Ever go back and look at some of your old stuff? You're horrified by what you find, but at the same time, you also find an old gem of a story idea that you meant to do, but never finished for one reason or another, and instead you abandoned after just a couple of chapter? Yeah, that's what this is; I'd started writing this just before I fell and hit my head a few years ago, and considering how things went with my writing after that... I cleaned this up a bit, and now I'm giving it another shot. Here's hoping that the new ideas I've gotten recently to go with it help the story to flow well.
Gaara of the Desert has had his life turned upside down after the Chuunin Exam and his battle with Naruto Uzumaki. But at the same time, this flip is definitely for the better. The night that an unknown visitor comes to the Sand Village, Gaara gets a second upheaval to his life, just as it was starting to show signs of settling down again as he's entrusted with a secret. Can even a demon find love? Maybe in an angel...
As always, any comments, questions, or concerns, just let me know, as well as letting me know if I should clean-up the next piece and post it. Until then, goodnight!
Playlist:
Chapter 0: Bring on the Rain by Jo Dee Messina
Gaara of the Desert has had his life turned upside down after the Chuunin Exam and his battle with Naruto Uzumaki. But at the same time, this flip is definitely for the better. The night that an unknown visitor comes to the Sand Village, Gaara gets a second upheaval to his life, just as it was starting to show signs of settling down again as he's entrusted with a secret. Can even a demon find love? Maybe in an angel...
Spoiler Show~ Bring on the Rain ~
Confusion. It tore at him, ripped at his mind until he could barely think; tore at his beliefs and shattered all of his confidence away. Who was this kid? This Naruto Uzumaki? Who was he that he could destroy another’s abilities to believe their ideals with mere words and such strong faith in his own beliefs?
Heaving a frustrated sigh, Gaara stared up at the desert sky, locating the familiar constellations. His icy blue eyes narrowed as his thoughts ran rampant. It seemed like he'd lost himself, and he had; he'd lost sight of the demon in his soul since he’d fought Naruto over two months ago. He couldn't help it; a sardonic smile crossed his lips as he thought about the kid. He's different, the sand ninja thought. But then, he's like me. So is he really that different? Am I that different?
Catching a small movement from the corner of his eye, Gaara whipped his head around, scarlet locks falling in his face. His eyes narrowed further, becoming mere slits, and he waited. A furtive movement in one of the darker shadows caught his attention; whoever it was, they weren't of the Sand Village. Quietly getting to his feet, the ninja decided to find out just who this late night visitor was.
Watching from the shadows, a smile appeared on pale lips. The idiot, the thought ran across a mind as bright as the grey eyes behind the dark, sooty lashes, He left! Why'd he do that?! Giving it up as a bad job, the visitor turned; and a startled, hoarse scream tore itself from their throat, burning it raw.
Gazing at the stranger with calm eyes, Gaara reached over and whipped off the cloth covering the other's head. As the fabric fell to the cool sand below, he felt a mild shock of surprise as he saw heavy raven locks fall well past the slim shoulders.
Meeting the girl's eyes, he could see the intelligence behind them as she let them roam up and down him, almost like she was sizing him up. He could feel the chakra that the girl possessed, the potency of it surprising him; she didn't look like she was any older then he was, and he didn’t sense one of the tailed beasts inside of her. Unsure of what to think, he asked in a suspicious tone, "What, is this supposed to be some sort of assassination attempt? If so, you’re doing a rather poor job of it."
Locking her grey eyes back on his icy-blue, she asked in a surprisingly bright tone, "Assassinate? Like, kill? Why'd I do something as dumb as that, huh? I just wanna talk to you!"
Completely taken aback, Gaara's surprise showed on his face as he said blankly, "What the...?"
Unable to hold it, the girl started laughing. Gaara was shocked at this; he'd never heard such a such a clear laugh, like a bubbling brook; it was such a fresh, clean sound that he couldn't help but smile slightly. Seeing his mouth twitch, the girl giggled even more, sending another strange chill up his spine; just what was going on?
Catching her breath, the dark haired girl breathed, "I'm sorry... it's just, the look on your face... was priceless..."
She was so cheerful, so completely new and different, Gaara couldn't help but chuckle at her obvious enthusiasm. An even bigger smile on her face now, she stated in her alto voice, "Ahh, so you can laugh. Maybe you aren't that weird after all!"
Shaking his head slightly, he asked her, "You said you wanted to talk, right? What about?"
Pulling a stray blue-black strand away from her face, she replied, "Just why do let that mean ol' 'coon boss you around, huh? For the sake of all living Shinobi, he'd be dead without you! So why do you let him act like such a mule?"
Gaara was about to answer when her words caught up with him; shocked, he asked, "Wait, how do you know about that?!"
"It's a gift, or a curse, depending upon your view," the girl replied as she plopped down in the sand. Still a little unsure, Gaara watched her as she continued, "I can sense a person's inner-self; I also know that Uzamaki kid has the nine-tailed fox. You know what, scratch what I said about that ol' 'coon dog; he's as sweet as a newborn kitten compared to that nasty ol' Kyuubi!"
Slightly wary now, Gaara asked her, "And what do you see... of me?"
She was quiet for a moment as he took a seat next to her. Then, she started talking, all the playfulness gone as she said seriously, "You've been a wanderer all of your life; just looking for someone that would give a damn about the real you, and not be turned off by the monster that was forced on your soul. The thing that you long for is acceptance, but you've been rejected so much that you don't think that’ll ever be possible; you don't even know if you can get your own family to accept you, and that hurts you deeply. Until recently, you thought that your only mission in life was to kill so that you could feel alive. But now, even that’s been taken away from you, because someone’s shown you there's a better way to feel alive; now you've got enough confusion to knock over even Chief Toad. What you want most is love, but you've had such a hard time of it in life you don't know it; or, if you do, you just push it to the side because you think that it's the last thing in the world that you'll ever get."
