My SI Stash #21 - Of The Sand and The Wind by Ktf243 (Naruto)

-Sunagakure start instead of the usual Konoha stuff is quite refreshing~

Synopsis: What's a random dude to do when he wakes up in the world of Naruto? Befriend the sand Jinchuuriki and pray for the best. Si Oc Rated T for killing (duh it's a ninja world) and swearing

Rated: T

Words: 19K

Posted on: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13720847/1/Of-The-Sand-and-The-Wind (Ktf243)

PS: If you're not able to copy/paste the link, you have everything in here to find it, by simply searching the author and the story title. It sucks that you can't copy links on mobile (´ー｀)

-I'll be putting the chapter ones of all the fanfics/originals mentioned, to give you guys a sample if you wan't more please do go to the website and support the author! (And maybe even convince them to start uploading chapters in here as well!)

Chapter 1-3 (exceptional)

Y'know being a baby isn't all bad. You get free food, don't need to pay for stuff and you can just lay there… But after a while you get sick of being a baby. That's if you have the awareness of an average human. And I happen to be a dude stuffed into the body of a child. Wow, that sounded morbid. It sucks, one moment I was going to sleep in my bed and the next I wake up with the uncontrollable urge to cry.

And cry I did, loudly in fact. And to my tears a kindly old woman came to the rescue and rushed to my side with a warm bottle that she put into my mouth after checking my diaper and finding nothing. Now that I think of it, I was feeling kinda hungry. Don't feel quite fond of crying for food though.

After that making sure I was satisfied and wouldn't go back to crying once again she burped me which felt… weird to say the least. She then put me back into the crib where I just layed there. And I enjoyed the peace and quiet for a long while. Until I got bored and wanted to do something that is. However seeing as I am once again a baby that unfortunately is cognizant for this with no possessions, I can't very well reach for my phone as babies don't get one as far as I'm aware so I get bored very easily.

God, Kami, Buddha, R.O.B, someone... why? Just why? I don't mind the new game plus you gave me, but did it really have to be with me so young? Heck you could either have made me a somewhat older child or given me something to occupy myself to keep from going bored. I swear, the only thing that this experience will give me is unlimited patience which I already did have a good amount of patience. Being the eldest sibling with three younger siblings does that to you. Guess it's time for me to try and fail to stand for a long while.

"Ma, wead this two me pwease?" After the very, very, long few years went by I was finally able to slowly but surely stand once again. It was a frustrating process as I already know how to stand, but since I am starting from zero I just can't seem to be able to easily! Same with the speaking. Well I would have a better time at that if everyone didn't speak Japanese! Why couldn't I have been born somewhere with a familiar language? Like Spanish or English. I had to learn a new language, and while tiring and frustrating, I was able to do that slightly quicker than walking. Which came in handy many times once I was able to just yell "FOOD!" when I was hungry and such. It never ceases to make me laugh when I thought to the times I just yelled that.

I had to hold back a flinch to my pathetic attempt to talk properly while holding out a little book to the Matron of the Orphanage/Daycare, still not sure on that quite yet. However, I have been here long enough to start walking and talking so either I am being taken care of in a daycare due to neglectful parents, or I am just an orphan.

The kindly old woman regards me with a kind smile and takes the book and walks over to the rocking chair that is reserved for story time, it is a serious affair of course. I walk over there with my pudgy little legs and clambered up to her lap. I liked to think that she gave me no help at all.

"Ah such a good story choice, good job Ren." Yep, my new name is Ren, which I have no clue what it means, at least it doesn't sound ridiculous or something like that. "Thanks Ma." The matron has us all call her Ma, probably so that we are more comfortable with her.

"There was once a man who could control all the metals of the world with just a flick of his finger. The place in which he lived reflected how he used his metals, finely grained and more numerous than the stars in the sky. One day he had a vision made known unto him, it was one of him leading a prosperous village of shinobi.

So to make this a reality he honed his ability, making it so none could deny this vision he sought to make reality. He eventually set out to gather all those who dwelled within the desert. He first encountered a family of healers, who wished to accompany him and fulfill his vision after seeing his prowess. Although they were but humble healers they were not to be trifled with as they were also well versed in the sealing arts, capable of many feats any normal man would mistake as something much greater.

