“You did very well.” Kakashi complimented his group.

“Are you kidding? That was way too easy! Next time, I expect a challenge, something worthy of a ninja as skillful as me.” Naruto bragged.

They had just finished an A-class mission, nothing too special, but a mission nonetheless. Their group contained four people: Hatake Kakashi, as a leader, Uzumaki Naruto, for obvious reasons, seeing as he could hardly be anywhere else but a mission, Haruno Sakura, as with Naruto, she was available, and Sabaku No Gaara, because, due to a majority in missions with too few ninja at hand, the Sand offered to help Konoha.

Sakura sighed. Kakashi rolled his eyes. Gaara merely looked straight ahead in his apathetic manner.
Despite Naruto's boastful words, 'twas true that it was much too simple a task for three extremely skilled leaf and one strong sand ninja. Although the crimes the man they had been sent to captivate had committed were of an A-class nature, he however, was nothing too impressive.
They continued on down the dusty road. Thunder rolled in the distance. Naruto looked up.

“It can't be about to rain now. The sun was shining just a second ago.” he frowned. He was never one for the gloom of an overcast sky.

It was Sakura's turn to roll her eyes. “We're in the land of rain, Naruto, what would you expect?”
The thunder rumbled once more. All at once rain pummeled upon them like needles of ice.

“Ah! Ow! Urgh! Kakashi-sensei, can we find some shelter! This rain really hurts!” Naruto complained.

Indeed it was painful. But Kakashi really thought it best they moved on. He looked back at his team from his current standpoint in front of the rest. Sakura and Naruto had their arms above their heads, and Gaara looked less than happy. Well, much less than happy. Kakashi sighed. Damn his good heart toward children.

“All right all right.” he looked off into the trees on either side of them. “But we keep moving, rain or no.” Naruto and Sakura gave him grateful smiles. Gaara's expression softened a bit.

In the shelter of the trees, they found an abandoned trail leading in the same general direction.

“Much better!” Naruto smiled. Indeed the rain did not hurt as much after having hit the trees first. They continued to make progress underneath the dim shelter of the trees.

Kakashi was just about to offer they pick up the pace when he noticed Gaara had stopped.

“Gaara-san, what's the hold up?” he asked. Naruto and Sakura stopped as well, all three leaf ninja looking back at the one sand. Gaara was looking to his left, into a clearing about eight feet from the trail they were on.

“Gaara-sama?” Naruto asked. Gaara looked back at them.

“I think...that there is a person over there.”

___________________________________________________________________________________

“A person? Are they injured?” Kakashi asked.

Gaara was staring intently at the clearing. “I am not sure. It may just be a rock. 'Tis rather small.”

Kakashi calmly stepped up next to Gaara and peered into the clearing. There, in the center, completely ignoring the freezing rain, was a small black-clad child. Or at least it looked like a child. The thing was so small, and it was raining so hard. Kakashi moved into the clearing. The figure didn't move. Gaara, Naruto, and Sakura came to his side.

“I think it's a kid.” Naruto said. Sakura nodded in agreement.

“One way to find out.” Kakashi said and was just about to get a better look at the small thing when Gaara walked forward. Kakashi watched Gaara move towards the black lump, stop in front of it, and squat down, peering at it with his shadowed eyes.

_______________________________________________________

Gaara looked at a small, pale, frowning mouth showing from under a thick, drooping hood. The little child did not move as he eyed it, taking in the heavy robe and hood, the little white fingers calmly placed on it's lap.

“Who are you?” he asked the hood, wanting to get to the point. The hood did not move, nor did the little mouth, so he asked again. Still, the child did not speak. He was growing impatient.

“Look up at me, and tell me who you are.” he growled fiercely. The child said nothing at first, and Gaara was about ready to shake it. Then, the hood lifted partially, revealing a little nose above the mouth that had started to move. Water dripped of the soaking hood as it spoke in a quiet, barely audible voice.

“I am...Daiyu.”

Gaara relaxed somewhat, still a little annoyed at it's slow response. But much less annoyed than he usually would be, he noted. Daiyu. Black Jade, in other words. He guessed it was a girl.

“Isn't it a little cold to be sitting here alone, and without shelter?” he asked her. She remained silent for a few moments, then said quietly, “I could ask the same to you.”

He was taken aback. “What?” he asked the hooded girl. She merely remained silent. He was about to ask her what she meant when Naruto bounded up next to them. “Hello! I'm Uzumaki Naruto! Who're you?” he said loudly.

Gaara huffed. The girl did nothing. Naruto waved his hand in front of her face, not helping the situation at all. “Her name is Daiyu, Naruto, and it would be kind not to get in her face like that.” Gaara said coldly. He liked Naruto, he considered him his first real friend, but sometimes he could really be annoying.

Kakashi and Sakura approached them now as well. Gaara straightened, but looked back at the young girl. She gave him a sad, eerie feeling. He then looked to Kakashi. After all, he was team leader, he would have to decide what to do with her. Kakashi sighed.

“Come on, we can't just leave you in the rain, uh...” he hadn't picked up on her name.

“Daiyu.” Naruto covered for him.

“Right. Well, let's go then.” Kakashi offered his hand to help the girl up. She put her small hand in his, her entire hand, fingers and all, fit in just his palm. She stood, and her head barely reached above his waistline. “How old are you, Daiyu?” Kakashi asked as they headed back to the trail, although Gaara figured it was obvious she was about five.

Daiyu was silent for a moment. “Eleven.” she mumbled shortly. Kakashi raised his brow, as did the others. She was so small.

Once back on the trail, Gaara looked at the girl again. She walked perfectly in tune to Kakashi, her hand in his. Gaara noticed her black robe was much too big, trailing behind her. He also noticed her feet were bare, and they, though dirtied with mud, were as pure a white as her hands and face.

'The girl must have never so much as touched sunlight.' he thought. 'What an odd girl...'

They continued down the old trail with a new air of calm sadness, all four ninja with their mind on the strange girl they had found, while the girl herself, remained quiet and calm throughout the long entirety of the walk back to Konoha.

“So, what's under that hood of yours?” Naruto asked yet again.

He had been asking Daiyu about it every other minute once they had returned to Konoha and reported in with the Hokage. The girl was to stay in a provided apartment until further notice, and the apartment was in the building all the sand were staying in, including Gaara, whom Kakashi did not trust enough to leave such a small girl near for too long, even if he was somewhat under control now. It was for that reason that Kakashi brought her along with Sakura and Naruto to a few training sessions, and of course, while he wasn't training, Naruto tried his best to make the poor young girl open up and talk to him.

Kakashi had to admit, she was very good at keeping quiet.

Daiyu was sitting next to Sakura on the ground while they took a short break. Although Naruto was much more pushy about it, Sakura was obviously curious as well, and she too was trying to get her too at least talk.

Daiyu did nothing but sit with her hands on her lap, apparently staring at the ground. Kakashi sighed. He felt sorry for the girl, those two could be pretty persistent, he knew from plenty of experience.

“Naruto, leave her be.” he said from his perch in his tree, not looking up from his book. “It's bad enough she has to listen to you, she shouldn't have to talk to you as well.” He knew he had pushed a button, and he had meant to, he wanted Naruto's attention diverted from little Daiyu for a moment or two. Poor thing deserved a break.

Naruto was about to yell at Kakashi for the verbal blow but was cut short by a small voice coming from under the thick hood.

“If Master Uzumaki wishes to know what resides under my hood, he may know.” Daiyu said in her quiet, but rather soothing voice.

They all looked at her in surprise. They hadn't heard her say so many words before.

“Under my hood, is something of great importance. Something every human needs.” she had caught their attention now. Kakashi had an idea where she was heading, but not knowing her sense of humor, wasn't sure.

It was quiet for a few seconds, then she spilled the beans. “A head.” she said in a quiet but serious voice. Kakashi had been right. So she did have a sense of humor, though a mild one.

Naruto plunked to the ground, not amused. She had really had him going. Sakura giggled and Kakashi smiled under his mask.

“Okay. Let's get back to training.” Kakashi jumped down from the branch. “ALL RIGHT!” Naruto exclaimed and jumped up, already running into the training ground in front of the trees they were resting in. Sakura stood up too, though, much less enthusiastically. Daiyu remained where she was.

They started training again.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Gaara was sitting on the roof of the apartment complex that he had been staying in. It was late, a few hours past midnight he presumed. He was looking up at the moon. He enjoyed the night, so quiet, so calm, it was a time when everyone else was gone, where he didn't have to feel their stares of hate and rejection. It was a time for him.