Gaara sat in mute silence. He didn't know that anyone existed that could read him so openly; he didn't even think that he'd known himself that well. Forcing himself to speak, he asked her, "How... how do you know all of this?"
The bright light suddenly coming back to her eyes, the girl replied, "I already told you, silly! I can sense a person's inner-self! And I can tell that you're really just a big sweet heart; you just need someone to bring that side of you out!"
He was curious now; he wanted to know more about what kind of home had made this girl. So he asked her in a quiet tone, "What about you? What about your life?"
Dark clouds rolled into her eyes, turning their twinkling brightness close to charcoal black. Her words were a long time in coming; she was silent for so long that Gaara thought he’d lost her. When she finally spoke, her voice was pained and her words filled with bitter betrayal. "We're a lot alike, in ways. You were shunned because of the demon inside your soul; I was shunned because of my empathy. People didn't like having me around ‘cause they thought I was freaky; they didn’t want me knowing about what they did, even though I gotta concentrate to get more than just the outer emotions, and using that much focus makes me really tired. I try to stay out of peoples business, but try telling that to others when they get it in their heads that I’ll spy on all of their thoughts; besides, it doesn’t even really work that way. I feel like my cousin was the only one that was ever really nice to me; he was kinda shut-out as well, since it seemed like everyone else was so focused on his older brother. He never judged me, and we played together a lot. It was lonely, but it was also kinda nice.
"But one day, his brother killed everyone in our clan. It... it was horrible; all the bodies... my mom and dad..." Breaking off, her shoulders shook as she started to cry. Pity and compassion tugging at his heart, Gaara put his arm around her and pulled her closer. The contact felt strange; and yet, it felt right at the same time to him.
A faint sense of familiarity in this story tugged at the back of Gaara’s mind, but he couldn’t get the pieces to add up. He thought there’d been only one survivor? Softly, he asked, “If he killed everyone else, then how did you escape?”
The bitter tears finally dying off, she choked out, "Because I wasn’t home. I’d been at a friend’s house outside of our clan’s compound. Why would he do it? Why'd his brother have to do that? I still dream about that day; I can't get it out of my head. My cousin told me to run, and not to let his brother know I was alive. But I have to find him. I have to know why he’d do such a thing."
Appalled at this, Gaara asked her softly, "But couldn’t you get yourself killed? Why would you want to do such a thing?"
She scrubbed at her eyes, erasing all sign of her tears as she said, “I already told you, I have to know; I need to understand. He was avoiding me for weeks before he killed everyone; it’s almost like he chose that night because he knew I wouldn’t be home. He’s hiding something, and I need to know what it is. It’s the only way I can move on with my life.”
Gaara’s fingers tightened on the smaller ninja’s shoulder as he said, “You seemed so cheerful just a little while ago; I never even thought…”
Some of the shine coming back to her eyes, the girl replied, "Like I said, it’s because I’m searching for answers. I know I can get them; I just gotta keep at it. I’ve tried to learn to roll with the punches, to take the things that life throws at you and try to make the best of it. Don't let Shakaku be a curse; turn him into a blessing. Use your powers to help others; you'd be unstoppable then."
Standing, he offered her a hand as he said, "You know, I think you're right; about everything. I just drew so far into my shell, it seemed like I'd never come out of it. It took a couple of real hard knocks, but I think I'm getting it now."
Smiling, she said softly, "I'm glad that you feel that way." Grabbing his hand, she pulled herself up quickly.
Meeting her eyes, he couldn't help but be drawn into them. They were the clearest grey that he’d ever seen; with a hint of violet near the pupils that was simply intoxicating. Her nose and cheeks were finely boned, but they held a strength and will so powerful that he knew you’d have to be a fool to mess with her. But no matter what, he was always drawn back to her eyes. They seemed like diamonds, and they made all the clearer because of how dark her lashes were. They seemed almost familiar…
A glint of mischief entered her eyes, catching Gaara in another wary moment. Before he could prepare himself, he felt her lips brush against his, a touch as soft as the brush of a butterfly’s wings. If moonlight had a taste, it was her lips; moonlight and mountain water and the soft hint of roses beneath the surface.
Had he just been given his first kiss?
Whether a few seconds or a few years later, he couldn't tell, he broke it off. Feeling distinctly embarrassed, Gaara scuffed his foot in the sand, trying and failing to keep the furious flush from creeping across his cheeks and down his neck. When he heard soft laughter, he looked up at her as she said, "See? I told you you're a sweet heart! I really hate to kiss and run, but I need to go; who knows, maybe we'll meet again someday!'
Gaara had to admit, he didn't want her to go. Catching her wrist, he asked her softly, "Will you at least tell me your name? I don't think you've mentioned it. And I mean your real name; you can trust me."
Nodding her head, she said, "Uchiha; Tenshi Ame Uchiha. And I know I can trust you."
Satisfied, he let her go. Watching her leave, he whispered, "Tenshi Ame. Angel of Rain. It fits."
As always, any comments, questions, or concerns, just let me know, as well as letting me know if I should clean-up the next piece and post it. Until then, goodnight!
Playlist:
Chapter 0: Bring on the Rain by Jo Dee Messina