, just to see how he was. Ultimately, she decided against it. Instead, she turned on her heels and walked away, feeling the need to punch something.

**chibigaarachibi gaarachibigaara **

Gaara watched her walk back through the village.

He had been reading The Book of Stars and Constellations for the one-hundred seventeenth time when he heard hurried gasps and deep breathing underneath his window. Curious, he marked his book and stared out to see a familiar dark-haired girl pumping medicine into her lungs. He watched her just stare at the pavement for a while before standing up. When she turned to look at his window, he stepped back so she wouldn't see him. He waited until he could hear her foot steps leave before going back to the window.

He wanted to follow her. Maybe he should. He had been stuck inside for a week. Temari wouldn't let him leave and under old circumstances, he wouldn't heed her concerns. But… Everything changed. Everything was different. For once, he actually took his sister's concern as genuine care, not fear. Besides, she and Kankuro were out to discuss with Baki the preparations for their father's funeral. Gaara didn't really care and neither did his siblings. The Kazekage was never a good father to any of them, but someone had to take responsibility for his final farewell. So Temari decided that she and Kankuro should take care of it since Gaara, in her opinion, was still weak from his injuries.

Making his decision. Gaara grabbed his sand gourd, climbed out of his window, and landed perfectly on the ground. Making sure to place at least fifty meters of space between him and Mina, he began to follow her.

**Chibigaarachibi gaarachibigaara **

Temari walked up the stairs to Gaara's room, carrying a paper bag. She and Kankuro passed by a barbecue restaurant and she decided to get her little brother a chicken barbecue. Their lunch of instant ramen probably wasn't very filling but Temari didn't have much time to cook decently nowadays, with their father's funeral and the Elders' dilemma about choosing a new Kazekage.

Gaara had changed so much ever since his battle with Naruto Uzumaki. It was such a tremendous change that Temari and Kankuro still couldn't believe that the brother they used to fear now said, "Thank you" and "I'm sorry" rather than "Leave me alone or I'll kill you."

Temari reached his door and knocked softly. "Gaara? Hey, it's me. I, uh, brought you something."

No answer. That was strange. She tried the knob. It was unlocked. Maybe he was asleep. But to Temari's surprise, the room was empty! Where was her little brother?

Tentatively, Temari entered the room. Though Gaara had been awfully… nice these past few days, she and Kankuro still avoided going into his room. But he wasn't here and Temari was surprised that it looked… normal. There was a bed and two side tables. On one of the tables was a lamp. Near his bed was a wooden desk filled with paraphernalia: a book on stars and constellations, a bottle of blue sand, a worn out teddy bear, a panda key chain, some newspaper clippings, and, to Temari's surprise and amusement, a stuffed tanuki. There was also a sketchpad and a box of colored pencils Where did he get all these? She was certain that Gaara would never spent money on things like these.

Sighing, she turned to leave when she noticed an open drawer. Curious, she walked over to the table and pulled the drawer open. Inside was a lone blue box. She took it out and slowly opened it. Inside were notes, some in childish kanji handwriting and others were more mature. But each held the same meaning: care, concern, happiness for her baby brother. There were a couple of birthday notes and some just plain congratulations. Instantly, Temari felt her heart warm up as she smiled. In the years that she spent fearing her baby brother rather than loving him, there was somebody who still treated him the like a normal human being. And Temari thanked this person and hoped that she could meet him/her.

**chibigaarachibi gaarachibigaara **

Grunts and yells resonated throughout Training Field number one as a dark-haired girl battled mannequins and avoided traps. Kunais and shurikens flew in all direction and embedded themselves on the "enemy." The Earth shook and harsh winds blew as the Manabe clan's Elemental Jutsus were used by the clan's only shinobi for this generation.

"We knew we'd find you here," Ichiru's voice came out of nowhere.

Mina did not turn her head as she impaled a mannequin with a Kunai. "Where else do you expect me to be? Among those shallow, narrow-minded and poor excuses for shinobis?"

"Hey, take your anger out on the mannequins, not us," Kana replied.

With a loud yell, the twelve-year old released a giant cyclone. Her teammates covered their eyes and when they opened them again, all they could see were leftover debris from the wooden training mannequins. Mina stood in the middle of it, clutching at her chest and breathing heavily. She took a deep breath, held it in for five seconds before breathing out. Her heartbeat slowed to normal pace. Putting on a smile, she turned to her worried teammates.

"Gomen Kana-chan," she said.

The two approached her. Ichiru placed a hand on her shoulder. "Daijobou?"

Mina nodded. "Hai. Arigatou."

"Wanna talk about it?" Kana asked.

Mina shook her head. "Nah. I prefer to show it.'

"We can see that," Ichiru mumbled as he looked at their surroundings.

At his words, it seemed that Mina finally noticed the damage she had caused on the training field. "Oh dear. Kaname-sensei's not going to be happy."

Their captain, Kaname Shimizu was a cool teacher but he loved Training Field number one way too much. It was the best field in all of Suna and his old team used it often when they were Genins and Chuunins. He had a tremendous attachment to this field that he chose it as their official training field when he was assigned as their team's captain.

"We'll clean it up," Ichiru said.

"Oh, you guys don't have to. I made the mess so I'll do it. Besides, I need to think a little and cleaning up will help."

Kana flashed her a concerned look. "Are you sure? We don't mind. "

"Hai. I… I need to be alone for a while. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Alright then." Ichiru nodded at her before he and Kana turned and walked away.

Mina turned to the chore that lay ahead of her and sighed. Time to get to work. She began picking up shurikens and kunais and placing them inside her bag. She gathered dismembered wooden arms, legs, torsos, and heads into a pile. As she fixed the traps, she jumped up when a voice said, "You've gotten better in your cyclone jutsu."

Mina froze. That voice… she knew that voice…

Slowly, she turned around. Gaara was leaning against a tree, arms crossed, watching her. Their eyes locked for a moment before he looked away and walked over to her. She remained frozen on the spot. When there was about a meter of space between them, he stopped. They stayed like that for what felt like forever.

Finally, Mina took a deep breath and said, "How are you? I heard you got hurt in Konoha. Are you better now?"

She could see the surprise on Gaara's face. For an instant, she recognized the curious and naïve, little boy who was her best friend. It almost felt like they were seven years old again and he was asking her why she wasn't afraid of him.

"I'm alright," Gaara whispered in reply. He was still avoiding her gaze.

Mina smiled and pressed both hands to her chest. "I'm glad."

Finally, Gaara lifted his eyes to her. "Th-Thank you."

Mina's smile widened. "You're welcome!"

Silence once more. Mina didn't know why Gaara was talking to her again, why he was acting all friendly, but she didn't mind. She was actually very, very happy. Maybe they could be friends again. Best friends.

"I'm sorry." Gaara whispered the words so quietly that Mina might have missed it if she wasn't paying attention. "I'm sorry for… everything."

The dark-haired Genin was taken aback. Gaara… apologized?

_You're forgiven_, she wanted to tell him. Instead, she frowned. "Wait, how do I know that you're really sorry for ignoring me all these years? Do you really expect me to forgive you just like that?"

It was Gaara's turn to be taken by surprise. She guessed that he did expect it so she went on, "I'll forgive you on one condition." And with that, she kicked a wooden leg next to her aside and produced a kunai from her bag. She gave him a mischievous smirk. "Fight me."

A flash of excitement appeared in Gaara's eyes that sent an unpleasant chill down Mina's spine. As quickly as it appeared, it disappeared, leaving behind a look of hesitation instead.

_That must have been Shukaku_, Mina thought, nervously. _But Gaara's fighting it._

Indeed, Gaara shook his head. "I can't fight you."

"What are you talking about Gaa-chan, of course you can. You've done it before."

He looked away. "I'll only hurt you."

"You've done it before," Mina blurted out without thinking.

_Crap! Why did I say that? _she scolded herself when Gaara's countenance turned pained. He must be remembering all the times he had hurt her, both physically and emotionally. She wanted to take it back. But, no, she had to do this.

"Fight me Gaara," she simply said. "You owe me that much."

Finally, when he sighed and positioned himself into a fighting stance, she smirked. "First one who could hold the other onto the ground for five seconds wins."

He simply tilted his head. Knowing that he wasn't willing to attack her, Mina made the first move and gathered a sufficient amount of chakra into her hands.

"Cyclone no jutsu!" she yelled, sending a twister of wind into his direction.

Sand flowed out of his gourd into a similar twister and fought her wind jutsu. The two mixed and both Gaara and Mina fought for control of the sand twister. Gaara overpowered her and the sand flew in her direction. She dodged it and slammed her hands onto the ground. The Earth shook and Gaara used his sand to lift himself from the ground. He produced a shuriken and sent it flying towards her. It tore her skirt but didn't touch her skin.

_Damn. This is my favorite too, _she thought as she responded with two shurikens at his direction. He dodged both

"Bunshin no jutsu!" she yelled. Two clones appeared on either side of her and all three ran up to him, brandishing kunais.

He fought her and her clones using taijutsu. Her clones disappeared in puffs of smoke and she was left alone, punching and kicking at him. He was quick! Too quick for her! She should have trained harder with Kana. Unlike the Tanaka clan, who was well-known for Camouflage jutsus, and the Manabe clan, who was well-known for Elemental jutsus, the Watanabe clan was not shinobi-producing clan. Kana was one of the very few Watanabes who was able to make it and she depended on taijutsus as her mark. And Mina desperately wished she had her best-girlfriend's skill right now.

Before she knew it, Mina was on the ground, a kunai at her throat and Gaara hovering above her. She struggled to get free, but his grip was firm. Finally, she knew that the five seconds were over so she stopped squirming.

"You win," she sighed, dejectedly.