He readily agreed to that, knowing they would make a great ally rather than a formidable foe. The now bigger group traveled for many days until they encountered a clan of puppet wielders who also recognized the greatness of the man's vision and believed he could make it a reality.

Together, they united multitudes of people in the country of the wind and created a great village hidden within the sand. To do this they brought together those who could move the earth and bad them congregate together a large structure in which they could dwell within, with no threats of invaders. The great man following this became the leader and took upon the name of the wind shadow to pass onto his family and lead the village to prosperity just as he had envisioned long ago. The end"

Ma closed the book and set me down on the floor to go to what previous activity she needed to attend to. I thought of how some parts seem familiar to something, especially the part of a shinobi village and it being hidden in the sand. I suppose after a while many things will be similar to another thing, this is a kids story book. Eh, the story was interesting but seriously why would people use puppets for combat that sounds kinda lame they could have put something else, but oh no matter.

So apparently the place I've been growing up in so far is functionally both a daycare and orphanage. How do I know this? First common sense. I've been here long enough to learn how to walk and talk. I have also been able to see some people drop off some kids here to leave and never come back. But sometimes they come back their child and go back on their merry way. Those are rare though. I think that's how I think I got here, just dropped off and left here. That's fine actually, it would be hard to just accept two people as my new parents.

I walk over to the book cabinet to look at more of the picture books that have words to help with correlation. I kind of need it so I can be able to read again. I just want to read regular books gosh dangit.

I got to reading right then and started to notice that there were a large amount of ninja stuff. Shuriken, kunai, and other things. I know when people think of Japan they think of anime, ninjas, and samurai but I don't think they need to take it so literally. Also, aren't kunai historically used for digging? I remember watching a video on that, heh using a shovel for fighting. How silly.

Instead of individual birthdays, here we celebrate one big one for everyone. We all get one present each that is more than likely something handmade or something else small if we ask nicely, and one "wish" in which if it's nothing ridiculous we can request anything. I'm not really sure how old I am at this point but I've seen a few but I can't base it off of those because I could be older than that. I won't really waste my request for something like that as I can just ask later on. With a meager amount of money that I had asked for my present in the raccoon pouch that I got last year which was in my pocket, I went up to Ma with my "wish" for this year, hoping to make the most of it for the day.

"Ma, I have my wish!" I tug at the matron's long dress to bring attention to myself and I pull out the big guns straight away, my incredibly dashing smile. "

Oh! Ren what is your birthday wish hmm?" I gestured her down to me and I whispered into her ear "I want to explore outside!"

She looks at me with a soft smile. "Ok, but be sure to get back before it gets dark."

"No promises!" I yell as I rush to the door to enjoy the most of the day and not to prolong the inevitability of Ma being cross with me. As I walk through the streets I take in my environment. Clay buildings, people garbed in clothing for desert wear and sand, sand everywhere. I believe I may be in a desert, y'know just a hunch. Which strikes me as odd, why would we be in a desert? I don't remember hearing about any in Japan, so how come everyone speaks Japanese? If it were somewhere else in the world, at the very least there would be other languages present from other people.

No matter, I am here to enjoy the outside. Why? Well, the matron doesn't really let us go outside at all, only the older kids and I just want to get out of there. I got tired of being cooped up in there for what felt like forever.

Now… where was I? Ah yes, having fun and exploring this place.

Lost...

I'm lost.

I don't know how I did it but I got lost. Sure all the buildings might look the same, and sure everyone dresses very similarly, and sure lots of people have similar hair but it shouldn't be that hard. As I finally give up and got to an adult to ask where the orphanage is and hope for the best, I hear children screaming and a child yelling "Don't leave me alone!"

Promptly after that everyone flees in fear, why? Let's go find out shall I? I turn to the source and walked over there only for my brain to just go into overdrive at what I'm seeing and just what it means.