He was so caught up in the feeling of the night he did not notice the sad presence that was just behind him. “Beautiful, is it not?” said a soft, solemn voice.

He started and turned around swiftly, relaxing only the slightest when he saw it was Daiyu. This was the third day since they had brought her to the village. She was still wearing her black robe, they had given her clothes, but she never seemed to take the robe off. He turned his attention to what she had said.

“What is beautiful?” he asked quietly. She lifted her head slightly, and in a soft whisper she stated, “The moon.”

Gaara looked back at the glowing white orb, hovering over some soft gray clouds, stars twinkling around it, beckoning him to try and reach the blue-black sky. “Indeed.” was all he managed to say.

He was so lost in the beauty of the night he hadn't realized she'd moved beside him, head tilted upwards in the direction of the moon, but her hood was still covering her eyes.

“Can you see the sky through that thick cloth over your eyes?” he asked, truly curious. She sighed. “I can not see anything. I simply know the direction because you talked towards what I presumed was the moon.” her calm voice was even more sad and sweet than before. He liked the sound of it, he wanted her to talk more.

“Then take off your hood. Then you could behold the beauty of a leaf village night.” he said quietly. She did not respond at first, but when she did speak she did so quiet enough that he had to strain to hear. “Even if I did, I would not see it.” His brow furrowed. “You are blind?” he asked. She turned her head to his voice. “No. I wear a blindfold under my hood. People tend to shy away when they see my eyes.” she said so quietly he almost didn't catch it, even with the sharp hearing of a ninja.

He could understand that. He had been avoided all his life, it would make sense to cover up the thing that caused it. They sat in silence as an hour or two passed by peacefully. He stared out over the village and she simply sat and listened to the sounds of the night. It was one of the nicest moments of Gaara's life, even if it was something he had always done, it was good not to be alone.

Kakashi was once again late in meeting Naruto and Sakura at the apartments Daiyu was staying in. They had been doing this for about a week now and it had become somewhat of a routine. Daiyu even met Naruto and Sakura outside this morning, her calm presence easing them out of the annoyance Kakashi's constant tardiness often brought.

“Why is Kakashi-sensei so late all the time?” Sakura complained. “We should know by now to come about an hour after he tells us to.”

“But then you might miss me. I might only be a half hour late one of these days.” Kakashi suddenly appeared walking down the busy street toward them.

Sakura and Naruto looked toward Kakashi. His hands were in his pockets as he stopped in front of them, his one visible eye half closed in his usual fashion.

“That would be the day.” Sakura rolled her eyes at her sensei. Naruto grinned, glad Kakashi had finally come.

“All right! Time for some action!” he said excitedly. Daiyu stepped forward quietly, her bare feet showing under her robe. They had offered her shoes, but she had turned them down. Always was this odd girl surprising them.

“Are you leaving on a mission, Master Hatake?” she asked lightly. Kakashi wasn't as astounded as Naruto and Sakura, however. He had already grown rather used to her oddities and queer ways of knowing things she shouldn't.

“I am. And Naruto and Sakura will be coming with me.” he said calmly, but in his head the talk he had shared with Tsunade was still repeating itself.

“Is it dangerous?” Daiyu asked.

Kakashi looked at the little girl. No, the mission was not dangerous. In fact, it was fairly easy, just an average B-rank mission. He knew why she was asking, he knew that she could feel his worry. But the worry was not for Naruto, nor Sakura, and he quite plainly could take care of himself. His worry was for Daiyu, who would be staying here, all alone, while he and his team left.

He was worried about her staying with the sand ninja, especially Gaara.

“No. It is not dangerous, Daiyu.” he did his best to quiet the emotions running throughout him, and as far as he knew it had worked. She said nothing more.

“How long will this mission take, Kakashi-sensei?” Naruto asked.

“About a fortnight. We are to protect a woman known as Mei, while she crosses to visit her brother, an adviser to a feudal lord in the land of rice patties.” Kakashi once again looked at Daiyu, still thinking of the conversation with Tsunade. It seemed to Kakashi that Daiyu was thinking of something, but she was rather hard to read.

“Go pack then, you two, I'm going to walk with Daiyu. Meet me at the west gate when you are ready.” he told his students. The looked at him suspiciously, but left nonetheless. He watched them turn a corner and turned to the tiny girl standing silently in front of him. They stood without talking for a long moment, before Daiyu finally voiced her thoughts.

“You are worried about something Master Hatake.” she stated the obvious. “Do you suspect this trip to be more treacherous than you say?”

He did sighed a long, diminished breath. “No, I am not worried about the mission at all. I am worried about you, Daiyu.”

She remained silent again, and it occurred to Kakashi that in all probability she mulled words around in her head while she was quiet, most likely analyzing every word and thinking up the best way to answer.

“Why?” she asked it shortly, but there were many more questions than meets the eye in that one word.

“I am worried that you might get...well, hurt.” he decided that was the best way to put it. She was small and fragile looking, and would seemingly be an easy target for any person who passed her by. She cocked her head to one side, still confused. Carefully, he continued.

“I do not particularly trust all those who currently reside in Konoha. I would feel very guilty should you get hurt while I am away on a mission.” he tried to word it as best he could without completely revealing all his suspicions. Unfortunately, Daiyu was too smart to fall for it.

“You are worried Master Gaara will harm me if you let me out of your sight.” she whispered sadly. He nodded.

“Do not worry about the likes of me, Master Hatake. I can take care of myself.” she placed a small, comforting hand on his forearm. “And Master Gaara is much more trustworthy than you assume.” Kakashi looked down at the black-clad little creature that spoke so calmly. It was hard not to trust a child such as her. Sighing once more, he gave way.

He could only hope that she could indeed take care of herself, no matter how small.

Sakura was curious. She had always been one for a mystery, and the short kid they had brought back with them was a very deep one. It seemed to be driving her to insanity. She was waiting at the west gate of Konoha for Kakashi and Naruto to arrive, thinking deeply of that girl.

“Hey, Sakura-Chan!” she turned toward the familiar greeting. Sure enough there was Naruto, pack slung over one shoulder whilst his hands clasped the back of his head.

“Hello Naruto, have you seen Kakashi on his way, perchance?” Sakura asked hopefully, hoping that for once their sensei would have the decency to arrive on-time.

Naruto shook his head. “Sorry, Sakura-Chan, haven't seen him. But I did see Daiyu.” he added lightly.

Sakura raised her eyebrows. “Daiyu?” she asked. “She wasn't with Kakashi?”

Naruto looked thoughtful. “No, she was with Gaara-sama I think. Actually they looked like they were walking this way.” Sakura was utterly astonished. 'Since when has Kakashi left Daiyu alone with Gaara?' she thought. 'Hell, since when has Kakashi left Daiyu alone?' she shook her head, not understanding anything anyone has been doing lately. Just then, she saw Gaara, Daiyu, and Kakashi, all three walking toward her and Naruto.

“Hey, Kakashi-sensei! You're almost on time today!” Naruto chuckled and waved dramatically.

Kakashi waved back, but a quite less excitedly. Sakura noticed he was in the middle of Gaara and Daiyu, holding her hand and occasionally glancing at Gaara suspiciously. He looked like an overly protective father, almost making Sakura giggle.

Once the other three had reached them, Kakashi bent down to Daiyu and whispered something to her. Sakura did not try to listen, figuring it wasn't really her business, even if she was so desperately curious. Daiyu nodded, and Kakashi stood, still a little reluctant to let go of Daiyu's snow white hand. Sakura nearly giggled again.

“All right, shall we go then?” Kakashi asked, finally leaving Daiyu's side and toward the gate.

“Finally!” Naruto sprinted ahead, already excited at the thought of a mission. Sakura started heading out too, following Kakashi and Naruto, but looked back at Gaara and Daiyu, who were standing calmly next to each other watching them depart. She didn't know why, but leaving made her partially grateful. The little girl in the black robe gave her a dark feeling, a feeling that all hope was lost. She was glad to leave that behind.

Looking away she jogged and caught up with her teammates, trying with ever more simplicity to get herself in a good mood for the mission ahead.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Gaara was walking back to the apartments with Daiyu at his side, thinking about the rude way Kakashi had interrupted their chat earlier.

~He had watched Naruto pass by from the corner of his eye while they sat in front of their building talking about absolutely nothing in particular. He had just heard Daiyu mention they say goodbye to Naruto and his team before they left when Kakashi stopped in front of them.