He smirked before getting off her. She stood up and brushed the dirt from her clothes.

"Well Gaara, I finally got to battle with you," she said, smiling. "But I want a re-match sometime in the future."

Gaara simply looked at her. "Am I forgiven?"

She waved a hand. "I forgave you years ago."

He tilted his head to the side. "Then… Why did you want to fight me?"

She shrugged. "I wanted to see how strong you really are. I guess I need more training." She took a step closer to him and beamed. "Are we friends again?"

He hesitated. "Do you want to be friends again?" he said, softly.

"Baka, I wouldn't be asking you if I didn't want to be. So, are we?"

_Smile… Please Gaa-chan… Smile._

But he didn't. He simply gazed at her and nodded. Mina smiled, sadly. It was enough for now. He noticed the look on her face.

"What's wrong?"

She pouted. "You're not smiling. I don't mean sadistic, I'm-going-to-kill-you-smile. I mean, I'm-happy-we're-friends-again-smile. Will you smile?"

His lips twitched slightly, but he shook his head. "I've forgotten how to smile like that."

"It's easy. Just lift your mouth up, like this!" And with that, she tentatively reached up (wow, she never noticed that he was now a couple of inches taller than she), placed her thumbs on either side of his lips, and lifted them up. "There!"

She giggled at the startled look on his face. "Don't worry, if you keep practicing, you'll be able to smile again!" She took her fingers from his face, wrapped her arms around his torso, and laid her head on his chest. He stiffened at first then relaxed into her touch. "I'm glad we're friends again Gaa-chan." She lifted her face up to his, smiling widely. "Can I call you Gaara-kun now?"

He looked at her and nodded. "Yes, Mina."

**lovelovelovelovelove**

"Can't you tell us more sensei?" the children whined after they exited the restaurant. "Just a little bit more?"

Mina chuckled. "If I tell you more, there wouldn't be anything else left to tell on Monday. I thought you liked ending class early and just listening to my story?"

Her words hit a mark. Her students groaned but nodded their heads in acceptance. They said good-bye, thanked both Chuunins for the lunch, and ran off to find their classmates to tell them the story she told them.

Kana raised an eyebrow. "There's still a lot to tell you know."

Mina shrugged. "I know." She flashed Kana a mischievous smirk. "But they don't know that."

The indigo-haired Chuunin simply shook her head. "You love teasing your students, don't you?"

Mina just giggled. "Anyway, let's go. I still have to meet up with Gaara."

To her surprise, Kana only smiled as she looked past Mina's shoulder. "No need. He's here."

"What? What do you-"

That was when she felt arms snake around her waist and lips press a kiss to her temple. A pleasant shiver ran through her. She turned around. There was her fiancé, flashing her his usual faint smile.

"Wait, I though we were going to meet at the park?" Mina asked, confused.

Gaara shrugged. "I passed by some of your students on the way. They told me you were here."

Before she could reply, Kana said, "Well then, I guess this means that I should be going. Here's the list Mina-chan." She handed her best friend the piece of paper before walking off. "Have fun you two!"

"Arigatou, Kana-chan!" Mina called to her.

When Kana disappeared in the crowd, the dark-haired Chuunin turned to the red-haired Kazekage. "You ready for this?"

Gaara's smile widened as they began to walk together. "I'm always ready when I'm with you."

Mina slapped his arm, playfully. "Cheesy, much?"

"You know you like it," he retorted.

She just giggled as she placed her arm around his waist. "I just still can't believe that we're getting married."

"Well, you should start believing it. The wedding is next month." He turned to her. "Your students told me that you were telling them another story. The part when we made friends again."

"I see. Hmm… Now that I think about it, I never had that re-match."

"Hmm, maybe we'll have one before the wedding."

"Definitely."

The two paused to look into each other's eyes. Gaara took her hand and kissed it before wrapping another arm around her waist. Together, they walked away to meet the caterer.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I wish I did but I don't.

Chapter 5- Maturity

The sky was a dark cape, illuminated by thousands of twinkling bright stars. At the park, sitting on top of a blanket, was a couple; one was dark-haired and was leaning against the chest of the red-haired one who leaned against a tree. Every once in a while, one of them would point to the sky and name a shape. Most of the time, they just lay there in each other's arms. His arms were around her waist and her hands were placed on top of his. Whenever she giggled at something, a soft smile would appear on his face.

"That one looks like the puppet that Minasaki-san showed us today," Mina remarked.

Gaara squinted at it. "You're right." He shuddered. "That puppet gave me the creeps."

Mina turned her head to look at him, eyebrows furrowed. "You live with a puppet master, how are _you_ afraid of a puppet?"

Her fiancé just shook his head. "I'm not afraid. That puppet was really creepy. And perverted."

"Which is why you said 'no' to its appearance at the reception, right?"

"Right. I have my reputation as Kazekage to live up to, you know."

Mina only giggled. They stayed like that, in silence. Looking at the sky, the dark-haired Chuunin was reminded of the story that she told her students that afternoon. And remembered the events that occurred after that.

**Lovelovelovelove**

"… so that's why you can't sleep anymore?" Mina asked, as she swung herself higher and higher into the night-filled sky on the playground swing. "If you do, Shukaku would take over you."

Gaara simply watched her from his swing. "Exactly. I'm dangerous enough when I'm awake. What more if I'm asleep?"

At his words, Mina dug her heels onto the ground to stop her swinging. She gave him a frustrated look. "Even after five years, you still think you're dangerous."

"I don't think, Mina. I know."

She shook her head and began swinging again. "Well, you're pretty stupid then. 'Cause if you ask me, you're not dangerous at all."

"You're just saying that. You have no idea how many people I've killed."

"I'm not. I mean it. If you keep thinking that you're dangerous, then it makes you dangerous. And by the way, I may not know how many people you've killed but I know how many people have tried to kill you, and I'm pretty sure it's close to the number of people you've killed. You're a shinobi, Gaara-kun. Killing is our way of life. The only thing is," she stopped swinging and gave him a sad look. "You don't kill with honor. You focus too much on surviving for yourself, you forget how to survive for people who love you."

Gaara stared at the ground. "No one loves me."

Mina tilted her head to the side. "What are you talking about? Of course someone loves you. Actually, there are two people who has loved you all these years, even after you changed."

Her words caught his attention. "Who?"

She pouted. "Baka, it's me and Kari-nee. We both never lost hope that you'll find yourself again." She beamed and stared up at the star-filled sky. "So maybe now, when you battle someone, when you kill someone, you do it because you're surviving for me."

Pink tints formed on Gaara's cheeks and he cleared his throat. "Can I ask you something?"

She shrugged and began swinging again. "Ask away."

"For the past five years, have you… have you been giving me… gifts?"

She laughed. "You haven't figured it was me? Really Gaara-kun, I thought you were smarter than that."

His blush deepened as he choked out, "W-Well… I wasn't sure, alright? I-I-I… I thought that since I hurt you that night, you'd stay away from me, that I had lost my best friend. And… You're wrong Mina."

His friend stopped swinging and gave him a confused look. He looked at her.

"You're wrong. I _was_ surviving for someone. Those gifts, those notes, I thought it was someone else who pitied me. For years, I held onto those gifts, knowing that there was someone who cared about my existence, was something that kept me wanting to survive, so I could know who this person was." He tentatively reached out and placed his hand on top of hers on the swing chain. "All this time, it was the same person who cared about me since childhood. You're right about one thing, I was pretty stupid. I was stupid for thinking you had abandoned me when the gifts and your notes were proof of that." He took her hand and placed it on his heart. "Thank you Mina."

At first, she just looked at him, thunderstruck. Then, she beamed. "Anytime, Gaara-kun." She looked back at the sky. "Hey, do you remember that game we used to play? You know, the one where we connect the dots and see what shape the stars form?"

The jinchuriki followed her gaze and tilted his head. "I remember."

Mina pointed at a shape. "That one looks like a daisy." No reply. She continued to name shapes. "Cool! That looks like a duck!… Oh! I see a fan!… I think that's either a box or book, I can't really tell…"

"I see one that looks like a kunai," Gaara suddenly whispered.

Mina turned her head to look at him and smiled. "I see it too."

**Lovelovelovelove**

Mina giggled at the memory. Gaara gave her a quizzical look.

"What?"

Mina just shook her head and snuggled closer against his chest, loving the warmth his body was giving hers on the chilly night. "Nothing, love. Nothing."

****

"You have got to be kidding me," Mina stated, a sweat drop on her forehead. The moment she opened the front door to meet up with Gaara for lunch and a trip to the post office, she was greeted by her entire class! Every single one of them! "What are you all doing here?"

"Um, will you tell us more of your story sensei?" one of the girls timidly asked.

Mina groaned. "Normal shinobis-in-training are either practicing their jutsus or playing with their friends. And yet, I find all twenty-five of you at my front door to hear a story."

They gave her pleading, pouting looks. Mina bit her lip.

"Hey, what's going on?" Kari appeared beside her. Seeing the number of children outside their home, she sweat dropped. "Mina-chan, why do we have children in front of our house?"

Mina sighed. "They wanted to hear the rest of my story with Gaara."

Kari placed a hand under her chin. "I see. Well, you have to meet up with Gaara-sama and send those invitations to Konoha."

The children's face perked up.

"I wanna go!"

"Can we come, sensei?"

"I wanna see the Kazekage!"

"Maybe he can tell us the story too!"

They all turned to Mina. "PLEASE?"

Beside her, Kari giggled in amusement.

****

Gaara checked his watch as he waited for his fiancée outside the little noodle restaurant. Both of them loved this restaurant and often met up here for lunch or dinner dates. However, she's unusually late. Normally, she would get there before him. Today for some reason, Gaara arrived before her.

