I am only saying this once, but it applies to every chapter under the story title ' Your Guardian Angel'. I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. All rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own my own original charactors Emiko Chou, Sota, Hiroshi, and Emiko's parents as well as Sota's sister. I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!

Name: Emiko Chou

Meaning: Child graced with beauty. Butterfly

" Hey! Toss it over here!"

" I'm open!"

" No fair! Your taller than me!"

"Run, he's catching up!"

"We win!"

"Yay! Emiko, your the best!" A small group of children were playing with a red ball in the park. The sun was setting, and the

children knew they would have to leave soon. Their parents wouldn't be happy if they came home late again. Especially since 'it' might come out soon. A boy of about seven with dark hair and dark eyes patted a small girl on the back. She was about six years old. Her hair was cut very short, so short that her bangs always fell in her face. She hated it, but her mother insisted that it looked cute. She personally thought she looked like a boy. The boys name was Sota, and he was the leader of sorts of the small group of kids.

" Yeah, good job" another girl said, the rest of the kids tagging along side her. Emiko closed her purple eyes and smiled at them.

" well, i have to get going. My mom'll kill me if I'm not home before dark again." A few kids nodded in agreement before waving and running off.

" We should probably get going to." Sota said, grabbing his little sisters hand. " You coming?"

"Nah" Emiko shook her head, giving them a cheery look. " I'll give them some time to cool off first." She was of course, referring to her parents. Sota and his sister nodded sadly, understanding what she meant.

" Be careful" He said, turning around and leaving. Emiko just nodded. When he and his sister were finally gone, Emiko trudged over to the swing set.

" i can't go home." She muttered, hanging her head. " but now I'm all alone." She slowly rocked herself back and fourth, a few tears sliding down her cheeks.

" Who are you?" A small voice snapped Emiko out of her thoughts. She squeaked in surprise and fell off the swing.

" ow." She groaned, slowly peeling herself off the ground. Dirt clung to the trail her tears had left behind. Her clothes were slightly dirty now, and the hand she was holding over her nose had a scratch on the back. Emiko looked up to see who had scared her, expecting one of the town bullies. Instead, she saw a small boy about her age. He had blood red hair, and light blue-green eyes. There were dark circles around his eyes, but it didn't look like makeup. He was clutching a teddy bear tightly to his chest, giving you an apprehensive look. " What the hell was that for?" She asked, her eyes watering from the pain.

"I-" He seemed crushed by her tone, and by what her first words to him had been.

Emiko noticed this, and quickly amended herself. " I'm sorry." She sighed, lowering her hand after wiping away the dirt. " you just scared me is all."

" your scared of me?" He face scrunched up even more in pain.

" What? Of course idiot! You popped up out of nowhere!" The small boy seemed confused by her response. Emiko noticed his tense stance and tried again. " jeez, it's like walking on egg shells with this boy." She huffed. " It's just, it's really late, and i thought everyone else had gone home. I wasn't expecting someone else." the small boy relaxed his face, but the grip he had on his teddy bear never lightened. " I'm Emiko!" She cheered, sticking out her hand.

" Gaara" The boy said, eyeing her hand.

" Your supposed to shake it, Gaara" She teased, wriggling her fingers around a bit. Gaara seemed to get the hint and slowly raised his hand to hers. " Good!" she laughed, holding his hand tightly for a second. Gaara flushed at the contact, and quickly removed his hand. " Wanna swing?" Emiko asked, eager to keep this boy around as long as possible. " He looks like he needs a friend." She thought, sitting back down on her swing.

" s-sure" He gently sat down on the swing next to her. He only held onto the chains with one hand, the other still clutching his bear.

" You really like that bear." She said, swinging back and forth.

" he's my friend." Gaara said, hugging the toy again.

" Oh. Well your lucky. He's really cute." Gaara watched her swing and talk with a huge smile on her face. " I have a few toys too, but i really only like one of them. He's a blue elephant." she giggled and looked away. " his name is Raphael." Gaara's lips twitched up, forming a rare smile.

" Will you...be my friend?" he asked. He looked away, not wanting to see her face when she rejected him.

" I thought we already were." She said, shrugging her shoulders. Gaara couldn't help himself. A huge smile broke out on his face.

" Hey, toss it here Emiko!" Sota called out her name, jumping up and waving his hands around.

" Kay!" She shouted, throwing the ball as hard as she could.

Sota caught it just when a scream resounded through out their group. " hey! What's wrong!" Emiko ran towards the back of the group to see one of the girls on the ground and pointing. She followed her finger to see Gaara standing there with a terrified expression. " What's your problem?" She asked, pulling the girl up. The girl stared at her like she had grown a second head. She even gasped when Emiko made her way over to Gaara.

" You okay?" She asked, looking him over. Gaara only nodded, pain already tearing through his chest.

" What is he doing here?" Sota asked, coming to the front of the group. " Go home freak!"

