Part 1

The Past

They haunted her, those eyes of the small boy. They frightened her, because she knew that she would never save him from the monster that was within, no matter how hard she tried…

Sunagakure's walls surrounded the six year old; small, weak, yet smart. But her intelligence did nothing to stop her brother of thirteen, Daitaro, from target practice. Her adoptive parents permitted this, because they hated her also; treating her like a useless dog. Therefore she was not allowed to attend school-too good for her, they said. But working at her young age was not. The ramen shop under her apartment was convenient and brought in another source of income for her parents. But her brains triumphed, as she secretly paid for martial arts lessons.

But the six year old was too weak, and her sensei made it apparent. The brute told her that she was never going to accomplish anything. And she believed it-while losing hope in everything else. At only six her hatred grew until her parents were even frightened to attack her. She would sit at the playground, swaying back and forth in a swing-her swing-while remembering those harsh words from her sensei. Even when she tried, the young girl knew that she would never find the hope that she once had.

One day, though, her life would turn. It was cold, well as cold as the desert could be in the day time, and dim as she made her way to the playground. As her legs carried her forward, an upsetting sight reached her. A boy was sitting in her swing. Why wasn't he out playing with the other children and that stupid ball? The unnatural sternness of the young child made his head snap up as if coming out of a dream.

"Who are you?" the six year-old asked, crossing her arms.

"M-My name is G-Gaara," his stutter did not change the effect of his words.

She was shocked that the Kazekage's son was here. Why would he be out and about when everyone feared him because of the one tail? The six year old was half expecting to see them inside of his pale green and blank eyes. But there was nothing, just the eyes of a normal young boy. He was like her, she presumed; no one cared for her, just as she heard that his family feared him. Oddly, at this time, Gaara appeared happy with a smile spread across his face. It was probably because she was the first to speak to him without running away with tears and cries for help.

"W-what's your name?" Gaara asked suddenly with his eyes piercing her skull.

"…Yumiko, my name is Yumiko," and she grinned tightly, not only because she felt sorry for him, but because Yumiko finally found someone like herself.

"Would you like to play?"

"Y-yes, I would," he stuttered again, causing Yumiko to smile for the first time she could ever remember.

And after that day, Yumiko was calmer. Gaara was someone that she could confide in and vise versa, of course. The two six year olds exchanged life stories, but Gaara's were the most difficult to listen to. With the only one to care for him an uncle, Yashamaru, Yumiko was a little jealous. But that went away when Gaara took her to meet him one day. His idea that he would care for Yumiko the same way, was completely and utterly wrong. Yashamaru stared at the young girl and Yumiko could see the darkness that she expected to see when she first looked into Gaara's eyes. She was wary, and scared for her new friend.

The very next day Gaara appeared in the ramen shop and Yumiko asked to leave. It was only ten minutes until her shift was over and the elderly man she worked for would be kind enough to let her depart. He was a friend, and treated her like any other sweet little six year-old. The two children ran out the door and towards their swing set, making it a race; and as usual, Gaara won. Yumiko would have cherished the moment more if she had known that this was the last time Gaara would be seen happy.

The two were up and about at midnight, given that Gaara couldn't sleep Yumiko was more than happy to keep him company most nights. Both dangled their legs off of the roof as they looked over Sunagakure. The moon was full and bright and the windy air was colder than usual. Yumiko was about to ask Gaara a question, one that she couldn't even remember if asked, when the shadowy figure attacked.

While Gaara's sand protected the both of them; Yumiko was far too stunned to react to what was going on around her. She barely registered the fact that sand had wrapped around the figure in a vice grip. Now, of all people in this world, she was timid around Gaara. The blood trickling to the ground made her nauseous and shaky… until she heard the loud thud when the attacker was dropped. Gaara, who seemed as unstable as she at the moment, lifted the mask to see the most confusing and depressing sight both of them had seen; Yashamaru. Her only thought was to hug him, but Gaara was paralyzed from confusion and despair.

"This is it. Please die," he said while lifting one side of his vest to reveal paper bombs.