Looking over the crowd, he finally spotted her brown hair, Chuunin vest over a black shirt, blacks shorts, and ankle-boots. He raised a hand to wave, a smile on his face. She flashed him a sheepish look. Confused, he waited for her to reach him. To his surprise, there was a trail of excited children behind her. He recognized them as her students at the Ninja Academy. What on Earth-?

"Um, hi love," she greeted, hesitant.

"Hello, uh, why-?" He gave her a questioning look.

She simply shook her head. "I'll explain inside. But I think we need a long table. A really, _really_ long table. And I hope you have a lot of money on you."

****

The Kazekage of the Sand was amazed. Was his love story with the young Chuunin teacher really that interesting to shinobis-in-training? He watched them excitedly stuff chopstick-full of noodles into their little mouths, watching him and his fiancée with elated looks on their faces.

"Well, I suppose you should start your story then?" Gaara said to Mina.

Mina raised an eyebrow at him and shook her head. She picked up a piece of chicken and nibbled on it. "Nuh-uh Gaara. I've been telling them our story for days. It's your turn. Besides, I think they want you to tell them."

The Kazekage looked around the table and sure enough, twenty-five pairs of eyes were on him, expectant.

Realizing that his fiancée won't help him, he sighed. "Where did your sensei leave off in her story?"

"After you two became friends again," one of the boys answered.

"I see. Alright, well, Mina and I became friends again and she introduced me to her team. Ichiru-san and Kana-san were a little uneasy around me for a while but they learned to relax a bit in my presence. After some time, I became brave enough to face Kari-nee again and she welcomed me back with open arms. Besides my home and the playground, I began to have a new sanctuary whenever I needed company. After a while, I decided that it was time for Mina to meet Temari-nee and Kankuro-nii…"

**Lovelovelovelovelove**

"… so Baki wants us to be there early tomorrow," Temari told her brothers as they sat together at dinner. "Now that Gaara's wounds are better, we can train as a team again. If we're lucky, we'll get a new mission soon."

"Alright! It's nice to be out and about again. I've been pretty bored lately," Kankuro replied, happily. He turned to his little brother. "I'm not sure you've been bored otouto. You've been going out a lot these days."

Gaara's chopsticks paused in mid-air as he tried to think of a reply. Deciding not to answer, he placed the piece of meat in between his lips and chewed. Since this response was a normal occurrence, his older siblings' continued their conversation. Meanwhile, the jinchuriki just sat there, nibbling on his food. When there was a short pause in between the conversation, he gathered his nerve and took a deep breath.

"Can my friend come over to dinner tomorrow evening?" he whispered.

If his sister and brother were not paying attention, they would have missed his words. In shock and surprise, they stared at him, Temari's cup halfway to her lips, a piece of meat hanging from Kankuro's open mouth. Gaara just gave them a neutral look.

Temari was the first to get over the shock. She cleared her throat. "Um… Can you repeat that for me, Gaara?"

"My friend. Can she come over to dinner?" Gaara repeated.

Temari and Kankuro looked at each other. The puppeteer gave his sister a questioning look. She just shrugged before turning her attention back to Gaara. "Sure, why not?"

Gaara paused. Then, he tilted his head. "Thank you."

And the rest of the dinner went the usual way; a conversation and bickering between the two oldest and quiet audience from the youngest.

****

"I'm so excited to meet Temari-senpai and Kankuro-senpai," Mina squealed, excitedly. "I mean, I see them in school and around the village and everything but I never really talked to them before. Thanks for inviting me to dinner, Gaara-kun."

"You're welcome," Gaara answered as he led the way to his home.

The dark-haired Genin was bouncing, excitedly beside him, her arm linked with his. She wasn't wearing her usual shinobi outfit and headband. Instead, she wore a nice, sleeveless-dress with her black boots. And of course, she never left the house without her bag of kunais and shurikens.

Gaara let her talk, rapidly. He liked listening to her. It made him feel important that she was telling him all about her day and everything that happened to her and the people around her. Usually, he never talked but that was fine with her.

As they walked, Mina noticed the looks the villagers were giving them. Some looked shocked. Some were staring at their linked arms. Most gave her terrified looks. However, there were a few who looked curious, probably wondering why after a few weeks of being with Gaara, talking to him, and touching him, the jinchuriki still had not killed her. But she ignored these looks. A few weeks ago, Gaara told her that he felt like he was shaming her by being her friend. But she reprimanded him and told him not to mind them. They weren't important. Their friendship was. Gaara had stopped but Mina knew that he still felt like he didn't have the right to be her friend. So Mina did what she usually did whenever they walked around town together; she squeezed his arm and smiled her usual smile. Gaara still had difficulty smiling so to show her that he was alright, he would nod and squeeze her arm back.

As they neared his two-story house, Gaara stopped in his tracks when a bout of sand shielded him from an oncoming sword.

"What the hell?" Mina shrieked. Within seconds, she was in a fighting stance with a kunai in her hand. "Who was that?"

Gaara's eyes narrowed. "Looks like someone has been hired to kill me again. Amazing. Even after my father's death, there are still those who wanted to kill me."

No sooner did he finish saying those words, did a shuriken fly towards him. He managed to deflect it with his sand. However, more of the star-shaped blade flew towards him and he used his sand to shield himself.

Meanwhile, Mina deflected and avoided the shurikens the best she could. But despite her efforts, a shuriken had managed to graze her skin and a trickle of blood flowed from the open cut on her forearm. She dropped the kunai on the ground as she covered the cut with her hand, hissing in pain.

Gaara ran to her side. "Are you alright?" he asked, fear and worry in his eyes.

Mina managed a small smile. "Define alright."

But her smile disappeared when Gaara's eyes turned red in anger. He was releasing a different type of chakra. A sinister chakra. The Shukaku! It was taking over him. She had to stop him!

A shower of kunai flew at them and a wall of sand deflected them.

"Gaara-kun!" Mina grabbed his arms and shook him. "We have to get out of here!"

Soon enough, his red eyes returned to the soft, teal blue. He shook his head before looking at her, worry in his eyes. He placed an arm around her waist to help her walk when two masked shinobis appeared out of nowhere, swords pointed at them. Gaara glared and placed himself in front of her, protectively.

But before the red-head could say anything, the two were literally, blown away to the side. A figure came out of nowhere and the two disappeared within seconds.

"Hey little bro, need help?"

The two twelve-year olds looked up to see the black-clad puppeteer and the blonde fan wielder. Chakra strings were flowing out of Kankuro's fingers and Temari's fan was open. They both realized that the assassins were now trapped inside one of Kankuro's puppets.

Temari tilted her head to them. "Get your friend inside, Gaara. We'll take care of these bastards."

Without another word, the jinchuriki quickly dragged his friend towards the house. Inside, he took her upstairs to his room. After she was seated on his bed, he went back out and headed to the kitchen where he knew the First Aid Kit was kept. He took it back to his room. Mina was standing by his desk, looking at the knick-knacks arranged neatly on top. She turned when he entered.

"So you did keep them," she stated, beaming.

Although at first struck speechless, Gaara tilted his head. "Let me see your cut."

Obediently, Mina settled herself back on the bed and allowed Gaara to tend to her wounds. For someone who was seen as a monster his whole life, Gaara was a gentle nurse. Mina wondered where he learned to be this gentle. But then again, this was Gaara and she trusted him with her whole life.

When he finished tying a white bandage around her arm, the red-head gently laid his forehead on her shoulder.

"G-Gaara-kun?" she stammered, startled.

"Forgive me Mina," he replied softly. "I failed to protect you. I only protected myself. I'm a useless friend."

"No! Gaara-kun, don't say that!" Mina lifted his head from her shoulder. "You're not a useless friend! You're one of my dearest and best friend. Don't you forget that. Besides, it couldn't be helped. Those shurikens came out of nowhere and there was no way you could have protected the both of us."

Her best friend still look pained despite her assurances. So she did what she normally did when he was upset. She wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

That was how Temari and Kankuro found them an hour later. They had gone to report the incident to Baki and their teacher took care of the rest of the assassins and allowed the two siblings to go home. When they arrived, they were surprised and shocked that not only did Gaara have a friend, she was allowed to touch him and did not end up dead on the floor. However, they didn't say anything except that they were honored to meet her and that it was time for dinner and they hoped she liked ramen.

Before she left, Temari hugged the young twelve-year old and whispered in her ear, "Thank you, for everything you've done for Gaara."

Mina smiled. "I only did them because he's my best friend."

**Lovelovelovelove**

"After that, Mina often came to dinner and I would come to dinner at her house," Gaara continued. "Soon after, I had to introduce my siblings to Kari-nee. Kankuro had a crush on her for a while but other than that, they got along alright."

"What happened after that?" a little girl asked.

"Well, I believe my team and I were sent to Konoha on a mission," he replied. "And your sensei was sent on a different mission as well."

"It was our first C-rank mission," Mina interjected. "The council thought that since we could handle being around Gaara, we could handle anything." She shook her head in disgust. "That was a stupid basis if you ask me, but hey, it got us a much more exciting mission than the usual babysitting." She looked at her wristwatch. "Well, as much fun as this was and I hope you enjoyed the meal, but Kazekage-sama and I have to leave to take care of other matters."

The children groaned. Gaara chuckled, lightly. "Don't worry. I think your sensei has more to tell tomorrow."

Mina gave him a look. "Thanks a lot," she said, sarcastically.

"Your welcome," he replied, pleasantly.

Once the children were off, Gaara and Mina headed towards the post office.

"You know, it was rather entertaining to tell our story to your students," Gaara remarked, stroking her hand with his thumb as they walked. "I don't know why you complain."