A small red haired boy surrounded by sand shifting around him with a ball in his hand. He- He looks a lot like a certain character from a certain show. He looks just like him but younger and without that weird thing he had on his head. The fact he has sand moving around him like in a movie just reaffirms this fact into my mind.

But it can't be right? I just got a heat stroke and I'm hallucinating right? There is no possible way I am in something that is merely a show, the machinations of one individual that got very widespread and popular.

But as he turns to me and sees me standing there and not fleeing he widens his eyes and starts to walk towards me.

And to that I could only say one very logical thing in that very moment…

"Fuck…"

Chapter 2

"Why aren't you running?"

Fuck, Fuck, FUCK. Why in the fuck flying fuck and I fucking here? I take it back I want to be in normal land please! Oh dear…. Who do I pray to? Well I just kinda got screwed over being in this world so I guess none of the normal ones? Work in progress I suppose. Anyway, for the sheer amount of things I could have gotten into, it had to be here.

The Naruto world, or as I will fondly call it the scary world where I can die super easily. Like nowhere is safe, either it will get nuked when I become a teen again and this place gets bombed by those dudes who want them sweet sweet Jinchuuriki- Oh wait.

Is smol boy crazy right now? I look over to him and see him sad something I clearly remember he did not do when he was insane. Okay… so he's not a deranged child at this point. This is good I think. I think, think Gaara wants a friend if my mind decides to be benevolent to me with information and not malevolent. Fuck, I'm not even in the fucking leaf! At least then I know I will stay safe there … after the invasion… and after Pain destroys the whole village… when he revives everyone.

Okay, maybe the sand village is a good place to be in terms of survivability. Could have at least been in the future or something just saying. So what would be a good way to survive? Easy, be friends with the person that everyone is afraid of in this village and other people who see him. The sand Jinchuuriki! He's still here so I can make this work and not die by the time I barely get into puberty.

"How come you didn't run like everyone else?" Fuck, well I guess I should try and attempt that right now then.

"Dooo you want me to?" He widens his eyes and shakes his head furiously

"No, just that everyone runs away from me." Damn that hurts, for your whole life to see people run from you.

"Why?" Good, just play like an absolute clueless child for that is what I should be right now.

"They say I am a monster, everytime they see me." Fuuuuck this is hitting me in the damn feels, why must small child suffer? My elder sibling instincts are flaring and not the one where you make fun of them, nah its the one where your sibling gets made fun of someone not you and you are about to nock the block off the kid. For legal reasons this is an example. Wait, different laws here, duh.

"Why?" Ah yes the most word provoking world out of all the words every created none can bring forth more words than why.

"I- It's because I can do this." He lifts his hand and sand starts to shift and move and just do what its not normally doing.

Tha- that's so sooo "Cool!" He jumps and the sand fell back down to the ground a lapse in his concentration.

"That is so cool! You can control the sand? Why would they call you a monster for that?" Out of the majority of superpowers out there the one that had me most enraptured as a kid besides the normal one all kids want was sand manipulation. Watching Spider Man 3 as a kid and seeing sandman do all that stuff really made me think it was cool!

It is especially cool when you grew up in a place that was functionally a desert and sand dunes were never too far away. Plus… I could never make cool sandcastles at the beach. Anyway this is a pretty cool power to have especially in the desert where we are currently.

"I, I don't know…" Oh yeah, still in a conversation whoops.

"Well that isn't nice, hey since you got a ball wanna play?" Once again I just realized how starved for attention he was, with him nodding his head so quick it was nearly a blur. Likely his first time playing with someone else his age.

"How do you play?" Ah ok. Guess I will have to explain kid things to him probably.

"Easy I throw the ball to you and you have to catch it, then you throw the ball. Pretty simple right?" He nodded his head and tossed the ball to me and so we started the boring task of catch which gave me time to think things through. Namely how to not die a most painful death.

I want to be a civilian but at the same time I don't. If I do I can't really do anything if I were to be targeted for no reason. If I become a shinobi then I will be able to defend myself… at the cost of being in a large food chain of death. I do get to use Jesus mode with water though… And I also get other cool Jutsu to spam…

To be determined for later. For now… I have a ball to throw

After playing for a while, Gaara finally got bored and I suggested to him to start making things with sand. It was fun, I would poorly draw something into the sand, then he would make it but only much better. The Sandman one was very funny if I do say so myself... though Gaara didn't get it for obvious reasons. He did have a much better time understanding the poop he made. Well he is a child.