“Hello, Daiyu. Would you like to walk with me on my way out of Konoha?” he looked at Gaara inquisitively for a brief moment, then turned his attention once again to the little girl in front of him. “Gaara-San may come to if you wish.”

Gaara did not like how he had put 'if you wish' into the sentence. 'Twas as if he did not want Gaara to come. Daiyu then stood slowly, motioning for Kakashi to lead the way. Kakashi took her hand and started to walk away. Gaara felt abandoned, thinking she was going to leave, but Daiyu being her sweet little self stopped and looked back in the direction Gaara was expectantly. He stood up and was at her side in a moment, happier he was not left out.

Apparently, Kakashi did not like the idea of Gaara being so close to her, and switched hands with her, forcing her to change to his other side. Gaara was offended, but kept it to himself. He was not in a mood to get into an argument. In fact, he had noticed it was easier not to want to hurt things when he spent time with the little girl holding the leaf ninja's hand.

They walked for a short time, as they originally were not too far from the west gate. Soon he could see Sakura and of course Naruto, who had proceeded to shout to Kakashi about his earliness. Though it wasn't altogether pleasing to listen to someone who was always yelling, Gaara listened to Naruto. After all, he was his first friend.

Once they were just a few feet from the others, Kakashi stopped and bent down to Daiyu, whispering something to her. Gaara heard his name, and was going to listen further, when Kakashi stood and told his team to get moving. Gaara and Daiyu stood a moment, watching them leave. He could see Sakura look back at them, and was aware of how relieved yet tense she seemed. When she finally turned and walked away, he had turned to Daiyu.

“Should we get going?” he asked the girl. She nodded, and together they walked slowly and calmly away from the gate.~

Returning his thoughts to the present, he looked to Daiyu. She reached about his mid-upper arm, seeing as he was never the tallest child himself. Feeling his eyes on her, she stopped and looked toward him. He found it a curious thing how she seemed to sense exactly where she was, as well as who she was with and where they were. He supposed it was years of having her eyes covered that helped her so.

“What is it, Master Gaara?” she asked. He was a little embarrassed that she knew he was looking at her. It was a good cover that she thought he wanted to ask a question. He quickly put together a question that he had indeed been wanting to ask, though not immediately.

“What did Kakashi say to you?” he asked, hoping she would really answer. She was silent at first, which he had grown accustomed to her being when answering any question, comment, or other verbal use. After a moment, she did answer.

“I want you to stay close to Gaara, he can make sure you are well while I am gone.” she said, and he was slightly surprised, and almost accused her of lying when she continued. “But be wary, he could end up as harmful as helpful.” she finished.

He was not as surprised at that. That part bothered him, and indeed there was a time when he would have caught up to Kakashi and killed him then and there. But Naruto had changed him, and he had even more reason not to with Daiyu to calm his anger.

Brushing off the hurt from Kakashi's distrusting words he started walking again, knowing Daiyu would follow suit. She caught up quickly, and they continued as though they had never stopped. It took less than a minute to reach their building.

They both were placed in the top floor, right across the hall from each other. Having been talking whenever Kakashi didn't steal her away and he wasn't sent on a mission, they had formed a sort of routine, or a basic agreement, really.

Whenever they both had free time, they would go to her apartment to talk, eat, or simply relax in each other's company, seeing as it was less likely any siblings would bother them, though on occasion Kakashi would come by, he was not a problem today.

They walked into the dull apartment, where Gaara easily slid onto the table, not bothering with the chairs. Daiyu walked to her window, opening it and letting the cool breeze and sounds of children laughing and playing in the streets.

“How about we go somewhere different today?” she asked politely, turning slightly to listen for his answer. He looked to her, then to the door. “Sure.” he said without thinking, and with that they left the building, going for a walk to who knows where.

They had ended up in the wood just at the edge of Konoha. It was lush in colorful greens and browns, with a clear blue-white creek rushing next to them. Daiyu was sitting at the edge of that creek with her bare white feet skimming the water. Gaara was leaning against a tree nearby, enjoying the cool sensation in the air. It occurred to him that he had been absently watching Daiyu run her toes through the water, and he looked away, purposefully bringing his mind to other things, any things, just to pull his mind away.

Before he got too deep into his thoughts, he noticed Daiyu stand and walk towards him. He stood straight and looked down to her dark hood where he guessed her eyes were. “Yes, Dar- er, Daiyu?” he shook his head. He tried to convince himself he wasn't about to say what he almost did.

“Are you ready to leave?” she asked, voice soft but stronger than when he had first met her. He had only spent a week or two with her, but he already knew how much she enjoyed the outdoors. It was clear she loved it from how she talked about some of the places she had once visited and what they sounded and felt like, as well as how she touched gently at the growth around them. He let a small smile pull at his lips.

“No, how about we go a little further upstream? The water sounds calmer up there.” he said, listening closely to the rush of the creek.

She smiled a polite 'thank you' smile. He offered his arm as though to guide her, though he knew she didn't need it. She took it and they walked through the trees slowly and calmly.

_________________________________________________________________________________

They hadn't been walking long when they heard voices. They both stopped, not bothering to hide, if someone did attack, Gaara would take care of it. Listening closely, Gaara heard an unfamiliar voice ahead.

“Relax, Hinaki. We came here to find this kid, and we will. No need to fret.” the voice was light and boyish, and annoying in its way. It came from up ahead, and slightly to the east. Soon another voice, this one deeper, more dark and bloodthirsty.

“Rai, you take things too lightly. Our feudal lord told us how dangerous it could be, but no one knows what it does. There is never a survivor to tell.” Gaara listened even more closely, wondering what they could be talking about, curious to know who this target of theirs was. The presumably older man continued.

“The only reason we even know who to look for is because of the women who had passed by to see the child fleeing the seen. They told the feudal lord the best description possible and where to find the men it had killed.” the angry voice took a dramatic pause. “For heavens sake, there were over a dozen in that one area.”

Gaara thought hard. If they were after someone in Konoha he would have to warn the Hokage, even if they were going to just quietly slip in and out, there was no time to be unprepared. Hoping to spy on them easily, he started forward, hoping to get a look at them before he warned Konoha's king. But he only just remembered about Daiyu, he quickly was trying to find a place to put her when the two men he had heard came out of the thick trees and undergrowth to meet them, clearly surprised at the chance happening.

The men were very different in looks, one short, dark skinned and dark eyed and clearly the older of the two; he had a deep, loathing demeanor to him as well. The other was tall and lean, thinly built and had an innocent air about him, though one could tell by the way his blank eyes switched from eyebrow-less boy to heavy robed girl he was not as innocent as he appeared.

Though the younger man flicked his vision left to right, the older, more intimidating being focused on Daiyu, something that Gaara did not particularly care for. Gaara took a quick glance over their features, and saw they had ninja headbands with the rain symbol on them. So they were ninja. He should have guessed as much.

The boy across from Gaara was the first to speak.

“What are you doing here? You should be at school, shouldn't you?” he asked them suspiciously. He clearly did not know who they were.

The dark man next to him drew a kunai. “You disappoint me, Rai.” his scowling mouth twitched a little as if to smile. It was a disturbing sight, one that did not fit his face at all.

The boy cocked his head to his partner. “So is this, the child?” he raised his eyebrows and looked at Gaara, the one with the much more dangerous feeling aura emitting from him. The dark man, Hinaki as Gaara heard it, chuckled.

“Not that one, you insolent boy. The one wearing the robe.” the hand with the kunai in it twitched. Gaara uncorked his gourd, letting the cork fall to the ground. Hinaki glanced at him warily, but otherwise took no notice.

“Oh. Well then, shall we attack, or ask politely?” The young man, Rai, asked. Hinaki shrugged.

“It's up to the child here.” he gestured to Daiyu. She did nothing, but stood there in silence, thinking whatever it was she thought about.

Gaara looked to Daiyu. She was the one they had been searching for? They had said she had killed more than a dozen men. It meant little to him, morally. He had killed many more than that. But it was an odd thing, seeing how sweet and polite she was, to know she had killed. He knew Daiyu could feel their eyes on her, and looked back to the other men.

“If you want to harm her, I will have to kill you.” he said angrily. Daiyu put her hand on his arm. He looked down at her.

“Master Gaara, there is no need to defend me. If they really want me, they will have to come get me. I do not wish you to be a part of this.” she said sadly, her voice so solemn it chilled him to the marrow of his bones. No, he would not let her just leave him. Other than Naruto, she was his only friend. She was definitely his closest friend. He would not let these men take her away to be killed or worse for crimes he did not believe her even capable of.