"I'm not complaining. I just wonder what is so appealing about it that they'd go through great lengths just to listen to it."

"Maybe because we had to go through ups and downs before we arrived to where we are now." He released her hand and placed an arm around her waist. "You have to admit, it took us a long time to realize we were in love."

Mina giggled as she placed her arm around his waist. "Save that part of the story for another time, love."

"As you wish."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I wish I do but I don't.

Chapter 6- First Smiles and First Heartbreaks

"Since my team and I are leaving for a mission tomorrow, you will have a substitute teacher until I come back," Mina announced to her class. "Now, I want you all to be nice to him or her. I expect nothing but good things about you when I return, is that clear?"

"Hai, sensei," the students replied.

Dai raised his hand. "Who's going to tell us the rest of the story while you're gone, sensei?"

The Chuunin teacher shrugged. "Unless you can get the Kazekage himself to tell you while I'm gone, you're gonna have to wait. Now, I'm guessing you want to hear more of it since you brought it up."

Her class nodded, eagerly. Mina chuckled. "All right. Hmm… Where should I begin this time? Hmm… Alright, how about the first time that Gaara smiled for me?"

At the elated looks on her students' faces, she decided that this was today's story.

"Alright, the first time Gaara smiled for me was when he told me he was thinking about running for the position of Kazekage…"

**Lovelovelovelove**

At the park, children ran about, playing ball and hide-and-seek. They paid no mind to two thirteen-year old shinobis talking by the sandbox, a female Genin and a male Chuunin. The dark-haired girl was smiling brightly as the red-headed boy spoke about his recent realizations.

"Do you think I'm worthy?" Gaara asked, staring at the sand at their feet.

"Worthy? Are you kidding me? You're perfect!" Mina blurted out, before blushing. "I-I… I mean, of course you're perfect for Kazekage, Gaara-kun. You love this village despite the way the people treated you in the past. I mean, come on, it's been a year since you've changed. I think they're accepting the fact that you're no longer killing for fun."

She stopped when she saw him wince. "Gomenasai, Gaara-kun. I didn't mean to remind you of the past." She placed a hand on his arm. "But I meant what I said. Suna has accepted you for who you are. Becoming Kazekage will show how much you've changed and that you can do so much more for them than just being a mere shinobi."

Taking her words in, Gaara nodded.

Mina smiled before tilting her head to the side in curiosity. "Just wondering though, Gaara-kun. Why did you suddenly decide that you want to become Kazekage? You've never mentioned it before."

Gaara turned his head to look at her. "Actually, I've been thinking about it for a while, since my last mission to Konoha."

"You mean the one when you had to rescue this Genin who was kidnapped by some sound nins?"

He nodded. "Yes." He looked back at the sand. "Remember the Chuunin Exams last year? When I came home all beaten up?"

"Uh-huh. What about it?"

"I… I met someone there, a Genin named Naruto Uzumaki. He… He was the one who defeated me while I was in the form of Shukaku. He… He had tremendous strength and power from his bonds. He knew of my pain of being a jinchuriki. He told me of his dream to become Hokage of the Leaf. Back then, I didn't understand why he dreamt of something ridiculous. I was confused about it. But he was the reason why I decided to ask for your forgiveness. His bonds and relationships made him stronger and become a better shinobi. I wanted to be like that. But not until that mission to Konoha to rescue Sasuke Uchiha that I began thinking…"

He paused to look at her. "I think I have begun to realize why Naruto wanted to become Hokage. Not simply out of love for his village and his friends. But also because becoming Hokage meant that the people will acknowledge him as someone they can depend on when they needed him. I want to be like that. I want to be depended on and needed. I want…" He took a deep breath before locking his eyes with hers. "I want to become a father to the Sand. I want to care for them and protect them. I want them to know that I am here and always will be."

Mina was struck speechless, not only because this was the longest speech she had gotten from Gaara, but also because she was happy that he was finally, finally living. He always talked about living for a purpose and he didn't know what his purpose was. All he saw in himself was a monster, a tool of destruction. But now, he has a new reason for living, a new purpose. And Mina couldn't be happier for her best friend.

"I'll support you the whole way, Gaara-kun," she finally said, smiling softly. "When you need me, I'll be here. I know you can make it."

"You really think so?" he asked.

"I don't think. I know."

At first, Gaara just gave her his usual blank look. But then, the side of his lips twitched before the corners lifted themselves up into a soft and gentle smile.

Mina could feel her heart thundering against her chest. He smiled! He finally smiled! At her! And… he looked so handsome… How come she never noticed that before?

"You're… You're smiling, Gaara-kun," she whispered, lifting a hand. She touched the corner of his lips, tentatively.

He reached up and took her hand in his. Still smiling, he said, "All because of you, Mina."

Heat rushed into Mina's cheeks. "Y-You're welcome."

Gaara's smile turned into a grin, catching her off-guard. "So, dinner at your house tonight, correct?"

How come she never noticed that Gaara was… a boy? And a good-looking one at that. Swallowing, Mina tried to steady her voice as she replied, "H-Hai."

**Lovelvoelovelove**

A soft smile appeared on Mina's face as she recalled the memory. She was a confused little teenager back then. Unlike kunoichi her age, she concentrated too much on the shinobi life that she hardly looked at boys. And when she finally did, it had been Gaara whom she noticed first, which was a bit strange on her part since majority of her time were spent on training and missions with Ichiru and Kaname-sensei.

The ring of the school bell interrupted the eighteen-year old's thoughts and she looked up, beaming at her class. "Well, I suppose that's all for today. I'll see you when I come back!"

Groaning sadly, her class exited the classroom, wishing her luck in her mission.

Two weeks later…

"Alright team, we'll stay the night here," Kaname announced.

The four-man team landed on a bare spot near a flowing river.

"Let's get the tents up and the food out so we can rest and catch up on sleep," he continued. "One more day of traveling and we'll be back home in Suna by tomorrow evening."

"Hai, sensei," his team replied.

Ichiru and Mina began setting up the tents as Kaname took the food out for Kana to prepare. Soon enough, two large tents were up, a pot of beans boiled on the small stove, and four shinobis gathered around the fire.

After two days, they finished tracking down a group of Black market merchants who were responsible for selling broken, fake, and illegal items to some Suna villagers. Some people had bought medicines from them and ended up in the hospital. A young child almost died because the pills she took had the opposite effects on her body. Team Kaname was the only available Chuunin team since all the jounins were taken and the two Genin teams sent before them had failed. The thieves were sneaky and hid their tracks well, but Team Kaname finally traced them to the Hidden Village of the Waterfall. The merchants were imprisoned and their items confiscated. So now, Team Kaname was on their way home after the weary mission.

While the rest of her team chattered, Mina leaned her back against the tree she was sitting by and looked up into the sky. It was filled with bright little stars. As she fingered the panda-shaped pendant around her neck, a shape in the sky caught her eye and she grinned. What a coincidence. "A cupcake…"

**Lovelovelovelovelove**

"… I don't care what you say, that is most definitely a cupcake," Mina insisted.

"No, I still say it's a muffin," Gaara countered.

"No way. A muffin has a more puffy top. A cupcake is a smooth dome, like that one."

"I think you need to have your eyes checked, Mina. That shape does have a puffy top."

"Does not!"

"Does to."

"Not!"

"To."

Mina opened her mouth then paused. She scrunched up her eyebrows. "How old are we?"

Gaara smirked. "Fourteen and thirteen."

The two friends were on Mina's rooftop, watching the stars and playing their little game.

Gaara had been instated as Kazekage two months ago, shortly after he turned fourteen. Ever since, he hadn't gone to any missions while Kankuro and Temari had become Jounin and Temari became the ambassador to Konoha. Meanwhile, Mina and the rest of her team had already passed the Chuunin exams and were being sent on more and more C and B-rank missions. The two rarely see each other any more and whenever Gaara had the chance when Mina was home, they spent their nights watching the stars, like they did when they were children.

Mina's jaw dropped open. "Wait, I'm not thirteen. Gaara-kun, did you forget-"

He held up a small, neatly-wrapped box in front of her. A grin was playing on his lips.

"Forgive me. Fourteen year old. Happy birthday Mina."

The dark-haired girl stared at the gift, her mouth still agape. She and her team had arrived that afternoon from a C-rank mission. They didn't have much time to celebrate but her team and Kari had given her gifts. For Mina, that was enough. And Gaara's time with her was enough.

Gaara simply shook his head at her surprise and thrust the box into her hands. "Go on. Open it."

Biting her lip, Mina unwrapped the package. At the dark-blue velvet box, she raised an eyebrow at him and grinned. "Are you proposing to me or something?" she teased.

To her delight, he blushed a bright red. Despite being the fourteen-year old, Shukaku-container Kazekage of the Sand, he was still so adorable!… And handsome…

At this, Mina blushed before turning her attention to the box and opening it. Inside, she found a silver-shaped panda pendant on a silver chain. The eyes were two teal-blue gems. Mina was struck speechless. It was…

"Gaara-kun…" she whispered. "This is beautiful." She raised her head to meet his eyes. "But wasn't it expensive?"

Gaara didn't reply. He just took the necklace in his fingers and crawled behind her. Brushing her braid aside, he placed the necklace around her neck. When she felt the cool pendant touch her skin, she reached up to touch it.

"So whenever you're away on missions, you won't forget me," he said, settling himself next to her again.

She gave him a curious smile. "But why a panda?"

He shrugged. "Well, you always said that I looked like a panda."

Mina giggled. "True, true." Pursing her lips, she threw her hands around his neck and pecked him on the cheek. "Thanks Gaara-kun."

He blushed before returning the hug. "Y-You're welcome."