Unfortunately it became night and we had to go home.

"Alright I have to go now, see you late-"

I forgot.

I don't know where to go.

"What's wrong?" My new friend that is also my lifeline asked me meekly.

"I don't know where the orphanage is."

The kid scrunched up his face in a cute way as he was thinking of something. Ah, my savior in the form of a child. Maybe he knows where I can find to go... and make sure the Matron doesn't completely wreck me. I may be in a world of bigger things, but I have seen how she wields that sandal against the other kids. Not even my Grandma could do that!

"How about you come to my house?" Orrrr that, that works to I guess.

I shrug, not like Imma go around all the place. "Sure, that works too."

We start walking to his house, well more like I followed him as we meandered through the city. As we went through the city doors and windows were being shut when Gaara came into view. Dang, that must suck really. To have doors shut in your face as soon as you have a sliver of yourself show up. It seemed to not affect Gaara though he had some sort of a pep in his step. Did me just playing with him for one day really affect him that much? I must say those sand figures does make for great bonding.

.

.

.

Oh we're here.

I look at the house in which Gaara residing in and half expected it to be defaced or something but to my surprise it was a really nice house! Really large as well. I then remembered his father was a Kage and his uncle was a ninja or something. Ah I forgot about that man, the one who really put the start of Gaara's insanity. One question that won't really be asked though... Why? That makes sense, if he actually cared for him why do that and vice versa if he truly hated Gaara why would he care for him and teach him things? It's very convoluted if you ask me.

We step into the house and I look around only to see how empty it is which is jarring. A large and spacious house only for there to be near to nothing inside when you enter. I see regular furniture and even those look like they are there for functionality, not comfort. He led me to his room and once again another contrast was made. Where the rest of the house had nearly nothing his room had a large assortment of toys and other things. There was just a large pile of toys in a corner but aside from all that was a small bear with a shinobi headband with what I think is the sand's symbol.

Gaara went to the bear and held it and went to a bed that was overshadowed by aforementioned pile of toys. He looks at me and gestured to his bear. "This is my bear stuffings."

"Why is he called that?" He put on a big smile on his face and squeezed tightly and a piece of stuffing came out.

"Because when you give him a big hug he lets out a stuffing!" Ok, that is cute, small child's smile must be protected. Which is kind of hard when it is likely that he will be driven insane by his uncle for nearly no good reason or any reason at all!

I decided to take part in something that I had not done since I was a kid, err the first time round. Play with toys. Going through the toys I find nothing that could keep me occupied until I come across a great thing that can lead to all sorts of fun. A card deck. Why does Gaara have one? No clue, I do know that I have something to do now.

While I like cards and have a decent amount of skill in it along with luck, for some reason I have almost no luck when it comes to solitaire. The amount of times I've won is very much overshadowed by how many times I have lost, and while most people would get better at this somehow I don't. After playing a few times and mostly having to restart Gaara decided to bring himself into the fold.

"What is this game?" Ah, if I can get him into cards I can be able to play the games that I really am good at, like speed!

"This is called solitaire, it fairly simple you have to make the cards go into a stack going from Ace to two all the way to King, but you can only put cards together that are faced up and they have to be the opposite color unless they are in these four slot areas. Uhh also when you have nothing you can flip three cards from the deck and you can only grab the one on front and any cards faced down that have no other cards on them can be flipped. I think that's it?" Gaara looked confused from my convoluted explanation and barely followed anything. I don't blame him, I suck at explanations.

After a few games where I coached Gaara though he finally got it and attempted himself... only to fail. He tried once again and got it, which I say he only got because he just happened to get luck alright? No skill there, mostly luck. Uh huh that's right, definitely just beginners luck.

