Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any characters in it. Although, I wish I did own Gaara

A/N: This is my first story, so don't be too harsh. I don't mind flames as long as its constructive criticism. If it's just "Your story sucks" and no "your story sucks BECAUSE…." Then I well get extremely pissed off.

It was a beautiful summers evening, and I was walking down the street with my mother, looking for venders or shops that were selling new cloths and food. I was in the allied village of Sunakagure, visiting my cousin and aunt. Mother was holding my hand so I wouldn't wander off, so instead of wandering off to investigate stuff, I just observed my surroundings.

There was a small play-ground just in sight, there were a group of kids, who looked like they were playing some kind of ball game, yelling and laughing, all trying to get the large leather ball that was being passed to one another. The supermarket was busy with people. Some people had the eager and slightly drained expression of one who was coming home from work. Others were shopping, just like my mother, some with children at their sides, others without. Still others where in the small food booths, chatting, laughing, or discussing something in low voices and serious expressions.

The air was dry and hot. The sun beat down relentlessly on the village, grimacing evilly at the ones who bothered to look up at the sky to check for any sign of clouds that might cover the sun to relive the hot village of sunlight for even the slightest of seconds.

"Sakura, honey, why don't you go to that playground and go play with someone while Mommy talks to her old friend?" I heard Mom say softly. I looked at her with wide green eyes then replied,

"Okay." I noticed that Mom had indeed stopped to talk to one of her friends that she had known in her childhood at Suna. I smiled politely at her old friend then raced, as fast as my legs could carry my tiny body, to the playground.

When I got there, I decided I didn't want to join the rather intimidating kids that were playing ball with each other, so I just hid behind a tree and watched them. They looked like they were having masses of fun. Their faces where red and sweaty from running in the scorching sun, but despite that they were still running with all their might, kicking the ball as far away from the other players as possible, faces contorted with concentration as they shot for the goal. Then, if they missed, they would frown with disappointment and maybe utter a few words of complaint. If they scored, they would jump up and down with smug enjoyment, and smear the fact that they made a goal in the other teams face.

I smiled at my fellow kids; they were just like the kids in Konoha. I looked around to see a section covered in bark with deserted playground equipment, well almost deserted. Sitting on one of the swings, a small brown teddy bear in his unmoving hands was a boy. He had bags around his pale sea-green eyes; it looked as if he hadn't slept his whole life-which of course he hadn't. His blood-red hair was rather messy, but it didn't look uncared for. His hands were gripping the teddy bear as if it were a life line.

Without thinking I moved towards him, I didn't know why, but I wanted to comfort the solitary red-head.

He looked up as I approached and I stopped when I realized that he was crying. Crying silently so that the others wouldn't hear, crying too softly and quietly for someone to notice at first glance. And his eyes, his eyes where lonelier than an abandoned kittens. It was obvious that this boy had been rejected by all others.

My body recovered from its brief shock and I started towards him again, but then I heard the distant call of my name. My mother must be finished talking with her friend. I looked in the direction of the call, then back to the boy, then turned and ran back to my mother. I heard the boy get up and whisper in a raspy and rather unused voice "Wait… I don't want to be alone… not anymore." But despite that I kept running back to my mother. Back to my family, and my next to perfect life.