The shell of sand appeared again, and Yumiko was oddly surprised that there was no pain from the fire. Then she remembered that Gaara was beside her, but after a look into her eyes, she wasn't so sure it was Gaara anymore. Yumiko was pushed back by the sand as it swerved around the red headed boy, rolling on the rooftop until the edge stopped her path. When it was over, the blood-curdling screams halted and Yumiko squinted to read the symbol on her friend's forehead. Gaara was officially broken… beyond repair. And Yumiko knew that while they were both hurt, she could no longer compare to him. But she could try, in the most dismal way possible.

"Hope," she strangled out while turning to the side, after gathering herself from the ground.

Gaara was clueless as to what she meant, so she explained.

"Hope, so we'll remember what 'true'," she stated disgusted and weakly, "people don't have."

Yumiko felt no pain as grains pierced her skin, because she knew that from now on, both of them would have something they truly needed-for the rest of their lives-and she gritted her teeth so Gaara wouldn't fear to continue. The days that followed were difficult; Gaara's shut down, plus the killing and pain he let Shukaku demonstrate-willingly-caused Yumiko to feel hurt and frightened. She couldn't help him, even if she attempted. Those were the eyes that still haunt her. Gaara was the boy whose monster she couldn't defeat. And as the distance between them grew, she could feel herself slipping back into hopelessness. This Gaara no longer knew himself and refused to do so. One day, with both children setting upon the roof of an old building, and the eerie silence and tense aura engulfing her was too much. Yumiko could no longer handle the silent nods and dead stares into the desert.

"I know you're hurt, but that doesn't mean you should give in to the monster. Fight it," and then she stormed off, determined to forget about this monster that had taken her only friend.

While it was the last place she wished to be, Yumiko ran home and stared out her window. The view was impaired by the wall of another building, but she'd rather look there than the desert that she had spent countless nights memorizing with Gaara. Hours later, as she had just started to drift to sleep when her window opened and clanged loudly against the wall, shaking her from the tattered sheets. Yumiko backed into a corner, clutching a pillow that was falling apart and dingy, frightened of the figure that stepped inside. The young girl was beginning to plead for her life but was hushed by gentle, calloused, large hands on her thin shoulders.

"W-who are y-y-you?" Yumiko's voice quivered as she fought to calm her frazzled nerves.

"My name is Daiki Hokkaido. Stop sniffling, there's no need to be scared," his kind words were offset by his deep voice as he chuckled at her state.

"What d-do you want?"

"To tell you what you're capable of," this, of course, confused the hell out of her.

She knew exactly what she was capable of; nothing. Yumiko Kyoto (name given by the adoption agency-not adoptive parents' name) was abandoned at birth and taken in by two moronic people and a jackass of a brother. That was it, and that was the problem. She had no future, no strength, and -now-no friends.

"You, Yumiko, are capable of much more than what you think you are. Your hidden talent is something that took years to develop. Everyone in the clan would be happy that you're alive."

"Huh? I'm from a clan? And my parents abandoned me?"

"No, they didn't Yumiko! Seven years ago, I was a shinobi here in Suna. That's how I met your parents. They realized that they had a talent that not many people realized. They showed me that I had that power too. We left the village to find others like us and started our own village. But six years ago we were unprepared for the beast that attacked… Orochimaru. While I survived, your parents and other members of the village… were killed. Thanks to your father though, you were saved and I brought you here… Of course, I had no business taking care of a child. But now that I see you've landed into the wrong hands. So, Princess Yumiko, I am here to help you find your purpose."

Daiki explained it with such ease that she almost didn't believe him. But to Yumiko, it didn't matter if it was a lie; just that it was. Half of her wanted to accept his proposal, but the other thought better of it. To find more information if he was lying, she asked,

"What is our clan's ability, Daiki?"

"Our line of chakra can imitate any source we choose, any technique, at any time," he stated confidently, knowing that she had her mother's brains and appearance, but her father's curious personality.

"I can't even walk up a wall…" her voice droned out in embarrassment.

"Well I'm here to change that. Come on," he urged, with his hand outstretched and his leg out the window, ready to jump out into the unknown world.

"Where are we going?" she knew that taking his hand was a stupid idea, but she did it anyway.

"To our village, of course!" Daiki beamed; relieved the she trusted him-if only a little bit.

Yumiko knew that this was only the beginning. Of the worst experience of her life, or the best, she didn't know.