After seeing Gaara win solitaire so many times, I decided to teach him a few other games. These games were all one's that I played with my friends and can help pass the time easily. We engaged in the fast paced game of speed, where precision was the key. We screwed each other over in the poor man's Uno, also called by my friends as Swiss. Along with those, we just played for fun and Gaara truly seemed to be having fun. So did I and I really liked I had someone who didn't complain when they lost, even though he didn't really lose that often.

Eventually I started to get sleepy and try as I might, the child body that I was now in was not designed for staying up at all. Years of trying to stay up and failing have taught me this. I asked Gaara why he didn't get tired, fully knowing the answer and he responded as I already knew. That when he slept he wouldn't be able to sleep for long, with nightmares plaguing him.

I slowly started to fall asleep on the floor reclining on some soft stuffed animals that I assembled as a seat. The last thing I saw was Gaara on the floor playing solitaire.

Waking up was an interesting affair. Getting shaken awake certainly always is.

When shaken awake, I look around the room to realize that the lights were off, I was on the bed, and more importantly Gaara was not the one shaking me awake.

It was some masked shinobi that happened to scare me only a slight amount. Okay, that was a lie, he scared me lots. Where was Gaara, and why the hell is this ninja looking ready to make me a shish kabob? I started to kinda freak out, fitting giving the situation.

The ninja then unmasked his face to me and he had somewhat of a solemn look.

"It's okay, I'm Gaara's uncle I don't have much time so listen to me okay?" I nod for I remember that this is a man who blew himself up, you don't mess with a person like that it's common sense. You know what else is common sense? Freaking the fuck out silently on the inside.

"Alright, now I know you haven't been friends with Gaara for long, but as you seem to somehow not be afraid of him I need to ask of you to do something. Make sure Gaara is okay. Right now I'm fighting him with my real self and I will blow myself up, this is to make all these assassination's on Gaara stop I wish I didn't have to do this but it was either this or Gaara died for real. When I die this clone of me will crumble away. Although I know it's been very short I plead you to be there for Gaara for me. Alright?"

What? So... the reason why the uncle did what he did was to stop the assassination's? Sure that worked, but at the cost of his nephews sanity. I thought that I had a much longer time before this shit happened! I guess I'll die then since Gaara will be the same and very likely will kill me. But I can try, and I can hopefully survive till after Naruto drives some sense into Gaara or something.

"O- okay then." The man smiled.

"Thank you take care o-" Before he could he crumbled into pieces of rock and sand onto the sheets and the grip he had on me was gone. Along with that, a large boom went through the silent night.

Well, I'm fucked. Just wonderful.

Chapter 3

After that boom I decided to stay in the room and cover myself with the blankets after getting rid of the dirt that fell on the bed, clone or not that was a dead man, I was not going to go out of this room when an explosion just happened. What am I, an anime protagonist? Nah, I will take life thank you very much.

And so I wait.

And wait, and hear some loud growling and crashes.

And I cover myself more securely with the blankets.

And wait some more.

Until the door opens and in the doorframe is Gaara, absolutely a mess. He physically looks fine, not a scratch on him but his face and mental state are a different story.

He looked like he had just cried a lot, his eyes were red from tears, and he just all around looked like crap. He shambled over to the bed and just collapsed onto it facing upwards. And he just sat there for a while, until he spoke with his voice breaking and strained something that comes along with crying a lot.

"Ren, am I a monster?" Why? Deities above, just why? I'm a child that needs to commence child counseling where I've had no experience with this type of stuff.

"No. why do you ask that?" His voice breaks, holding back tears as he responds.

"My uncle Yasha said t- that my mother hated me a- and that I w-was a monster that only l- lo- loved itself." Ok... So how does one not fuck this up? Because I feel like this can go bad real fast.

"He also, tried to kill me and I accidentally h- hurt him. And h- he told me that h-he didn't love me-e-e. A- and now he's d- de -dead!" He started to let the tears free, and it cascaded down his face. I uhh, damn there is nothing I can think of that can help him. If I ask him if he loved his uncle, that would be a really, really sore spot so no to that. I look around the room for inspiration until it hit me.

"I don't think you are a monster, or someone who cares for only their self." He looked up at me, trying to stop his tears, hiccupping and some snot running down his nose which he wipes away with his sleeve.