“No.” was all he said, and turned to them, anger coursing through him, somewhat at Daiyu for her ignorance, didn't she see he needed her? But most at the two men in front of him that were trying to take her away. If not for them, she wouldn't even think about leaving. He hoped...

Hinaki pulled his kunai back and threw it fast, hard, and straight at Gaara's forehead, a blow that would have killed him had his sand not forged a shield in front of him and Daiyu. The sand drew back and let the kunai fall. Daiyu turned to Gaara once more, face hidden under her thick hood.

“Master Gaara, please. Do not hurt them. I do not wish anyone to be harmed.” she pleaded with him. He did not understand. He was not attacking, they were. He was merely defending. Why was she so concerned with the well-being of those who wished to harm her?

Hinaki looked Gaara over for a moment, not understanding.

“Just what the hell is this thing?” Gaara heard him mutter to himself. Then Hinaki turned to Rai. “It seems our mission's little friend is rather quick in his defenses. I guess you are of some use now. Attack him, Rai.” he smiled that hideous smile before Rai pulled out a four bladed dagger with a boyish smile of his own.

“Gotcha, Hinaki-senpai.” Rai was gone in an instant and Gaara felt a searing pain through his stomach before his sand caught the arm of the boy before the blades sunk too deep. Blood started soaking into his black shirt, its oder clear in the damp wilderness around them. For a moment, all Gaara saw was red, the pain terribly blinding. When he came back into focus, Rai had escaped the weakened grasp of his sand and was standing next to Hinaki again.

“P-please d-d-don't ha-harm a-anyone.” Daiyu was on her hands and knees, stuttering terribly. 'Oh, shit, did they hurt her too? They would pay...' he thought harshly. But he saw nor smelled any blood coming from her.

Daiyu shuddered, collapsing on the ground. “DAIYU!” Gaara screamed without thinking, the pain was terrible, but he stood and stumbled to her as well as he could, falling on his knees next to her.

“Daiyu, are you okay?” he asked, though it was clear she was not.

“G-g-g-g-get a-a-awa-away f-f-from m-me.” she stuttered. “P-p-please...I-I-I do-don't w-want t-to h-hurt you.” her stammering was lessening somewhat, but her voice was no longer the kind, pretty voice he knew. No, this was something different, something else.

This was not Daiyu.

Gaara stared at his friend, concerned and scared. He had only been this scared once before, and that was when he had come to the aid of Rock Lee, another one of those whom accepted him as he was. Gaara choked a little, blood spouting from his mouth, dripping down his chin. “Daiyu...” he managed to whisper sadly, unable to grasp the new blackness of her aura. It was so vivid it was visible, a black light surrounding the dark girl.

“G-go away, Gaara.” she hissed through clenched teeth. He backed away, scooting next to a fallen log. The darkness around her deepened, it was pulsing angrily about her. The other men took a step back.

Daiyu stood, whole body shaking, facing the men who were sent to obtain her. She smiled a twisted, evil smile that made her look inexorably bloodthirsty. The men looked at one another, somewhat concerned before the young man charged forward to the girl and slammed his dagger into the pulsing darkness around her, planning to cut into her as he had to Gaara. He moved so quickly Gaara only caught sight of him as he pierced into the ever deepening darkness.

Daiyu lipped something, and the young man flew back, slamming into a tree before his dagger could touch her. Hinaki furrowed his brow. He looked thoughtful for a full second before he stepped cautiously toward her. She did nothing, and he seemed a slight bit more confident. He took another step, still nothing happened. He once again moved, but this time he backed up, toward another fallen tree, which he picked up with what was guessed as chakra-induced strength.

Swinging the large timbered wood, he slung it at the little girl. Gaara yelled for Daiyu to move, but was not quick enough. The tree did not move fast but was very large and close enough that Daiyu could not do anything to prevent it coming right at her. The log penetrated the foggy blackness around her and hit her square in her midriff, sending her far back into the wood.

Hinaki sneered triumphantly, and jogged off to where Daiyu's most likely unconscious body was slumped. Gaara did not like the idea of him taking Daiyu. He forced himself up, staggering toward the older ninja and his dark friend. He was so focused on getting to him he almost forgot about Rai, the other young man that Daiyu and sent flying.

Rai was still fast despite his injury, but not faster than anything Gaara couldn't handle, even in his own weakened condition. Gaara sent his sand toward him, having it wrap around him and crush the young man in seconds.

Gaara stopped as soon as he saw Hinaki reach Daiyu. She was not unconscious as he had presumed, but starting to sit up. He leaned against a tree about fifteen feet away from them, partially hidden, watching to see what would happen.

“No use in getting up, kid. You are dead as soon as I lay my hands on you.” Hinaki said darkly as he stopped in front of her. He laughed wickedly. “You die now, child.” he reached for the pouch on his hip but stopped short as Daiyu sat up. Her hood had fallen off, revealing long, thick black hair that fell in wild waves and curls down to her waist. She did indeed have a thin black blindfold wrapped several times around her eyes, tying off in the back of her head. Behind the blindfold were two blue-black glowing spots, where someone's eyes should be. She was a deadly, evil, beautiful thing to look at.

“Do...not...touch...me.” she whispered in a deadly, raspy voice that was not her own at all. Hinaki smirked, but looked a little cautious. Daiyu stood, wild black hair falling over her shoulders. The black aura that surrounded her was almost so dark that you could barely see anything other than her pure white face and hands apparently floating in mid-darkness.

Gaara watched her smile cruelly and raise her hands. She started to move her lips, but this time he could hear the unfamiliar words she spoke. “Lakiin anvra mira alt.” she spoke “Pikna duna zurnii fvun.” the dark around her thickened so much she looked like a giant mass of black. Hinaki's face was one of deep fear, though, like Gaara, he was not sure what exactly was going on, he knew it was not going to end well for him.

All at once the black that surrounded Daiyu curled up and forced itself around the head of the man before her. The dark orb that was her moved forward, more words coming from it. Hinaki started screaming bloody murder, falling to the ground, writhing and turning his body in obviously excruciating pain.

Gaara was astounded and scared. This was not his Daiyu hurting someone. His Daiyu would never do this. After about five whole minutes Hinaki stopped screaming, and the blackness ebbed away from his face. Gaara was sickened by what he saw.

Hinaki's face was basically ripped off, all the skin and quite a bit of muscle had been torn away, arteries and veins had been popped and severed, and half of one eye was ripped out of its socket. His nose was missing, along with his lips. His jaw was broken and hanging ajar, making his missing tongue and teeth clearly visible. Gaara shivered in disgust, but ignored it and looked to Daiyu.

The dark aura had disappeared and she was rocking side to side in a ball on the ground. Gaara felt it was safe to go to her and did so.

“Daiyu?” he stood above her and looked down at her terrified face. He could not see her eyes but it was clear she was horrified at what she had done. She stopped rocking at his voice.

“M-Master G-Gaara?” her quiet, solemn voice was tainted with her fear. He dropped beside her, clutching his stomach in his pain. “Yes, Daiyu. It's me.” he brushed a wave of black hair from her cheek. “Are you okay?” he asked her in the most gentle voice he could muster.

She whimpered, her lower lip quivering. Understanding how she felt that moment, he clutched her shoulders gently and pulled her to him, giving her the first hug he had ever given anyone. He could feel her cold hands touch his wound, and heard her choke out a sob as he hissed in pain.

“Master Gaara...I'm so sorry.” Daiyu pulled her hands away, and he looked at the bright blood on them. How guilty she must be feeling, how hurt she is inside. He knew those emotions so well, he did not want her to feel them. Slowly he stood up, helping her to stand as well.

“We need to get back to the village. The Hokage should know of this.” he started forward, trying his best to master his pain, to no avail. He was not used to physical wounds, but he did try his best to get used to the injury until he could get it healed. He stumbled and nearly fell, but Daiyu caught him and put his arm around her shoulder, leaning him against her and guiding him along.

“You can not walk, Master Gaara.” she pointed out the obvious. “I know a spell to get us back faster, just hold on to me.” she started muttering some foreign words, and everything around them blurred and swirled, and in a moment's time they were standing in front of the Konoha hospital.