* * *

It was a wonderful, sunny day. The Kazekage of Sunakagure would have been stuck inside, filling out and signing paperwork. But because his beloved older sister felt sorry for her little brother, who should be hanging out with kids his age instead of being drowned in proposals and mission reports. So, she demanded that he get a day off and meet up with Mina for some ramen. And here he was, waiting for her at a bench by the park where they usually met to spend time together.

"Gaara-kun! Sorry I'm late!"

Smiling faintly, Gaara turned to greet her but his breath caught in his throat. Mina was running up to him with her usual wide smile and enthusiastic wave. But she looked different. Instead of her usual braid, her hair was in a side pony. Replacing her black vest, blue shirt, black skirt, and leggings, and ankle-length boots were a black t-shirt, dark-khaki shorts, and black boots. Instead of her messenger bag, she had two pouches on her belt; a larger one for her weapons a smaller one for her inhaler and other necessities. Her head protector, which was perviously around her neck was now strapped to her left forearm. She had abandoned her Chuunin vest for the day. In short, her new look was more… Mature and… Grown-up. He kept forgetting that she was no longer a naïve eleven-year old girl.

"Have you been waiting long?" she asked, coming up to him.

"Not really," he replied, his eyes running over her new get-up.

Noticing his eyes, she blushed. "Um… Kari-nee thought that since I'm fourteen now and a Chuunin, I need a new look since the old one was a bit childish." She smiled. "What do you think?"

He coughed. "It looks good on you." He smiled. "I like it."

Mina beamed. "I'm glad! Well, come on!"

As they spent the day together, Gaara couldn't shake the fact that Mina was a girl, an actual girl. No, not a girl. A woman. A young, fourteen-year old woman. Unfortunately, Temari and Kankuro had to pick last week to give him "the Talk." You see, Gaara never had sex education until now. The elders and just about everybody stayed away from him, so no one really bothered to educate him. Until last week when his siblings decided that it was time.

Lately, he had been feeling… odd when he was near Mina. Whenever she smiled at him, his heart would start beating fast and he could barely breathe. Her touches, her hugs, her kisses on his cheeks, they all made him feel a shiver run through him, the spot her skin would touch would leave goosebumps all over his body.

What was happening to him?

* * *

Some weeks later…

Gaara and Mina were at Gaara's roof. They hadn't seen each other in two weeks since Mina's last mission took longer than anticipated. She had arrived two days ago but Gaara was busy with council meetings and such. Tonight, they finally had some time to catch up. She was telling him about her last mission and listened when he complained of all the paper work.

"Temari-nee has been going to Konoha a lot lately these days, even if there was nothing to discuss with the Hokage."

"Oh really? Maybe she has a secret boyfriend that we don't know about?" Mina meant it as a joke but Gaara didn't laugh.

"I think she does," he replied, seriously. "That Nara guy we met there, she's been talking about him a lot."

Mina perked up in interest. "So Temari-senpai is in love? That's so cute!

"I… I don't know."

Mina giggled then sighed. She leaned back against the window sill. "Hey, can I tell you a secret?"

Gaara shrugged. "Go on."

The Chuunin flashed him a shy smile. "I… I think I'm in love too."

The red-head gave a start a surprise but didn't say anything, so Mina continued.

"You know Daisuke Takashi, right?" she asked. "He graduated two years before we did." When he tilted his head, she blushed. "Well… after you approved my teaching request, he was assigned to train me. And… Well… I think he's really nice and funny and he always makes me smile…"

"Oh. I… I see."

She sighed sadly and laid her head on his shoulder. "I don't think he sees me as more than an apprentice though. I mean, he's seventeen-years old. He wouldn't pay attention to someone like me. "

Gaara only gazed blankly at her as she stared at the sky with a sad smile on her face.

Valentine's Day…

"Gaara, come on, you're going to be late!" Kankuro called, as he waited out front for his brother. "Temari's gonna kill me if you're not there for the meeting on time!" The puppeteer sighed in annoyance. "She had to go to Konoha. You know, I really think and she and that Shikamaru guy have something going on."

"I think that too," Gaara agreed, emerging with his Kazekage robes in his arm. "But it's Valentine's so I suppose she-"

"Gaara-kun!"

A mass of black flew at him and he was thrown back. Kankuro managed to save the robes that flew from the red-head's arm but the two fourteen-year olds were not so lucky. They ended up on the ground.

Gaara's face flamed to see her lying on top of him, beaming brighter than the sun. Getting off of him gently, she apologized for nearly crushing him.

"Anyway, here!" She handed him a white package tied with a red ribbon. "Happy Valentine's day! I made them myself last night! And this one's from Kari-nee," she handed him a smaller box.

"Oh, thank you," he replied, accepting the chocolates.

Meanwhile, she turned to Kankuro and handed him two small packages. "Here's one for you too Kankuro-senpai. From both me and Kari-nee."

Kankuro grinned. "Sweet! So…" He placed an arm around her shoulders. "Is this a confession of love from Kari-chan?"

"Uh… She didn't really say…"

"Ha!" Kankuro gave them a two-thumbs up. "She digs me!"

Gaara groaned and shook his head before turning to Mina. "Are you on your way to the Academy?"

"Yep! I have training today."

His eyes flew to the messenger bag around her body. "May I ask?"

She followed his eyes. "Oh." She took a blue package with a red ribbon from inside. "I'm giving this to Daisuke-senpai. Do you think he'll like it?" She blushed. "I'm… I'm confessing to him and… Well..." She bit her lip. "I'm kinda nervous."

"Ooh… Who's Daisuke?" Kankuro butted in.

Her blush deepened. "Um…"

"Nii-san, it's really none of your business."

Kankuro raised two hands. "All right, all right. I'm gonna go on ahead. Otouto, your meeting, don't be late."

And with that, he left them. Gaara turned to Mina. "I wish you luck."

Mina gave him a faint smile. "Thanks!" She kissed him on the cheek. "I'll see you later!"

* * *

"Go on." Kana prodded her dark-haired friend in the back. "He's right there. Go get him!"

Swallowing nervously, Mina approached her mentor, tentatively. She waited as he finished talking to a student. At her presence, he turned and smiled, a little confused

"Hello Mina-chan. I thought you went home already?"

"Oh no. Um… I… I…" Mina bit her lip. "I was waiting for you and… um…" With a shake of her head, she held out the package to him. "H-Hap… Happy Valentine's day senpai."

"Oh." His face had a look of surprise. "Thank you very much."

Mina smiled but only for a moment. She bit her lip again. "Senpai, I have something to tell you."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"S-Senpai," her voice cracked and she paused to clear it. "Senpai… I… I…" She swallowed.

_Here goes nothing, _she thought before taking a deep breath.

"Daisuke-senpai. You've been so nice to me since you started training me and I think you're really cool and amazing and I… I… I like you senpai. I really, really like you."

She bravely raised her head to see his reaction. He had a look of surprise on his face and he seemed to be blushing. He coughed and gave her a small smile.

"Mina-chan, thank you, I'm really flattered. I like you too, but," he shook his head. "Not in the way that you like me. We're friends Mina-chan and you're an amazing kunoichi as well as an amazing girl." He smiled. "But I don't think I'm the one for you."

Mina's face fell. She could feel the tears threatening to fall but she held them in. "O-Oh… I-I-I see…" She giggled, humorously. "Well, this is embarrassing. I'm sorry for bothering you Daisuke-senpai."

Daisuke placed a hand on her shoulder. She couldn't meet him in the eye. "Someday, you'll find that special person. And when you do, I'm sure that you feel much more for him than you do for me."

And with that, he kissed her forehead and walked away.

* * *

Checking the clock for what felt like the hundredth time for the last one hour, Gaara scrunched his face in confusion. It was already eight o'clock. Mina should have had arrived by now. If something came up, she always sent a message that she'd be late. Where was she?

"Maybe you should go over to their house," Kankuro said, looking up from the T.V.

He had been noticing Gaara's worry and the puppeteer himself was surprised. Mina was rarely late for her and Gaara's star-gazing meetings.

His little brother sighed. "I suppose you're right."

Grabbing his cloak and asking Kankuro not to wait up for him, Gaara went out into the night to see what was wrong with his best friend. When he knocked on her front door, it took a while for Kari to open it. She had a look of desperation on her face and looked relieved to see him.

"Gaara-kun! Thank Kami, you're here!" She ushered him inside. "Um… I don't really know what happened and Mina wouldn't tell me. She came home looking like someone had died. Will you go to her, please? I think she'll talk to you. She's on the roof."

Gaara paused. Mina was upset? What happened with Daisuke? Nodding at the older girl, he headed towards Mina's room. Sure enough, the window was open and he could see her, head down, her arms hugging her knees.

Quickly, he climbed out the window and settled himself next to her, quietly. Feeling his presence, she raised her head. Gaara was surprised to see her usual smiling face tracked with dried tears, her beautiful brown eyes red from crying. Without a word, she snuggled closer to him, placing her arms around his waist and her head on his chest. And then, she began to sob, quietly. Not sure of what to do, Gaara simply rubbed her back in what he hoped was comforting.

It broke his heart to see Mina like this. He wanted to protect her from whatever pain she was feeling. He wanted to make her smile and laugh again. He couldn't bear to see her like this. If Daisuke did anything to hurt her, he better pray that Gaara wouldn't unleash Shukaku on him.

Slowly, Mina raised her head to look at him. "Gomenasai, Gaara-kun. I forgot about our star-gazing."

He gave her a soft smile. "Mind telling me what happened?"

Biting her lip, she laid her head on his shoulder. "I told senpai what I felt." She sniffled. "He told me that he didn't like me the way I like him. He said that he wasn't the one for me, that there will be someone else someday whom I will love more than I love him." She chuckled, sarcastically. "How pathetic am I?"

