A New Way of Ninja, (Naruto)

3: The Emergence of the One Tail

The ninja seemed surprised to find them all waiting there calmly.

Shoto was tensed for action, but other than that he was still. Momo was pale and leaning on the rock, not very threatening. Dabi was scraping two stones together in a bored way. Shine was reflecting her sword in the light and singing real quiet:

"The sorrowful gust of wind that blew right between you and me. Where did it find the loneliness it carried on the breeze...?"

The ninja just stopped. Certainly they had never found any enemies waiting for them in this posture before.

Gaara stepped forward. A wall of ice shot up between him and them.

Shoto hadn't even moved. He'd just pressed his foot into the ground a little.

"Don't try that thing again," he said warningly.

Momo sat up more, trying to be ready. Temari eyed her burned arm.

"Who sent you?" Gaara demanded coldly. "They sent you to kill me."

But if he expected an answer, it wasn't the one he got. Shine and Dabi both started laughing ironically. 

Kankuro and Temari looked at them like they'd lost their minds. 

Shoto only looked puzzled further. "This again?" he said. "We're not here to kill you."

"How awful," Momo said. "You still don't believe us? Did you attack us out of self defense, then? That's not so bad, I suppose. What a relief." She managed a weak smile. "I thought you just didn't like us."

That was meant as a joke, but Gaara didn't get it.

"I don't like anyone," he said coldly. "I'd probably kill you anyway--" He hesitated. "But you're not from Leaf Village"

"I almost want to be, the way you all keep bringing it up," Shine said jocularly. "But no, we're from a much farther away place than that." She didn't elaborate.

"Boy, do you guys look stupid." Dabi could never stop running his mouth. "Just standing there, all set to kill us, and now you don't know what to do."

Temari glared at him.

"I don't understand," Gaara said. "Why aren't you here to kill me? Everyone else tries to do that. None of them ever succeed..." Threateningly.

Shine frowned. "That's dark, sir. But whatever everyone else has attempted, we have a strict 'no killing' policy--with the exception of venomous animals, because I'm not that zen. Snakes are snakes."

"But you said you were looking for Gaara," Temari said. "People only look for Gaara for one reason."

"To kill him?" Momo said in horror.

"Maybe it's the spirit thing inside him they're afraid of," Shoto said coolly. "What are you exactly?"

"A monster," Gaara said offhandedly. "I was born a monster. Confined in solitude. I like to kill the people who try to kill me--or any others I don't like."

Momo's mouth dropped open.

"It's the only meaning for my existence," Gaara went on, like a drone.

Shine was frowning.

"Crap," Dabi remarked. "This makes me not look edgy by comparison."

"That's..." Shoto gave Shine a look. "That's not...not what we..." he trailed off. He felt kind of sick.