Daiyu pulled Gaara inside, quickly asking a nurse to see to him. The nurse's eyes widened and she helped Daiyu to guide Gaara to a room to assess his wounds. Gaara was weak with all the blood he had lost and the pain was making his vision blurry. He was just on the brink of losing all consciousness, and the last thing he felt was Daiyu's cold hand on his face, comforting him as he fell into an ocean of nothingness...

Gaara awoke in the silence of an empty white room. He sat up quickly but felt a searing pain in his stomach before he plopped back down, clutching at his abdomen. “Shit.” he mumbled. He barely remembered what had happened to him, all he knew was that his stomach hurt really bad. He opened his black rimmed eyes, red pulsing at the edges of his vision. That reminded him of something, and he forced himself to look back.

It only took a moment for the previous happenings to sink back to him from his subconscious. Daiyu! Of course! What was he doing, laying here when he hadn't an idea what condition she was in. he forced himself up and slowly swung his legs off the white sheets, trying to stand just as the door opened and a girl in a black robe came in with an older woman in a white nurse's uniform. The nurse stopped and exclaimed, “Gaara! Get back into that bed immediately! You can't be wandering around in your state!” Gaara ignored her and stared at the small child next to her.

“Daiyu. You're okay.” he let out a relieved breath then slumped and slid off the bed, hitting his body hard on the ground. “Gaara! What did I just say?!” the nurse ran to his side, but he pushed her away. He wanted Daiyu to come to him, he wanted her to explain what the hell had happened back with the men in the woods.

Daiyu did not appear to notice him, she just stood at the door, silent and still as an ivory statue covered in black cloth. This frustrated him. He took it out on the nurse next to him, yelling at her to get out and leave them alone.

The nurse looked frightened, and looked between Daiyu and Gaara. But in the end she gave in, and hurried out the door, closing it behind her. Gaara stared hard at Daiyu, working to pierce his blue eyes into her invisible ones.

Daiyu stood for a full ten seconds, just soaking in his stare, before she walked slowly to his side and bent next to him. Her head was hung ashamedly, and when she spoke she sounded very strained.

“I'm so sorry, Master Gaara. It won't happen again. I won't let anyone hurt you again.” she took in a sharp, raspy breath, and he realized she was either crying or trying not to. He softened his gaze considerably.

“Daiyu, It's okay. Don't cry.” he lifted her chin with his finger and made her look up. Though she could not see him, it still was a better sign to have her head up than to have it hanging limp. There was a moment's pause, before she threw herself into his arms and started sobbing harshly.

Confounded by her abruptness he just sat there with eyes wide open before closing his arms around her and holding her close. “Shhhhh...” he whispered in her ear, unsure about what else to do. Feeling terribly awkward holding the tiny crying girl he suggested as nicely as he could to explain everything to him. She sniffled and nodded, pulling away and cradling her arms to herself in order to get a hold of her composure.

It took a moment or two, but soon she was rattling off everything she could to Gaara...


“The first thing I can remember about my existence is that I was rescued by a large man after I was born. He taught me to walk and talk and read and write, and he nourished me as well as he could; I recall him as a kind and gentle man. He admitted to me as soon as I could understand that he had found me next to a dead woman in a clearing while he was hunting, and that he had no idea who I was or where I came from.

He would often leave me alone for short times to go hunting or to town to trade in his skins and meat or get supplies for the season. It was a time when he left to hunt that he did not return as far as I knew. He had led me to understand that should he not return by two days I was to leave to town with all his money and search for food and shelter. And that is what I had intended to do.”

Daiyu stopped and took a deep breath, only to continue at Gaara's expectant silence.

“As I traveled down a path he had taught me I stumbled over what I thought was a log, but when I looked back it was his body, savagely deformed and mutilated. I got really scared and started to run through the trees indifferently, just trying to get away from his mangled corpse.

I had not strayed to far from the path, and soon ended up in town. No one there had seen me, and most figured I was just a visitor. I kept mostly to the shadows, not wanting to draw too much attention to myself. But every time I tried to rent a place to stay the keepers saw my eyes and shunned me off as some sort of demon spawn and refused me.

I kept away from most towns after that, only stopping for the occasional essentials such as food and water with the money I had left. I tried to stay off the trails, taking a break or two when I needed rest or it was just a nice moment. And during one of those moments, was how I met you, Master Hatake, Master Uzumaki, and Mistress Haruno. I am so glad I found you...”

She trailed off right there and left the story short and simple. Gaara sat silent and motionless, not sure what he had been expecting, maybe something worse, maybe something better. It did not really matter he decided, the only thing that mattered now was the present, no past, no future. Just this moment. He mulled the story over in his head, and stopped on the spot about the motel keeps.

“You...you said that they saw you as some sort of demon.” he looked at the floor, thinking his and Naruto's shared curse.

“Aye, apparently the man who raised me either took no notice of them or did not care.” she said sadly, and he looked at her with a morose feeling in the pit of his stomach, adding to the pain lodged there as well. She looked away, or, turned her head in the other direction.

Gaara thought a moment, of all the hurt he had endured, of all the loneliness he struggled through, and of all that Naruto had dealt with as well. He thought of how they grew up, how they turned out. He himself had become a reckless killing machine, and poor Naruto still had serious anger issues. She had gone through something like that. Hell, now that he thought about it, everyone he had met in Konoha had something tragic or special about them.

But Daiyu was different. She did not lash out as they had. She wasn't a Jinchuuriki was she? No. Daiyu was kind, she had befriended Gaara, calmed Naruto and Sakura, and earned herself in Kakashi's heart as well. She was much like a calmer, less enforcing Naruto. Making friends everywhere she went. Or at least, that is what Gaara thought of her.

Now he smiled faintly. She was as alone as they had been, as they still were deep inside. But this was a chance to do the same thing for someone else as Naruto had done for him. He touched Daiyu's shoulder, causing her to turn to him.

“You are not alone. I'll always be here for you.” he said softly. Her small mouth twitched as if trying to smile, but seemingly unable to. He considered that she probably did not believe him. She wanted to, but simply couldn't. Gaara decided to show her his loyalty to his promise.

“Let me see your eyes. If I cringe away, you will know that I can not keep my word.” he said conclusively. He hoped this would work. If it did not, he did not know what he could do to earn her trust. Luckily, her rationality was on his side today.

“If-” she stopped for a moment, hesitant. “If I do...and you do not withdraw from me...” she trailed off, leaving the rest for anyone to fill in. Gaara grabbed her hood and pulled it off her head, revealing the blindfold tied over her mysterious eyes. “Why don't we worry about that when it comes.” he reached around her, already untying the cloth.

She froze, not moving to stop him, but obviously uncomfortable as well. He finished untying the thick knot and pulled on one end to whip it around off her head. It seemed to take forever for the black cloth to fall away, and when it did, his mouth opened and he was amazed at what he saw.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Daiyu's eyes were astounding. Yes, they were demonic in a way, but at the same time so enchanting and beautiful it was hard to look away. Surrounded by lush, dark lashes were deep, night blue eyes so dark yet bright they seemed to stare through him. The area around her irises where it was supposed to be white was as pure a black as her hair, giving her eyes a haunting, unreal quality. They had an odd luminescence about them, as though glowing despite the dark colors they were. Around her eyes were dark shadows, though much lighter than his own, it still proved her insomnia. Daiyu's eyes were terrifyingly sad as well, as though the weight of every universe were on her back. He was entranced.

She blinked a few times, not used to the light. After a few minutes of excessive blinking, she looked up into his own eyes and they sat in silence, both seeing completely new things.

“Daiyu...your eyes...” Gaara was so caught up in her dark, glowing eyes that he barely realized he was reaching toward them. She looked down, her black lashes hiding her demonic eyes and breaking Gaara out of his trance.

“I'm sorry. Did I frighten you? I shouldn't have allowed that.” she kept her eyes down, ashamed of them, thinking his reaction was of fear. He shook his head, speaking quickly, hurrying to correct his facial expression.

“NO!” he grasped her by the shoulders. “How could you think that?” She looked up, her eternally sad eyes fixing on his own. He tried his best to show he was not afraid, because, well, he wasn't. He didn't understand how anyone could think her a demon, they might have looked odd, but they were still beautiful in an ethereal way.

She merely shook her head, running a hand through her wild hair.

“Daiyu, your eyes are...well...” he didn't want to say his thoughts, embarrassed at himself. He could feel his cheeks were a burning red, but he ignored it and, for the sake of Daiyu's self esteem, he told himself, admitted what was on his mind.

“Your eyes are beautiful.” he forced himself to keep his eyes on her as he said it, though the burning in his face was growing ever hotter. She blushed to, though a much milder, much lighter pink.