"No. You're no pathetic, Mina. It's his loss. He couldn't see how lucky he is that you love him."

Mina raised her head again, a small smile on her face. "You're just saying that."

Gaara shook his head. "I'm not. It's true. You're kind and caring and you're a talented and touch kunoichi at the same time. You're fearless and will do anything to help. You didn't give up on me for so long and I think that's something to be proud of." He wiped her tears with his thumb. "You're an amazing person Mina. And that's why I love you."

Love? Gaara knew that he loved her. She was his best friend. But… when he said it, he felt that it was a different kind of love. Kankuro mentioned it once. It was the kind of love you felt for someone you want to spend the rest of your life with, the kind of love you feel for someone you can't live without. Falling in love, Kankuro called it. Did he feel this kind of love for Mina?

Mina smiled. "I love you too, Gaara-kun." She laid her head on his shoulder. "You're the best."

His heart tightened. She loved him. But did she love him the same way he loved her? He wasn't sure. But he didn't elaborate. For now, Mina needed him and he would be there for her.

**lovelovelovelovelovelovelove**

Mina smiled at the memory. When Gaara first told her he loved her, she thought he loved her as a friend, as a sister. She didn't know that he had fallen in love with her. Then again, she herself didn't know that it was in that moment that she had fallen in love with him too. But she was so caught up in her first heartbreak that she didn't notice. It took her a few weeks to realize that the reason she liked Daisuke was because he reminded her of Gaara.

Sighing, she leaned back on the tree, looking forward to coming home.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I wish I do, but I don't.

Chapter 7- Their True Feelings

It was late in the evening. Many were already inside their homes, children tucked into bed. However, the young Kazekage of the Sand was still in his office, reviewing report after report and signing papers. The door opened and his older brother entered.

"Yo, little bro, it's getting late," Kankuro said. "You done yet?"

"Soon, nii-san," Gaara replied.

"Gaara, come on, Mina will be back by tomorrow. The least you can do is get a good night's sleep. You know how she gets when you tire yourself out."

Gaara considered. Yes, his fiancée was very persistent when it came to sleep, ever since Akatsuki extracted Shukaku from him. Giving his brother a grateful smile, he said, "Give me ten more minutes to finish up here, then we'll leave."

Kankuro rolled his eyes. "Fine. But don't tell Temari I let you stay up late. You remember the last time she found out I allowed you to stay overnight here. She almost killed me!"

And with that, the puppeteer left. Gaara chuckled at the memory. Temari had just arrived from a meeting at Konoha that time. When she saw Gaara come home at dawn, exhausted from lack of sleep, she pounced on the puppeteer like a mother lion. Poor Kankuro got such an earful about leaving his little brother to work like a horse. Then Temari had taken her fan out and almost used her wind jutsu on him if Gaara had not discouraged her from doing so.

Stretching his arms, Gaara leaned back in his chair. His eye caught sight of the starry sky outside his window and he breathed in deeply before picking up a framed picture from his desk. He smiled at Mina's beaming face; he missed her. He didn't like it when she was away on missions, it made him worry and he often prayed that she'd return safe and sound. Although he was Kazekage and could easily prevent her from being sent on dangerous missions, he knew Mina wouldn't appreciate it; she was a kunoichi and it was her duty to share the burden that came with being a shinobi. He remembered what happened when she had her first kill shortly after she turned fifteen…

**Lovelovelovelovelovelove**

A knock came on the door and Gaara looked up from reading Temari's mission report on her recent trip to Konoha. He bade the knocker come in and Team Kaname, actually half of Team Kaname, entered; Kaname and Ichiru were both covered in scrapes and bruises brought about by their A-rank mission; that was strange, it was usually Kaname and Mina who gave him their mission report. The two shinobis bowed to the Kazekage.

"We have just returned from our mission in the Hidden Mist Kazekage-sama," Kaname announced.

"I see." Gaara searched for the appropriate papers. "You were sent to spy on a suspected rogue ninja camp and bring back news on whether there are Suna missing nins among them, correct? And you were to dispose of them?"

"Hai. We found two of the missing nins who left Suna a year ago. The mission was a success, though in order to dispose of the two missing nins, we had no choice but to do the same to their fellow rogue ninjas."

The Kazekage nodded. "That was inevitable." He signed the papers. "A job well done."

The two bowed and took their leave. But before they could exit his office, Gaara had a revelation; if Mina wasn't giving the mission report, then where was she?

"Wait."

The two paused and turned back to him.

"Where is Minako Manabe?" he asked.

Kaname and Ichiru suddenly began to look nervous. They avoided his gaze as he looked at them.

"Um…" Ichiru fiddled with the pack on his belt. "She… uh…"

Kaname must have taken pity on his student since he decided to answer for him. "She was injured during the mission, my lord."

And just like that, Gaara felt himself go cold. He quickly rose from his seat. "Where is she?"

"At the hospital, Kazekage-sama."

The fifteen-year old leader of the Sand removed his robes and without taking his sand gourd with him, walked towards the two shinobis. "Take me to her."

* * *

The door to hospital room number 215 was opened by a worried-looking Kari. Seeing the Kazekage with her younger sister's teammates, she allowed a small smile to graze her lips. She stepped forward to hug him quickly before leading him inside.

"Don't worry, she's all right," she assured him. "Nothing serious."

When he entered, he saw Kana by the window, a gauze wrapped around her forehead. But he only had eyes for one person; on the hospital bed, propped up on pillows was Mina. The kunoichi's left hand was wrapped in a bandage, bruises covered half of her right arm, a large bandage covered a wound on her forehead and smaller one covered a cut on her cheek. She was the only one in Team Kaname who was seriously injured.

Seeing Gaara, she frowned at her team captain and teammate. "I told you guys not to tell him."

"You never said anything about answering him if he asked," Kaname replied, coming in after the Kazekage.

She stuck her tongue out at him before smiling at Gaara. "Hello Gaara-kun. Aren't you supposed to be working?"

For a while, the red-head just stood next to her bedside, staring at her. He wondered how she could still smile after being beaten up like this.

Softly, he asked, "How did this happen?"

Mina chuckled. "Those rogue ninjas were tougher than we expected."

"You're avoiding the question."

Mina's smile faltered slightly and she looked away. "They discovered us spying on them and took me hostage. I was with them for a day or two until Kaname-sensei and the others rescued me."

"You're still not answering my question."

Kari placed a hand on his arm. "Gaara-san, I think it's best not to-"

"Oh, it's okay," Mina quickly said. "He deserves to know. But, um, do you mind leaving us alone for a bit?"

Her sister and her team looked at each other before nodding and one by one, they left the room. The door closed behind them. Mina turned her head to Gaara and tried to smile.

"Won't you sit?" she gestured to the chair next to her bed.

He obliged. For a few minutes, they stayed in silence. Gaara stared at his lap; he was dying to know what happened to her. He was filled with rage and overwhelming concern; if those rogue ninjas did what he think they did, they better be thankful that they were already dead; Gaara would have done worse than just kill them if they were still alive.

"They didn't rape me if that's what you're thinking," Mina told him, a hint of humor in her voice.

Finally, Gaara looked up at her. "What happened?" he repeated.

Mina took a deep breath and began her tale. "As I've said, they discovered us spying on them. When they saw our forehead protectors and discovered that we were from the Sand, they started… they started insulting you." Mina bit her lip. "I got mad, as usual whenever someone does that. I… I was being stupid. I ignored team formation and just started releasing my cyclones and creating earthquakes. They had a fire and I tried to form fireballs; that's how I got this," she lifted her bandaged hand. "Fire has always been my weakest element but I took the risk; I wasn't thinking straight and I burned myself. I was so deprived of chakra halfway through the battle that the next thing I knew, they had captured me and the others were left behind. Thank Kami they didn't kill me, but why they kept me alive, we never knew. It took the team about a day or two to find me; I wasn't really keeping track of time; I saw the way those men looked at me, like I was a piece of meat they hadn't had in days and I knew what they were thinking; I was always awake, I never slept; I was afraid that if I did, they'd…" she bit her lip and didn't go on.

Controlling his slowly-increasing anger, Gaara placed a hand on top of hers. Lifting the bandaged hand to his lips, he planted a kiss on it. Mina turned red.

"But I'm all right now, really," she told him, smiling. But the smile immediately faded. "The day the others finally found me and took me back, I… I killed for the first time. It was… It was one of the men who was always watching me with his hungry eyes; he gave me this with his kunai," she pointed to the cut on her cheek. "He was the one I hated the most. When I killed him, it was like a burden was lifted from my shoulders. I was glad that I killed him. But on the way here… I… I couldn't help but think that he was a shinobi too… I wondered if he had a family, a child who wanted to be just like him… I didn't know why, but I cried for them… I cried for those rogue ninjas… I cried for their families…" Mina sniffled as tears slid down her cheeks. She swiped at them with her right hand. "I'm sorry; I know I shouldn't show emotion, but I cant' help it. I'm so pathetic."

"No, you're not." Gaara lifted a hand and slowly wiped the tears with his thumb. "You mustn't think that way; it was your first kill. You've never killed before so…" He wasn't sure what else to say to her. Unlike her, Gaara had killed multiple times and because of Shukaku, he never felt remorse until later on when meeting Naruto changed his way of thinking. But Mina, she had never killed before; and her father was killed doing his mission by an enemy shinobi. Gaara couldn't blame her for feeling the way she was. "No matter how many ways we look at it, we are shinobis; killing is our way of life. We do this to protect our village and our loved ones. It's not something that we're proud of, but that's the way it has always been."