Gaara clutched at his heart, bowing his head in pain. " Shut up!" Emiko shouted, shocking everyone into silence.

" Your sticking up for it!" Sota uncrossed his arms and balled his hands into fists. " he's a monster!" he shouted. Emiko noticed how Gaara flinched at the word monster.

" Your the monster! She shouted, bending over to pick up a rock. Sota glared at her and did the same thing.

" he's going to kill you ya know. You shouldn't hang out with him. He isn't normal, he doesn't deserve fri-" Sota's words were cut off when he quickly dodged her rock.

" Don't you dare talk about him like that!" She shouted, standing in front of Gaara. " he's my friend! I've been hanging out with him for three months now, and I'm still alive! He is not a monster!" She enunciated each word. " so fuck off!" Emiko shouted, angry tears forming in her eyes.

" Emiko..." Gaara's weak voice calmed her down.

" it's okay Gaara!" Emiko smiled back at him. " I wont' let them hurt you." Gaara blushed a deep scarlet, his eyes wide with shock.

" She knows what i am now though..." Gaara thought, completely confused. " She should be afraid."

" You bitch!" Sota brought his arm back, than released the rock as hard as he could. Emiko shouted out in pain, dropping to the ground with her hand over her eye.

" Emiko?" Gaara's stomach dropped. His vision started to shake when he saw her shoulders shake in a silent sob. "Emiko?" he asked again, coming around to her front and kneeling down so he could see her.

" it's okay" Her voice sounded strained. Gaara tried to grab her arm, but she flinched away from his grasp. Growing tired of not seeing her face, and having her ignore him, Gaara snatched her wrist before she could move away. He gripped it tightly, moving it away from her face. " Gaara..." Blood was pouring out from a gash just above her eyebrow. Her eye was closed to prevent any from getting in her eye, but the other eye held tears.

" Blood." Gaara slowly stood back up and backed away. " your bleeding." His voice started to crack. " it's blood...they made you bleed..." The sand started moving around his feet. Emiko just watched in shock and horror as her friends face became contorted by rage. Gaara gripped his head with both hands, his eyes wide and blood shot. " THEY MADE YOU BLEED!" as if on que, the sand shot up around him, branching off into tentacles. Sota and the others were shaking now. A few smarter ones had already run off, and a few more were leaving now.

" I told you he's a freak!" Sota said, backing away. Gaara yelled out again, and this time, Sota and the ones left ran away.

" Gaara?" Emiko stood up on shaking legs, unsure of what to do. " hey, it's okay" She tried to move forward, but as soon as she did, the sand lashed out at her. Out of reflex, she managed to dodge the first one, but another soon followed. The sand wrapped painfully around her torso, lifting her off the ground. " Gaara!" She choked out, struggling against the sand. The sand only tightened, climbing further up her body.

" Gaara!" A males voice broke through Gaara's screaming . There was a rush of air, than the sound of sand hitting the ground. Emiko fell to the ground with a thud, quickly righting herself so she could see what was happening. A man, a shinobi by the looks of him, was crouched protectively in front of her. Somehow, he had gotten the sand to break away from her. Gaara was staring at both of them with an absolutely terrified expression.

" I must take her home." The man said, turning around to pick Emiko up. " Meet me back at the house." it wasn't a suggestion. It was an order. And Gaara seemed to understand that.

Emiko sat on the swings, waiting for her friend to show up. She knew he wouldn't, but something inside of her still hoped he would. A lot had happened in the past few months. After Gaara's uncle had taken her home, her parents informed her that she would be moving. Apparently, some of her clansmen lived in a village called Konoha. Emiko's mom tried explaining it to her, but her father cut her off. All he told Emiko was that she was now old enough, and it was time that she learned the Keki Genki. Emiko hadn't understood what that meant, but it was obvious that she couldn't do anything about it. She never mentioned Gaara to them. She didn't want them to blame him for what happened. Emiko had managed to find Gaara again, and told him that she wasn't mad at him. For a while, the two of them played together. Until it happened. Gaara had lost control again, and used his sand to grab onto some girl. The girl had over reacted, and when Gaara tried to bring her medicine, she shut the door in his face. Emiko didn't know everything, only what she heard as gossip on the streets.

" His uncle tried to kill him. His father ordered him too, and his siblings don't protect him." She thought, walking back home. Gaara hadn't shown up, again. " It's no wonder he's so miserable. everyone treats him like a monster." Emiko sighed and looked up at the moon. " I protect my little brother. It's what siblings do. So why don't his protect him?" She wondered out loud.

" Emiko?" A dark, but familiar voice made her jump. Her bangs fell into her eyes when she quickly turned around.

" Gaara!" She yelped, a huge smile spreading across her face. " I've been trying to find you! I have something to tell you."