Never in his short life had he ever assumed he might end up in a situation even close to this. He was doing his best to keep his eyes on the girl in front of him, her pale face solemn even in the awkward scene. He thought back to when he was a child, when he felt so hated and denied. Daiyu didn't make him feel like that, it was different. Instead of anger, it was a calm sadness.

But in this odd situation, there was another feeling. Not a normal one, this one was physical. There was a burning inside him, just beneath his rib cage, as though fire were licking at his bones. As though a black flame were consuming his heart. He bit his lip.

“Um...” he hadn't an idea of what to say. He was not even sure what was on his mind. He wasn't sure of anything at the moment. Everything was so unfamiliar. Daiyu looked up at him, fingers fiddling with the collar of her robe.

“Thank you.” she whispered so quiet he barely heard, and at her quiet, emotionless tone he thought of when they first met, not too long ago, but awhile. She had intrigued him then, but mildly. Now she was a puzzle box that was just starting to be solved. He was not one for mystery, he likes things blunt and straightforward. But she seemed so unable to open up, he was tempted to pry her open any way possible.

Still feeling those flames eating at his chest, he searched the deepest parts of his mind for what he really wanted. For what he needed to do. But he found his mind a blank, only a canvas on which memories and information was painted. If he wanted the present, or possible future, he had to look somewhere else. Still unknowing and uncertain, he just let himself go. No more thinking, no more searching. He let his body do what he could not.

In what seemed like slow motion, his hand reached forward and brushed the soft, pale flesh of her cheek. Her dark eyes widened, if only just. Trembling with anticipation, without the slightest of clues what was going to happen next.

Other than the small reaction in her eyes, she had not moved when he first touched her. Still she did not move when he leaned toward her, but stood still and silent, no emotion running visibly across her face or eyes. Gaara tried desperately to stop shaking, trying to be as still as her, but found it physically impossible and soon gave up.

He stopped moving when his face was less than an inch from hers, trying not to breathe in her face, but still excited and worried about what might just be happening. She looked down, her cheek leaning into hand just slightly, and he felt the burning in his diaphragm increase, causing him to inhale sharply.

He looked at Daiyu's lowered eyes, which appeared as closed though he knew they were not. Without a thought he leaned forward and touched his lips to her eyelids, one at a time, his own eyes closed, still shivering but finding joy in the simple brush of her skin on his lips. He pulled back after a few seconds, opening his eyes to study her reaction.

She kept her eyes closed for a moment or two, then opened them and parted her lips.

“What-what was that?” she asked, and he could have chuckled at her naiveté. But then again, he was just as innocent, in a way.

“A kiss.” he said simply, softly, lovingly. She looked a little confused, and he could see a flicker of curiosity in her blue-black eyes.

“A kiss...” she touched her eyelid with a finger. It occurred to Gaara that with her eyes uselessly covered and living in almost complete solitude for the most of her life she probably did not know much about romance. Hiding a smile deep within him, he listened to her complete her unfinished question.

“What is it for?” she asked, though he could tell she had an idea.

“A sign of affection.” he shyly swept a stray lock of hair from her face. She cocked her head to one side, causing even more black hair to fall back onto her cheek. It was obvious she understood now, but the gears in her head were still turning.

To his surprise, she put her hand on his face, and just as slowly as he had, moved closer to his face. He closed his eyes instinctively, once again shaking with anticipation. At what seemed long last, her lips brushed over his black eyelid, lasting a moment before pulling away to kiss his other one.

Once she had pulled away from him, Gaara opened his eyes and swallowed, not used to such close, sweet physical contact. She was blushing still, a little deeper, now a pretty, sunset pink. He gave a nervous chuckle.

“Thanks, Daiyu.” he showed a twitch of a smile, the fire in his chest burning much hotter than before, the flames licking through his bones now, making the feeling painfully pleasurable. He knew what he wanted by now. But he was afraid to pursue it. If she did not want it, than what could he do? But, he figured, there were ways to find out. And, being his rather frank self, he decided on the most direct form of expression.

His trembling stopping, knowing exactly what he would do, he reached forward, cupping her face in his hands. Moving toward her, stopping only just before his lips met hers, he smiled a small smile and whispered, “What say you we try a real one?” and with that he closed the remaining space between them, rejoicing at the feel of her lips pressed against his.

The burning inside him flared and heated to an unbearable point, and he swore he should have caught fire and disintegrated in a matter of seconds. But he did not, he continued to push his mouth against hers, and kept his eyes closed, not daring to open them in the case he saw horror in her own.

She place her hands on his chest, only just above the burning, and he expected her to push him away. She did push, but gently, not as though he was hurting her, not as though he was scaring her. She pushed him as a sign for him to stop, but at his own will. He did not want to, but he did not want to harm her either, and in respect for Daiyu he let himself withdraw. Expecting to see her eyes terrified and full of tears, he looked at her half-ashamedly, but he could not repress the pyromanic burning that curled about his heart.

“T-that was a...” Daiyu whispered herself into nothing but an inaudible murmur. Gaara nodded, sort of surprised at his own behavior. Stunned he had actually done something so boldly without an idea of what it really was.

“Yes. That was a kiss.” he was happier to see she was not totally appalled, not completely scared out of her wits that he had been so close to her. She looked up at him.

“Does everybody who feels affection toward someone do this?” she asked innocently. He relaxed his expression to a slight smile.

“I suppose not. It's usually only people who...really care for someone.” he knew how naïve she was, and knew she would take that literally. “It can be administered to family and close friends, but generally it is reserved for people who are in...” he trailed off once again in his explanation, realizing for the first time what he was really saying. Smiling a greater smile, he looked into Daiyu's unique eyes. “For people who are in love.”

She looked confused for only a second's time before her eyes widened and her eyebrows knitted together, forming a heartbreakingly sad, understanding look that told him she knew what he was saying. He stroked her hair kindly, and she leaned into him, hugging him tightly and relievedly. He pecked the top of her head and they sat in silence, holding each other close, careful not to strain his wound.

His first kiss.

He was glad it was with her.

Night

Kakashi had just come back to Konoha with Naruto and Sakura, only two days after they set off. It was a good thing Mei or whatever her name was insisted on getting there as soon as possible. He was worried how Daiyu had fared while he was away.

Naruto was walking with his hands behind his head in his usual fashion, ignoring the scolds Sakura was administering upon him. Kakashi wasn't quite sure what they were arguing about, he rarely noticed their little scuffles, seeing as they happened so often.

“What? It's not like it was my fault the food was burnt. You shouldn't have trusted me to cook!” Naruto smiled a guilty grin.

Kakashi kept ignoring them, and let his feet take him where he wanted to stop first, not minding the two young ninja ahead of him that hadn't noticed his absence as he cut through an alleyway.

“Kakashi-sensei?!” Sakura's voice rang clear in the crisp evening air. He continued walking.

It did not take long for him to reach the building in which the sand were residing. He knew that by now it was some time around eleven pm, and the door would be locked.

Pushing off the ground with a boost of chakra and hard earned strength in his legs, he hopped to the roof of the building. He knew exactly what window was hers, and he would just knock on it to announce his presence. But he needn't do that.

On top of the roof sat Daiyu, hood amazingly off, long, wild black hair spilling back as she looked up toward the ever darkening sky. Lying with his head on her lap was the sole reason for his concern, Sabaku No Gaara.

Kakashi furrowed his brow. He took a cautious step closer, not sure what to make of this odd development.

“Daiyu?” he asked uncertainly.

Gaara sat up immediately, a stern look on his isolated face. Daiyu's head swung downwards, her hands reflexively pulling her hood up and back over her eyes.

“Daiyu....um...I'm back.” Kakashi chuckled nervously. He wasn't sure what was going on exactly, and was afraid that if he did know he wouldn't like it much.

“Master Hatake. What a pleasant apparition.” although she smiled the sweet, kind smile he knew so well, there was a pink tinge where her cheeks were visible.

Somehow he knew he had come at an embarrassing moment.

“I just wanted to see if you were...” he glanced quickly at Gaara before he finished. “Safe.”

Daiyu turned her head to Gaara as well, but from what he could see of her tiny face, she held no prejudice as he himself knew he could not quite get rid of. There was a look of something he had seen quite a few times, but had hoped that he would not see that in the strange little girl he had grown so attached to.

In her face was a selfless, caring, admiring look that Kakashi could only describe as, well, love.