Sniffling, Mina smiled, slightly. "Our life isn't easy, is it?"

"No, it's not."

"And it doesn't get easier."

"No, it doesn't."

She looked at him. "After I killed that rogue ninja, no matter how many times I washed my hands after, I can still see them stained with his blood. I don't like killing, but if it means protecting the ones I love, then I won't hesitate." Beaming up at him, she placed a hand on his cheek. "Besides, as long as you're with me, Gaara-kun, I know I'll be alright."

Is this what they called love? Is this the feeling that described your willingness to protect someone with all your life? Your desire to always see her smiling and happy? Feeling like you were the one hurting when she was hurting? Wanting nothing more than to hold her in your arms and take her pain away?

As Gaara watched Mina, he decided that yes, this must be love. What else would make him feel that she was the reason why he bothered to wake up each day just to see her smile? Why he strived to become the shinobi that she could be proud of? Why he always wanted to be with her and worried for her when she was in situations such as this? Why he felt like she was his whole world, a world he wanted to protect?

Gaara placed a hand over Mina's hand on his cheek and smiled, slightly. "Then I'll always be with you."

Without another word, he gathered her small figure into his arms, held her close, and breathed in her scent.

"Thank you, Gaara-kun," she whispered.

**lovelovelovelovelovelove**

At the memory, Gaara smiled and placed the picture back on his desk.

After what happened that day, he knew that Mina was still apprehensive about killing on her missions, but she was handling it better. She avoided killing anyone as much as she could, but when the need arose, she kept her promise; she didn't hesitate. Gaara knew whenever she had killed someone during a mission when he would find her at the cemetery, lighting a candle for the person or people she had killed. Gaara was still amazed that a kind, gentle girl like Mina was a kunoichi, but then again, that was what he loved about her. Her nature was a contradiction to everything a kunoichi should be, but she still managed to remain a skilled one. And Gaara couldn't be prouder of her.

After consulting the clock, he decided that it was time to retire for the night; he would be meeting Mina tomorrow when he returned and she would definitely start worrying if he looked like he hadn't had any sleep. So the Kazekage closed the files he was examining, placed them in a pile, stood up, turned off the lights, and left his office.

Two days later…

"We're glad that you're back, Minako-sensei," Dai called out.

The other children nodded their heads in agreement.

Mina smiled at her class. "Arigatou, minna-san. It's good to be back."

"How was your mission, sensei?" Isuzu asked, timidly.

"It went well, thank you Isuzu-chan."

The little girl beamed.

"We can't wait to hear the rest of your story, sensei," Hiro said.

Mina simply giggled. "I see that you haven't forgotten. Well, if all of you manage to create at least two shadow clones today, we'll see."

A few hours later, at least a copy of each of her students disappeared in puffs of smoke; not all of them accomplished the task she set on them. They begged for another one. So she had them use Henge no Jutsu copy the image of a classmate of their choosing. They managed it well and she decided to reward them.

"Now, which part of the story would you like to hear today?" she asked.

Tomoyo raised her hand. "Um… Do you remember that incident a few years ago, sensei?"

Mina furrowed her eyebrows. "There had been plenty of incidences a few years ago, which one are you referring to?"

"Um… You know, the one when the Kazekage was defending the village from this guy on a giant clay bird? The one where Kazekage-sama almost died."

The Chuunin's eyes widened. They actually remembered that incident? Mina could see it in her eyes; she remembered it well.

**Lovelovelovelovelove**

Team Kaname had just returned from a mission in the Iwagakure; there had been a switch in some important documents, leading to some misunderstandings with Iwagakure thinking that Sunagakure was trying to buy their village. Mina's team was sent to replace the wrong document with the real one and settle any misunderstanding. They were gone for five days. It was already late into the night when they arrived in the village. Since the Kazekage tower was already closed, they decided to give the mission report the next day instead and each member of the team headed for home.

"It was a success, I presume?" Kari asked pleasantly, as Mina plopped herself headfirst onto the living room couch.

"Mmhmm," the young Chuunin replied.

Kari giggled and prodded her arm. "Alright kiddo, get showered and into bed. You had a long week and deserve some rest."

Mina raised her head and yawned, sleepily. "Ah… Sleep. Sounds amazing, right now."

She smiled at her sister before rising from the couch and heading upstairs to her room. She removed her Chuunin vest and weapon pouch then went through her drawers and chose some night clothes to change into. As she pushed the drawer close, a framed picture on top of it fell and shattered onto the floor. At first, all Mina could do was stare at the glass pieces. Slowly and carefully, she lowered herself onto the floor to pick up the picture; it was of her and Gaara together, taken during Gaara's inauguration as Kazekage. She was holding his arm and was smiling widely while the red-head stood with an awkward smile next to her, wearing his brand new Kazekage robes and hat.

Screams suddenly filled the silent desert air. Mina's head snapped up as her bedroom door opened, revealing a worried-looking Kari.

"W-What's happening?" she said, a hand to her chest.

Mina shrugged and shook her head before turning her head to the window. The view outside gave her the biggest shock of her life; Gaara was in the air, being carried by his sand as a figure in a giant, white bird, hovered in front of him. The figure had blonde hair in a ponytail and wore a black robe patterned with red clouds.

Her eyes widened; she and the other shinobis had been briefed on people like him; he was Akatsuki! What was one of them doing in the Sand? And what the hell was Gaara doing, confronting him on his own?

Dropping the picture, Mina ran to the window. Outside, some shinobis were calling for the Kazekage to allow them to help; others were hurriedly escorting civilians back into their homes. Wasting no time, Mina grabbed her weapon pack before running out of her room and back downstairs.

"Mina-chan! You can't go back out there!" Kari pleaded, following her.

"I have to, nee-chan," the Chuunin gasped, tying the pouch onto her belt. She grabbed the boots she left by the door earlier and quickly put them on. "It's my job. Besides, Gaara's in trouble."

Kari bit her lip. "Stay safe."

Mina flashed her a weak smile before opening the door. "I will." And with that, she was out.

The civilians were all frantic; they ran about screaming and crying. It took all of Mina's power to calm them down to escort them to their houses. Her fellow Chuunins and some Genins were doing their best to maintain order. There were no Jounins; they were all trying to aid the Kazekage as much as they could.

The enemy had bombs! One of them flew towards a nearby building and exploded. Quickly, Mina summoned a great amount of chakra and created a hand seal.

"Cyclone Jutsu!" she yelled, aiming her hands towards the collapsing building. It arrived right on time and the falling half hovered in the air, allowing the people underneath it to escape before she allowed it to fall gently onto the ground.

"Mina!"

She turned her head to see Kana and Ichiru running towards her.

"Guys! What's happening?" she asked them.

"Apparently, that guy tried to infiltrate the Kazekage tower," Ichiru answered, as the three of them ran around to help more civilians.

"Nani?" Quickly, Mina turned her head skywards.

Gaara had formed a ball around himself, shielding him from the enemy's bombs. Mina grinned; she knew that nothing could penetrate his sand shield.

_Gaara will be alright, _she assured herself.

But to her horror, as well as everybody else's, the sand shield exploded! For a moment, Mina's heart stopped, as she stared.

_Gaara… No… _

A tear slid down her cheek. But just then, the sand began to move. It moved towards the direction of the desert, away from the village.

"He's… He's moving the sand," Kana whispered.

"He's saving the village," Mina added, softly. She knew that amount of sand could cover the whole village; Gaara knew it too and thus, he was taking the sand into the desert instead.

"Mina, what the hell are you doing? Get back here!"

Ichiru's voice hardly reached her. She just realized that she was running. She was running towards the flying sand. Towards the desert. Towards Gaara. She ran as if her life depended on it, and in this case, maybe it did. Because if anything happened to Gaara, she didn't know how she could survive. She didn't want anything to happen to him; she would protect him at all cost, even if her life was the price. She didn't want him to leave her. She…

_Damnit, Gaara! You better not die! _she screamed, silently, tears falling down her cheeks now. _Don't you dare die! 'Cause if you do, I will never forgive you! Ever! Don't you dare leave me!_

She didn't know that she wasn't the only one running towards the village walls in an attempt to get to Gaara. She didn't know that she was the only Chuunin among the Jounis who chased after the Kazekage. She wasn't aware that the enemy had thrown a bomb at the wall, creating a mind-blowing explosion that made Suna's impenetrable walls shudder and break. And she wasn't aware that she was among the shinobis who got buried underneath the hard rocks and rubble.

All she was aware of was that she needed to save Gaara. She needed to save him because he was this village's Kazekage. She needed to save him because he was her best friend. She needed to save him because he was the man she was in love with.

* * *

A gentle hand was caressing her forehead. She could hear soft murmurs around her. Where was she? Why was everything so dark? What happened to her?… Gaara! What happened to Gaara?

Slowly, Mina opened her eyes. A blinding light met her eyes and she shut them again, letting out a small groan.

There was a gasp and a voice exclaiming, "She's awake!"

Cautiously, Mina opened her eyes again and allowed them to adjust to the light. Her sister's relieved face filled with tears hovered above hers. Mina just realized that it was Kari's hand caressing her earlier. The young Chuunin turned her head to see Kana, Ichiru, and Kaname at her other side, all of them sporting smiles of relief.

"How are you, sweetie?" Kari asked, tenderly.

"W-Where's… G-Gaara?" Her voice was a hoarse whisper. She just realized how dry her throat was.

The four looked at each other, unable to meet her eyes.

"We're glad that you're awake now," Kari said, ignoring her question. "You've been out for three days."

"G-Gaara… W-Where's Gaara?" Mina repeated, attempting to rise, but fell back at the pain that shot through her body.