"Y- you don't?" I shake my head and grab the thing that will save my ass. The bear, Mr. Stuffings.

"I don't think that a monster would have a bear, do you?" He shakes his head and grabs onto the bear tightly, with some stuffing coming out like he showed me earlier.

"And look at that, you really love Mr. Stuffings right? Then your uncle was wrong about that." He looked at me and tried to smile, and he did albeit weakly along with a flinch with the mention of his uncle. "Besides, I'm your friend right? So I guess I am also proof you aren't a monster or anything like that."

He then started to cry once again, but this time it wasn't of sadness, but of joy... I hope. For the rest of the time I just let him hold onto me with his bear in his arms, pouring out his feelings.

"No." Gaara firmly put down his foot, his face in a scowl very reminiscent of the period in the anime where he was about ready to kill everyone. The man in front of him, despite being a Chunin, was cowering like a lamb to the slaughter

"B- but, it was an order from Lord Kazekage!" The pitiful Chunin squeaked as if Gaara would care for that.

"Then if it was that important of me to go to his house, he would have come over. Now farewell." Gaara closed the door, and as fast as he put on that face it was wiped off.

What?

Huh?

"Gaara? What was that?" He turned to me, just realizing I was there the whole time.

"Oh, the man was here to tell me that my... father wanted me to live with him now. But I think that I wouldn't be able to see you then so I said no." Okay, let me just file that away for later then.

"No, not that. I mean where you got all serious, a few days ago you had trouble talking to me and right now you talked to him firmly. It was pretty cool." At this he got all red, like a child being praised for getting the big kid problem right on the first try.

"O- oh, that. He had taught me how to speak all important, he said that since I was of important blood I needed to know how to speak properly with the right attitude. It was hard to do it though." Huh, now that explains how Gaara was so good at being a Kage despite being so young he had training already. I also noticed how Gaara refused to say his uncle's name, and that was fine. He needs some time to calm down and settle with that trauma which will take some time. Or at least I think that's how it works.

"So what are we going to do now?" Gaara perks up, eyes bright with an idea.

"How about we play cards?" I laugh, and pull out the deck we have been using out of my pocket and we dash to the table to play some (read as a lot) rounds of speed.

Why is it that when we are in bed, or in the bathroom we think of things that we normally don't think of or alternatively something that really should have come to mind a long time ago? I not that long ago got ready for bed, borrowing some of Gaara's extra PJ's and a thought popped into mind. The orphanage... Crap, I forgot about that, to make it worse it's nearly been a week. If Ma was going to give me a good smack for being late on the first day, I fear what she would do to me after nearly a week of nothing.

Wait, you know what? I'm in a world with things that are much less scarier than her, why should I care? What are they going to do to me? Arrest me? In a village of shinobi where they, let's be honest, do way worse stuff on a daily basis than a kid running away? Eh, I can deal with the consequences, if there even any to be had. For now though... Sleep

As I was drifting away to sweet oblivion, I heard the door opening and some quiet steps walk across the floor.

"Ren? The voice is back." I shift up from the bed and look at Gaara, not at all surprised by this. I pat the bedspace beside me and he clambers on the bed.

"It's alright Gaara, just don't listen to the voice." He starts to shake a bit, and his breathing gets a bjt more rough.

"I know, i- it's just so hard though." You could hear the resistance to crying very clearly as he is trying his best. I just do what I can and bring him into a hug, what more can I do? Oh wait, I think I git something.

"Here, follow me." He nods his head and I get up from the bed, Gaara following suit. We head out of the room and into the mostly baren kitchen. I look around the cabinets and pantries in search of the items I need. After a few minutes I have what I need.

A pot, one measuring cup, two cups, and some tea bags.

I fill up the pot with water, using the measuring cup to put in a decent amount that both Gaara and I could drink, put it on the stove and light the stove. I wait for it to boil by continuing to comfort my friend.

"What are you making?" Distracted by what I was doing, Gaara wasn't suffering as bad from the voice as he normally did. That was good, then maybe the tea will help.