He swallowed. Of course he was very happy that sweet little Daiyu had opened her heart to someone who he knew needed love desperately, but he considered the mysterious kid a long lost daughter. And a father was likely to be protective over his only daughter.

“Of course I am, Master Hatake. You were very right to leave me in Master Gaara's charge.” she smiled again, and he realized that even when she stopped smiling, there was still a faint tug on the corners of her mouth that hadn't been there before.

Gaara eyed Kakashi uncertainly. Kakashi knew Gaara was a smart boy, he knew that Gaara had already figured out how Kakashi felt about him. What amazed Kakashi however, was not the defiant look just under his pale blue eyes, but the one even deeper buried in his heart. The look of wanting. He could tell just by looking at him, Gaara wanted Kakashi's approval, just as he wanted Naruto's, just as he wanted Daiyu's, just as he wanted everyone's.

He wanted Kakashi to accept him and trust him with the girl he clearly loved, but 'twas obvious as well that even if not one being on the earth excepted them together, it wouldn't stop him from being with her.

Kakashi sighed and looked toward the night sky, the sky that was always there, hidden by the light of day, but still there just behind the sun, supporting and sustaining the earth as much as the sun did.

He walked across the shingles to the two rather small children. He smiled down at them both, then let his gaze linger on Gaara.

“I'm glad I left her to you. I don't think I could have trusted anyone else with someone as delicate as her.” he smiled behind his mask. Gaara's face flashed with hope before returning the usual emotionless mask of a ninja. Kakashi would have given them his blessing should he have not been interrupted by a familiar voice of a confident female ninja.

“HA! I knew I'd find you here, sensei!” Sakura was smiling with her hands on her hips, Naruto at her side.

“Hey, you two are here too! Awesome!” Naruto grinned widely. “Heh, Kakashi you're so predictable. Coming to this kid. Gosh, do you think of anything else lately?” Naruto stuck his tongue out tauntingly.

“No.” Kakashi turned toward his team, not falling for Naruto's bait. He was just about to make one of his infamously slick-tongued sarcastic remarks when he dived forward and dragged Naruto and Sakura to the ground.

“LOOK OUT! AKATSUKI!” he quickly got up, pulling Sakura and Naruto up as well, taking a stance and preparing for an attack. He had only just seen it in time, a few glinting shuriken gliding toward them, and jumped reflexively into action.

The shuriken was caught by Gaara's sand, which had thrown itself up to protect him and Daiyu from the sharp Chinese stars.

Kakashi observed the two men in cloaks quickly, and soon realized they were not Akatsuki. Their cloaks were just black, and hooded. Underneath the hood there were visible ninja headbands, the sign depicting rain.

'Rogue ninja...' Kakashi thought.

“We've come to take that lovely little demon off your hands, my fellow shinobi.” said the shorter and broader of the two. He indicated to Gaara and Daiyu, and Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise.

'They are after Daiyu?' he thought in a panic.

“There must be a mistake...” Kakashi said, though many little clues surrounding him all told him there was no miscalculation.

The tall man smiled in a polite manner that fit his face well, but when he spoke his voice was hoarse in comparison to his features.

“No mistake...we want the little freak.”

__________________________________________________________________________________

Daiyu was frightened. She didn't show it, but kept her mouth shut tight, grateful her hood was over her eyes. She looked to Gaara, knowing his exact position from the pulse of his aura and the strong, calm beating of his heart. She could hear all of their heartbeats, and it was an interesting thing to feel people's reactions to any number of things, 'twas interesting to know that no matter what the facial expression, their heartbeat would always betray them for what they were truly feeling.

But there was no time for the small mysteries of people's habits and personalities. Her existence had already put so many in danger, she had felt herself lose control and vanquish so many innocent lives. She would not let these men touch her only friends, her only family, the only people since Kinati who had truly loved or cared for her. But more importantly, she would not allow herself to lose control. She would remain calm, and speak the spells of what she knew without releasing the unhallowed spirit within.

She noted Kakashi's quick, cautious, yet strong footsteps blocking the two men's path toward her. She sighed inwardly, and prepared herself for a stuggle. Of course, it would be no difficult task to get rid of these two men, but her intent was not to kill as she so ruthlessly did on so many occasions.

The struggle would be to keep them alive, so they could go back and say she was dead on the promise that she would let them live as well as not hurt another soul, as well as a completely differentiated goal to keep the bubbling blackness inside her from reaching through her skin.

“Step aside, Master Hatake.” she said quietly, wearily.

She sensed his head turn toward her and could only imagine the way his eyes would widen at her. His heartbeat was different from Gaara's, though not by much. It was still calm, but a little faster than usual, and it beat unevenly naturally, as though difficult for it to keep moving. She had noticed many ninja here had heartbeats quite similar. If only they knew how alike they were. If only, if only.

“There is no need to stand in my place and die needlessly.” Daiyu sighed, stepping forward and preparing herself to be drug a little ways before getting rid of them and hiding the bodies. She hated having to hurt people, but due to blacking out and waking up covered in blood next to countless bodies so many times before she knew that if she were to be taken by these men, she would never see the night sky again, never see her sad, sweet young Gaara smile once more.

A heartbeat to the left of her beat extremely fast. She recognized this as Naruto's, a beat that was usually strong and sure, one that faltered often but restored itself quicker than lightning. Now it was pumping much faster than average, and she grew concerned for the lovable knucklehead.

“DAIYU! COME ON DON'T ACT SO BRAVE!” he shouted at her as though she would slip away in only a moment's time. She analyzed his tone, the pitch and speed at which he spoke. He was concerned, and in his voice there was a desperate sound that she doubted he even understood himself.

“I am not being brave. I am simply trying to do what is best for everyone. If I go willingly, there is much less likely of anyone getting hurt.” she continued her 'death walk' to the two men, whom she could tell were afraid despite their seemingly nonchalant air. A hand grasped her wrist, and she expected it to be one of the male's, but no. This was the heartbeat of Sakura, the single female of the group, the girl that Daiyu knew was suspicious and wary of her.

“Don't go.” she whispered, confusing Daiyu with the frustrated desperation in her tone. She cocked her head at the older woman questioningly.

“You have found a place in all of our hearts, and if you leave, i'm afraid you will not only hurt Gaara, whom I know loves you, but Kakashi and Naruto as well.” she paused. “Even I will miss you.”

Daiyu frowned. She did not want to be cruel, but how otherwise could she do this? She knew how hard it must have been for Sakura to say that, and overall she knew it was true. Even when she did come back, assuming these two were easy to kill, it was plain to see that they would be angry at her for deceiving them as she would. She sighed.

'I can not harm them. Even when it is only for a few moments.' she thought, diminished. She decided on what she must do next.

“I will not leave.” she hung her head, if only for a brief moment. “But I will not expect you to defend me when I can take care of myself perfectly well.”

Lifting her hood off her head, uncovering her abnormal eyes, she allowed the cold snakes of darkness envelope her soul, and let the witch inside her take over. A freezing cold burning wrapped itself around her heart and flowed itself into her veins and arteries. It crawled into her eyes and through her skull, making her eyes glow a vivid blue-black and the midnight sea of wild waves and curls that was her hair twist about her head. She shivered.

She forced herself not to black out, worried about the consequences, about what she might do to the ones she did not want to hurt. Thinking hard on the words she needed to pronounce she let her tongue and lips do the movements as they came to her mind. The words sounded odd to her ears but she knew exactly what they meant somehow, though no one had ever taught her what to say.

Thick black cords extended from her fingertips, slowly at first, as she was not quite sure what she was trying to do. By maintaining control she was at a major handicap; she had never been able to control herself like this. The men smirked at her slow attempt at using darkness to throttle them. The male on her right shot forward and slid on his side, foot out as though to kick her shins in.

Daiyu was not ready to be defeated quite yet.

She smartly shifted to the side, still concentrating on the cords. He was close now, and two thick ropes cringed around his neck, tightening and suffocating the unfortunate young man. His accomplice threw a shuriken at the cord, attempting to snap it and free his choking partner.

But, as exptected, darkness is hard to cut through. The weapon flew through the black and wedged itself useless into the roof. Daiyu's cord had quietly reached him now, he, not paying attention to the black threads that had edged themselves ever closer to him whilst he pathetically try to help the other ninja, let out a gasp of surprise as the dark ropes snaked up his leg and twined itself around his torso and eventually his neck.