" Your leaving." It was more of a statement than a question. Gaara's stance was rigid. His fists were clenched by his sides, and his head was hung. Emiko's eyes widened when he looked up at her. His eyes were narrowed, cold. The jade eyes she had come to find such comfort in were now raging with unspoken hatred. There was an undeniable blood lust surrounding his aura.

Emiko allowed her eyes to linger on the love kanji that now scared his skin. " H-how did you know?" She asked, trying her hardest to not take a step back. " This isn't Gaara"

" I don't sleep. Remember? I just watched one night." he took a step toward her, the sand already beginning to shift around him.

" You watched me?" She blinked at him.

" Why are you leaving me?" Gaara asked, taking another step closer.

Emiko finally broke, and backed up one step. " I have to. I have to go to my clansmen in Konoha and learn something." She gulped, and cleared her throat. Gaara just eyed her, the sand slowly settling back down. " Please," She took a step toward him. Than another when he didn't stop her. The sand finally reacted when Emiko reached her hand out toward him. She quickly brought her hand back to her body, cradling it against her chest. " Please, don't forget me." She asked, turning her back on him. She didn't want him to see her cry. " you might be loosing yourself, but i promise, no matter what happens I won't forget you." She gave him one last look over her shoulder, a tear accidentally slipping down her cheek. Gaara seemed shocked.

"I promise i won't forget you, Gaara. I'll come back someday."

It seemed so long ago, that she made that promise. It was six years ago to be exact. Emiko stood on the top of her house, facing the rising sun. Soft purples, and radiant pinks surrounded the glowing golden orb. A few dark clouds still dotted the sky. The air was cool and crisp, and the winds were gentle. It was the perfect weather. Emiko took a deep breath, enjoying the feeling of the wind against her face. " I haven't forgotten you yet." She whispered. The wind suddenly picked up, carrying her words away with it. Emiko took one last look out over her new home, than disappeared into her house. She wrote her mom a quick note, telling her the usual.

" mom,

I'm at training with Sensei. I have been assigned to train with team 7 later on in the day. The other villages that are participating the the chunin exams are getting her today, so i might be a little late coming home. I'll be home in time to cook Hiroshi something for dinner though."

Emiko taped the note to the fridge, than headed upstairs to her room. Her room was simple. Light purple walls with a white trim, hard wood floor, and multi-colored lights on the ceiling instead of just one light in the center. There was a small desk, and her bed. Emiko went to her bed and picked up the rest of her outfit. Ever since Emiko had started training under her clansmen in the ANBU, she had taken to hiding her identity. The hokage hadn't wanted to place her on a team, seeing as her abilities were rare. He thought she would be better off if she trained directly under some of his higher ranking men, getting as strong as possible while she could. From time to time, she would be placed with one of the numbered teams to go on missions. It was just for field experience, but she was determined not to let them know who she really was.

" The less friends, the better." She thought, securing her cloth mask around her face. " I'm leaving here as soon as i can anyway, to go find Gaara. So there's no need to get attached to anyone." Emiko quickly looked herself over in her body length mirror. Her outfit was a loose fitting long sleeve black shirt tucked into a loose fitting pair of black pants. She had dark grey bandages around her forearms, up to her wrists, where fingerless gloves covered the rest of her hands. Bandages also wrapped around her calfs until her ankles. She wore thick slippers instead of the regular ninja shoes. Underneath her shirt, Emiko had tightly wrapped her chest in bandages as well, not only managing to get rid of the discomfort of wearing a bra while fighting, but succeeding in hiding the fact that she was a girl as well. Her mask was much like Kakashi's, but there was a back to it that went over her head as well. The only identifiable part of her that showed were her bright purple eyes. The metal piece that showed her villages symbol was securely tied around her forehead.

Emiko slung her sword around her shoulder, and made sure her weapons pouch was secured. When everything was set, she jumped out of her window landed easily on the parallel rooftop. Within the minute, Emiko was standing in front of the Hokage's office door. " You may enter." he said, his voice carrying easily through the doors. Emiko stepped inside, closing the doors behind her.

When she was in the middle of the room, she quickly got down on one knee, pressing her fist against the ground in a sign of submission. " you wished to see me Hokage-sama?" She questioned, keeping her gaze on the ground.

" yes." he chuckled and motioned her up. Emiko slowly stood up, keeping her posture straight. " I wish for you to take the chuunin exams." With her face as covered as it was, the only sign that she understood what he said was when her eyes widened.

" A-are you sure?" She didn't bother using the simple genjutsu to make her voice sound male on him. He obviously knew who she really was.

" Yes, you are quite ready. You have been training harder than any other genin your age. Plus, you've had the added bonus of working under an ANBU member. I truly believe you are ready to advance to the next level." The Hokage smiled at the young women, pride shining in his eyes.

" I won't let you down!" She said, bowing to him once again. " I must go to my training now, forgive me Hokage-sama." the Hokage meerely smirked and bid her farewell.

" It will be interesting to see what becomes of you, Emiko Chou." He put his chin ontop of his hands as he watched her leave.