Finally, Kaname answered, "He was kidnapped. But don't worry, there's a team of Leaf shinobi following him now. A few more teams will be dispatched in a few days to go after him with Temari and Kankuro. We're just waiting which teams they are now."

Tears prickled her eyes as Mina began to sob, quietly. She had failed. She didn't get to protect him. She failed to rescue him

"You were lucky, you know," Kana said, smiling slightly. "When that wall collapsed, you got a major hit. Many died, but you were one of the few lucky ones who survived."

Mina only nodded, blankly.

"All you got were some minor head injuries and a broken arm," Kari said, stroking her hair. "The medic said you might not be able to function normally for a few weeks, but if you take care of yourself, he said you'll be alright."

Mina nodded again. She should be glad that she was alive, that all she suffered were minor injuries. But what was the use of that if Gaara wasn't there with her?

A week later…

A dark-haired girl was walking around the hospital gardens, assisted by her older sister; there was a bandage on her forehead and her right arm was in a sling. After three days of being bedridden, the medics finally deemed her strong enough to walk around on her own. However, she wasn't allowed to return home yet. They still needed to keep a closer watch on her. Mina was impatient and wanted to participate in the search party, but they wouldn't let her. Kaname was among the search party but Ichiru and Kana decided to stay with her instead. It had been days already. Why weren't they back, yet?

Sighing, Mina settled herself onto a bench. Kari sat next to her, smiling slightly.

"You okay?"

Mina returned the smile, weakly. "Yeah."

Kari reached into her bag and pulled out a bag of sliced apples. "You want one?"

The young girl shrugged. "Sure." Her sister handed her a slice and she nibbled on it, absent-mindedly.

She still couldn't believe that she was here in the hospital, while Gaara was out there, held captive by Akatsuki. What did they want with him, anyway? Mina missed him so much; she wanted to see him, to have him hold her in his arms and tell her everything would be alright. She missed sitting underneath the stars and naming shapes with him. When was the last time they had gone star-gazing? Oh yeah, before she left for her mission in Iwagakure. It seemed like a year had passed since then.

Suddenly, cheers erupted from the direction of village walls. She, Kari, and the others who were in the gardens looked up.

"What the heck is happening out there?" a fellow survivor of the collapsed wall, a male Jounin, questioned.

The others imply shrugged in response. They soon found out when a nurse ran out and announced in a loud and elated voice, "The Kazekage's back! They found him!"

At her words, the other patients let out a loud cheer. Meanwhile, Mina felt a warmth spread through her body; she had felt cold and empty the last couple of days. But at the news that Gaara was alive, she felt as if the sun had come out to shine on her gloomy world. And for the first time since she was confined to the hospital, Mina smiled a wide and true smile.

Excitedly, she and Kari followed the other patients inside to celebrate the Kazekage's return.

* * *

"What do you mean I can't go out?" Mina demanded. She was settled on her hospital bed and had just asked the medic if she could leave and see the Kazekage. "You said I'm all better now. Why can't I go out and see my best friend?"

The medic shook her head. "I'm sorry Miss Manabe. Though you're body has begun to function normally again, I'm afraid that you're not strong enough to leave the hospital as of now."

Her fists began balling up her blanket. "But I want to see Gaara!"

The medic sighed and patted her in the hand. "I'm sorry, Miss Manabe. But give yourself a few days. Hopefully by then, you'll well enough to leave."

And with that, the medic left. Groaning, Mina leaned back in her pillows, a frown grazing her other-wise smiling face. Damnit, why were they treating her like she was a child? It was just a broken arm! She was fine! She was a kunoichi for kami's sake!

Mina's eyes widened as she sat up again. Her eyes glinted with the very rare mischief. That was it! She was a kunoichi! Which meant that she could easily sneak out of here!

Changed into shinobi clothes and a pillow stuffed under the blanket, Minako Manabe, one of the two last descendants of the Manabe clan from the Hidden Mist Village, tiptoed out of her hospital room. Hiding behind every pillar, every wall, and every empty room she could find, the young Chuunin maneuvered her way out of Sunagakure's hospital. She could see the exit now. But the lobby was full of people, mostly medics. If she created a distraction of some sot, maybe she could only make it on time…

"Mina-chan, what are you doing out of bed?"

With excessive shinobi speed, Mina clamped a hand over Kana's mouth and pinned her to wall, hidden from the rest of the people in the hospital lobby.

"Shh… Don't talk so loud," she whispered. "I have to see Gaara."

Kana removed Mina's hand from her mouth. "But the medic said you're not well enough yet!"

"I know my own body and it's saying that I'm fine." Mina took her friend's hand, pleading with her. "Please, help me sneak out of here so I can see him. Please Kana-chan. I need to see him!"

Kana looked at her, helplessly then sighed, giving in. "Alright. But what are you planning to do?"

When a devious smirk appeared on her friend's face, Kana began to get nervous.

A large but weak cyclone jutsu in a deserted hallway later, the blue-haired girl was trying to keep everybody calm as her brunette friend sneaked through the lobby and was out of the hospital in no time. She waited a few minutes outside until Kana emerged and the two proceeded to the Kazekage tower.

Ignoring the guard's protests, Mina entered the tower and rushed up the stairs to Gaara's office, Kana behind her just in case. On the way, they passed a group of, based on the symbol on their forehead protectors, leaf shinobis. There was a blonde who wore an orange jumpsuit and was talking rather loudly about ramen; a pink-haired girl who was smiling half-heartedly; two brunettes, one a girl with her hair in two buns and the other a boy, both were looking solemnly at the blonde; a dark-haired boy with too thick eyebrows who looked suspiciously alike to the jounin who was supporting an injured, silver-haired jounin with a mask.

_These must be the reinforcements from Konoha, _Mina thought, pausing in her tracks to watch them leave. She wanted to call out and thank them for Gaara's safe return, but they already disappeared around the corner. Sighing, she proceeded to the Kazekage's office.

Kana knocked on the door. They hard Temari call out, "Come in!"

The two entered. Mina paused at the door; there he was, sitting at his desk, a surprised look on his face. He looked so tired and worn-out, but he was safe!

Her heart thundering against her chest in joy, Mina stumbled forward towards him. Gaara stood up and went around his desk to her. She threw herself at him and he caught her around the waist; she wrapped her left arm around his neck, sobbing into his chest. Quietly, his siblings and Kana decided to leave the room to give the two some privacy. They were alone now.

"I-I thought I lost you," she cried. When he let her go, she frowned then smacked him in the arm.

Gaara flinched. "What was that for?" he asked, rubbing his arm.

"For being a baka! How dare you almost get yourself killed out there?"

"I… I needed to protect the village."

"By getting yourself almost killed?"

He tilted his head to the side. "Are you angry at me?"

Mina bit her lip and wrapped her good arm around his waist. "You scared me, that's all."

Gaara laid his head on top of hers. "Gomenasai. But I didn't want anybody to get hurt, especially you."

A smile tugged at her lips as she pulled away to look at him. "I know."

Finally, he looked down at her right arm. "What happened to you?"

She just shrugged. "Wall collapsed on me. But I'm fine now."

Gaara looked at her worriedly. "Are you sure."

She beamed. "Hai. This is nothing; I've had worse."

He flinched.

"I'm alright, really. I should be asking you that. What happened?"

"I… I don't really remember much; I was unconscious majority of the time."

Sitting opposite each other, Gaara narrated to her what the other shinobis told him of what happened. How the Akatsuki took him because they wanted the Shukaku. How they finally took Shukaku and that he died because of it. How Naruto, his friend from Konoha, did everything in his power to bring Gaara back. Then he told her of Granny Chiyo and her huge sacrifice to bring him back to life.

"I want to pay my respects to her," Mina said, after he was done. "I want to thank her for what she did for you. Will you take me?"

Looking at her, he took her hand and kissed it, lightly. A faint blush appeared on her cheeks. "I'll be glad to. But first," he stood up and pulled her to him. His face was so close to hers. She must look like a tomato with the amount of heat in her cheeks. "I want you to meet my friends from Konoha."

And with that, he led her out of the room, missing the longing smile on her face.

**Lovelovelovlovelovelove**

"… that's about it. Afterwards, I met the Konoha shinobis; they were very kind. I didn't get to pay my respects to Granny Chiyo that day because the medic assigned to me figured out I was gone and went after me. I had no choice but to go back to the hospital. When I was released, I went straight to Granny Chiyo's grave and thanked her for what she did. The next two months that my arm had to heal, I was dismissed from missions. I was rather grumpy at that so Gaara spent as much time with me as possible, to ease my crankiness a bit. I fell deeper in love with him in those months."

The class was silent; all were engrossed in the tale. Though they were young back then, they remembered the incident. They were glad to hear the incident through their sensei's perspective.

Mina simply smiled at her class and shook her head. "Class is almost over, so you have to wait a while to hear more." Her students groaned. "Now, now, don't be so depressed. Chakra control will be our lesson tomorrow. Bring a set of extra clothes, you might either get dirty or get wet."

The bell rang and the class stood up, saying good-bye. Once she was alone, Mina sighed. The story was coming to a close. A shame. She was starting to enjoy telling this story to her students. She actually had to ask Gaara every now and then what to narrate to her students.

A familiar chakra signature pulled Mina away from her thoughts. She turned her head to the door, smiling.

"Hey, stranger."

Gaara entered her classroom, a smile on his face. In a few quick strides, he was in front of her and had planted a kiss onto her forehead. "I missed you."

Though they only saw each other that morning when he accompanied her to school on his way to the tower, Mina couldn't help but lean into his touch. "I missed you too."

As they left the building, Gaara pulled her closer to him. "So what story did you tell them today?"

Mina smiled and told him what she told her class.


End file.

Naruto, Friendship, Romance