'Absolutely pathetic.' Daiyu tugged on the cords as though she were a puppeteer, tightening the death hold on their throats. However, she underestimated the proximity as well as determination of her closest opponent.

The young ninja of the rain ignored the looming, foggy darkness of suffocation and pulled out a kunai, slicing it through the air and stabbing Daiyu in the chest, marring her heart and making her stop instantly.

The cords slowly pulled themselves back to her fingers, while the man who had stabbed her passed out and the other collapsed, panting terribly.

“DAIYU!” a scream to her right punctured the pounding silence that had come to her ears. She turned her head, expecting the loud noise to be coming from Naruto. No, Gaara was rushing toward her. She fell to her knees and slumped backwards, falling into Kakashi's trembling arms. Gaara slid next to her, an angry, yet concerned look in his wide, crystal blue eyes.

“D-Daiyu...” his voice was somewhat choked, but held steady by the anger that was flaring like sparks in the wind in his face. Without a motion sand slithered across the roof and consumed the panting man, making him scream before crushing him to nothing but blood, flesh, and dust of bones.

“Daiyu, hold still.” Kakashi's voice was growing distant, fading in and out like a playful breeze on a cool spring day. The metallic taste of blood came to her mouth and a trickle of dark red liquid ran down her chin. A pain shot through her chest as Kakashi pulled out the blade, making her cough and splutter out more blood.

“Shhhh shhhh.....” Kakashi's voice was low and gentle, soothing and calming. There was a pressure on her breast as his hand tried a pointless attempt at stopping the blood flow. Gaara sat with his brow furrowed, emotions swimming under the mask of his hard shinobi features. He took her hand in his, stroking it softly with his thumb. He was forcing this, she could tell. What he sincerely wanted to do was shake her, force her to live. But all five conscious people on that rooftop knew that would not be the case.

Sakura lightly pushed Kakashi aside, placing her hand where his had previously been, maintaining the pressure and adding her chakra in a pointless pursuit at healing the wound.

“I-It's no-cough-use.” Daiyu let the warm blood burst over her lips. “T-th-the wound i-is t-t-too d-deep.” Sakura continued trying to heal the deep injury, a cut that had sunk much too deep for her little experience in medical ninja training. 'Stubborn girl.' Daiyu thought to herself.

Gaara pushed Sakura off of Daiyu forcefully, lunging into her and holding her tight. The pain in her chest pulsed excruciatingly but she ignored it and smiled into Gaara's shoulder, which was now being soaked with the blood running down her chin.

“Don't die...” he whispered into her hair, the start of tears squeezing out of his eyes against his will. She frowned now.

“Don't cry, Gaara. You will be okay. I'll look after you, even after death takes me.” she struggled not to cough or stutter. He was trembling against her. “Don't. Leave. Me.” his dark voice was saturated with sadness, anger, and fear. She reached up to him with a weak, tender hand.

He pulled away from her to look at her face, her lips and chin still dripping in blood. Tears were running down his cheeks in calm, even streams. “Never.” she whispered. He leaned down and kissed her deeply, dramatically, ignoring everything else, she succumbed to it. This would be the last moment she would see him, hear him, feel him.

She could feel her life slipping away even as she lay there in Gaara's embrace. A fog of white spread across her eyes, as though walking into a December storm. She smiled into her one love's lips and whispered one last time: “I love you, Gaara of the Desert.”

__________________________________________________________________________________

Kakashi watched sadly as Daiyu's body went limp. The quiet, lost child he had considered a daughter was now dead. Gaara was still holding her close, and Kakashi could see the bright tears glistening on his cheeks fall onto the girl's pale face. Gaara retracted upward, showing the blood covering his lips from his kiss with Daiyu.

The young, distraught child laid down the body gently, sand curling on the roof behind him to the unconscious man and twisting itself around him, tightening and squeezing. This was a feeble attempt at avenging the dead little girl next to him. Kakashi stood.

“Gaara, it's best we get to the hokage immediately.” he stated calmly. The sand ninja looked up at him as he crushed the body his sand was wrapped around. His eyes were ablaze with anger, hatred, and pain, the tears magnifying his blue eyes to make him look more emotional than ever before. Kakashi instinctively wanted to step back from his steaming gaze but thinking about what Daiyu would do, only stepped forward and put a hand on the boy's shoulder.

Gaara's face did not change in the slightest, but he did get up, pausing only to scoop up Daiyu's body in his arms lightly. He jumped roof to roof, holding Daiyu close to him protectively, and Kakashi, as well as Naruto and Sakura, both of whom's faces were hard but understanding, followed suit.

'This is going to be a long, tiresome night.' Kakashi thought. 'And for some...' he stared at Gaara's back. 'This night will replay in their mind for quite some time.'

They had gone to the hokage, reported their mission after turning in Daiyu's body. Tsunade had a message sent out to the hidden rain about Daiyu's death, so as to let them know to bring any ninja they had looking for her back.

It appeared that Gaara had taken her passing harder than any other. He stopped talking to anyone, Naruto included, and took to shutting himself in her now empty apartment when he wasn't on missions. More than once, Kakashi would be taking a walk late at night, and would see him sitting where she died. He would be holding a long black cloth in his hand, it blowing in the breeze wildly as he stared at the night sky.

Kakashi himself was not faring well, but having more experience with the loss of loved ones, he pushed past his sorrow and continued with his life. Naruto and Sakura followed his example, and tried to keep smiles on their faces. Naruto often would go to Gaara's flat only to find Temari or Kankurou telling him Gaara had gone off somewhere in the nearby woods, or was on a mission, or they just hadn't seen him. Naruto would yell and storm off and Gaara's siblings would sigh and go back to what they were doing.

They too, of course, were concerned for their brother.

Poor Gaara, however, had been wandering the woods. He would follow the river that ran through and occasionally stop to run his hand through the cold water. He'd never cared much for water, as he'd never cared much for anything. But he found himself enjoying the cool, flowing touch of the liquid lately.

It was in his wanderings, as he was scouring the grounds where Daiyu had first lost control in his presence, when Kakashi confronted him.

“Gaara! Hey, Gaara!” Kakashi jogged up to him, seemingly eager to converse with him.

Gaara merely glanced at him, apathetic to anything the man who kept him away from Daiyu so often might say.

“Gaara, stop. Listen to me for a moment, won't you?” Gaara stopped walking and turned sharply to the masked man as if to threaten him. Kakashi was not intimidated, and sighed.

“Gaara, I'm sorry. I know she meant more to you than any other, but you can't just go about sulking for the rest of your time as you've been doing.” Kakashi's one visible eye was stern, but withdrawn, unattached. He was distancing himself from what happened, putting it to a mere memory in his head, as though it was a sad film he had seen once in a past life.

There was a silence as Kakashi and Gaara stared each other down. Kakashi's one intense, yet calm black eye boring into Gaara's black-rimmed, pain-filled teal duo. Neither man backed off, continuing their silent, motionless duel. Finally, after what seemed to be several long, unblinking minutes, Kakashi sighed.

“I may not know how much it hurts you personally, but I too miss her dearly. She was like...well a daughter. Please, for the sake of my daughter and your lover, be at peace.” he continued without pause. “There is no use in mourning for a girl such as her. You heard her yourself...she is always here for us.”

The young sand ninja shook his blood red hair covered head. “You don't understand. For a woman such as her...to lose her...to become so close than be deprived forever...again...it's just...you can't just ignore...” he trailed away, not wanting to finish. Kakashi put a strong hand on they boy's shoulder. “I know exactly how little I understand. But trust in me, Daiyu is watching you. She will make sure you are safe. She loved you.”

Gaara looked up to the silver-haired ninja, his abnormally blank eyes now full of darkness and tears. “I-I know.” Gaara tried blinking back his tears but all that did was push them out. “I loved her too...I wish I had told her...before....” he choked and looked away from Kakashi's deep eyes.

Kakashi slid his hand from Gaara's shoulder to wrap his whole arm around his shoulders. “Come on, the sand ninja will be leaving today, as I'm sure you know.” he started walking, Gaara at his side. The arm around his neck helped comfort him, especially from a person Daiyu had thought so highly of. As she thought of everyone, but she specifically admired Kakashi, at least that was what she told Gaara on the night she was killed.

They walked back, silent, but Gaara felt better as he thought over the words the Hatake had said. Somehow he knew that Kakashi was right, that Daiyu was there. If he focused enough, he could feel the same feeling she had always given him. He knew, that no matter where or when, Daiyu's fire would still burn.

The witch of darkness's black fire would forever burn within his heart.