"I'm making you and me some tea. You so you can relax, and some for me so I can stay up and help you if you need it." He shakes his head at that, seemingly mad at something I said.

"No, you should just go to sleep after this. You don't need to that for me the whole night." I just refuse his refusal.

"It's fine, besides who else are you going to lose in cards with? I know Mr. Stuffings is one mean poker player, but don't you get tired of losing to a bear?" He puffs up his cheeks in anger but jt just looks cute on him rather than the anger he had when insane like in the show.

"I don't lose..." Gaara grumbled to himself indignantly.

Hey! This is good, he is properly distracted now.

I check on the pot and see the water was boiling so I grab it and carefully pour it into the cups, mindful of the stepstool I was on. I then grab the different sets of tea bags and put them in each mug. Looking at the mugs, I was... Disappointed. They were really bland, since they looked like they can be painted on maybe we can do that?

I bring mugs over to the counter Gaara was sitting on, and sat on the high chaur next to him. I set them down and before Gaara cluld grab his, I stopped him.

"Careful, you should let these cool down. Otherwise you could burn your tounge. He widens his eyes and nods in undersranding. I quickly get to talking so he doesn't go back to hearing the voice loudly.

"So, since we dont really have the right kettle fir this I'm not sure if it would taste different so sorry if it tastes crappy ok?"

He nods, but I feel he would have drank it regardless of whether it was crappy or not, not that he has many options at this point. Talking can only distract him for so long.

We started to talk about other small things we did confined to this one hpuse as we had yet to really go out much and it was surprisingly easy to keep on talking. In the back of my mind however, all I could think of was how to help Gaara.

Sure, I've only known him for like a week tops but I feel really close to him. And sure, I only became his friend in the first place, so that I could save my hide for the most part. But now? I don't want him to suffer. He really has a crappy childhood and the fact that he can't sleep and he hears the vlice of the sand raccoon since his seal is crap kinda grinds my gears.

I have not come up with a solution just yet, but tea will have to do for now.

"Alright, you can try to see if it's cool enough, don't forget to blow on it lightly just in case." Gaara takes the advice to heart and does just that then takes a small sip of it. Then after blowing on it a bit more he drinks a larger amount and looks to me and smiles a big grin.

"Thanks Ren, I feel better already!" Ah, yes I remember another reason why I want to help Gaara.

That cute gosh darned smile, one that can melt the heart of people. Anyone who disagrees are not people and should therefore be shown the door... With force.

I promise you this Gaara, I will make sure ypu get a good night's of sleep. I take a sig from my mug to seal this solemn vow silently.

"Gah, I burnt my tounge!"

Hearing the door being pounded first thing in the morning is not a good way to wake up. Shambling through the halls I go to the entrance with a yawn in my throat. I open the door and all thought processes halt. I see the Kazekage himself and his two kids, Temari and... Whats his face.

"Greetings, I urgently request that Gaara comes out to join in a ver important discu-"

"Sorry, wrong house!" I slam the door at breakneck speeds and instantly regret it. Oh fuck, I just did that to the most powerful man in this village! I am literally taking apart my plan to live and I'm not even that old! Why did I have to do that? I have but one way to summarive all this

"Shit..."

Omake- 52 Card Pickup

"Hey Gaara!" My small redhaired friend looked up from his stuffed bear and was ready for what I had to say.

"Wanna play a new card game?" His eyes light up eith excitement at this, he always likes learning new card games, and he nods his head up and down sow fast that there were afterimages.

"It's called 52 pickup."

"How do you play that?" I look at him with a grin, deck of cards already prmied in my hands and I throw it with reckless abandon. Cards going arpund the room.

"Easy, you pick then up!" I started to laugh interanlly as I finally had someone to do that to. Seriously hoe was it that everyone I knew, already has heard of it?

I then notice Gaara was picking up the cards with a smile.

I immediately felt bad then started to pick up the cards with him.

"Ypu wanted to play too?"

I nodded with a somber look, guilt weighting me down from Gaara thinking this was an actaul game.

"Yeah... I wanted to play this with you." The rest of the day I fept bad for what I did.