T H E L O S T Y U N A

Our First Encounter

The sun was exceptionally hot today as I sat by myself on the roof of my apartment building. Kicking my feet over the edge, I turned my Suna shinobi headband over in my hands, watching the metal reflect off of the sun's rays. I'd been a Genin for about a year now, an unbelievable feat for the likes of me. I still had trouble believing it sometimes.

Growing up, I didn't really know anyone in Suna and I was never really good at making friends because of it. In the beginning, I didn't really have a lot of confidence, or believe that I could succeed as a ninja. In fact, back then I didn't even want to consider it an option. But the Kazekage insisted, and signed me up for the Academy anyway. I'd like to think that he saw potential in me, or that he wanted me to make something of myself, but I knew that he only did it to keep an eye on me. Looking back on it now, I guess I could understand his decision. Since I was all alone in the village and no one really knew where I came from, placing me in the academy gave the Kazekage a discrete way to monitor my skills. 

Yes, I could understand why he did it, but it still didn't make it right.

In fact, none of it seemed particularly fair at all. As soon as I started classes, the only thing I wanted to do was fit in, but instead all of the kids began picking on me for being 'different.' I was called 'freak,' and 'foreigner,' especially because I would complain about the heat of the desert. I wasn't used to it, and I would break out in a sweat just from running one lap. It was hard to deal with the ridicule, but it made me push myself twice as hard.

As I grew I started surpassing the others with my ninjutsu and taijutsu. I secretly hoped that my skills would make the name calling stop. If anything, it only made it worse. No one could understand how an outsider like me could be so talented. They always accused me of cheating or stealing, saying anything they could to make our sensei doubt my abilities.

The day I graduated and became a Genin, I hoped that whatever team I was placed on would take me seriously at last. I wanted to form friendships and bonds with them to last a life time, just as my mother had when she was my age, but that didn't happen. They didn't view me as an equal. The two boys I was placed on a team with, they wouldn't even look at me during our very first practice. I felt like such an outsider, and I still kind of do.

About a few months ago, I started being able to see ripples in chakra if I was touching the earth. It scared me at first, because for so long I was convinced that there wasn't anything special about me. Apparently my sensei said I have a 'unique sensory ability,' but no one knows what it is or how I can do it. All I know is that if I touch the ground, I can sense where people are, and I guess that's something to be proud of.

For a while though, I wasn't convinced. Having my new powers show themselves turned out to be both a blessing and a curse. My teammates finally saw me as an asset, but because my skills were so different, they still wouldn't except me. That's why I still practice by myself to this day. That's why I still don't have any friends.

But now, I was actually proud to be who I am. It took some time, but I was finally proud to be a Sand shinobi, with a special gift that no one else had. I was proud of myself, for myself, because no one else was going to give me praise for it. Once I learned to cope on my own, it gave me something to live for.

And I was finally able to start smiling.

As I continued to look down at my headband, something caught me eye on the ground below. It was three people, and judging by their height they all appeared to be around my age, but from where I was, it was a little difficult to make out who they were. I started staring down at the one in front, leading the other two. He was shorter, and seemed to have short, red hair. My jaw dropped slightly as my eyes landed on the unmistakable gourd on his back.

Gaara.

I'd never actually met Gaara before, I've only heard unbelievable stories about him. Everyone in the village seemed to know who he was and they were absolutely terrified. He was the Kazekage's son, the Jinchuuriki to the One Tail, and everyone had very clear orders to stay away from him at all costs. I frowned in their direction as they walked farther and farther away from my spot atop the building.

What a lonely existence it must be, to be hated and feared by everyone you are supposed to be protecting. 

I almost felt like I could relate.

As I watched them round a corner and exit my line of site, I tied my shinobi headband around my neck where I kept it. My curiosity got the best of me as I jumped down with the intention of following them. If they were three Genin, then I wanted to know why they were heading to the entrance of the village. Where was their sensei? Were they leaving without him? Why on earth would they do that?

I jogged down the barren street for a little longer, coming up on the corner they turned moments before. I allowed myself to peak around the corner slowly to see if they were indeed going to the front gate, but just as I did so, Gaara turned around and pointed in my direction. Before I could even question what was happening, his face changed from a blank stare to an evil smirk. Suddenly, sand spewed from the gourd on his back, moving towards me at a rapid pace. My eyes widened as I turned, running in the opposite direction as fast as I could.

Before I could even get a few meters away, his sand grabbed at my ankles. I tripped, not prepared for my feet to cease moving as my face rocketed towards the ground. In a matter of seconds, my entire body was encased in sand, squeezing me tightly. I could hear yelling around me now as I felt the sand lift me off the ground, suspending me in the air.

Please, no.

Gasping for breath as the sand continued to tighten around me, I opened my eyes to the scene in front of me.

Gaara's face was contorted in a malicious grin, baring his teeth in a psychotic fashion. With tear filled eyes, I looked around frantically for anything, or anyone, that could save me. Time seemed to slow down as I felt myself starting to slip from reality due to the lack of oxygen in my lungs.

This is it. This is how it ends for me.

For a moment, I felt regret in my heart for all of the things that I would never get to experience now. I thought of my mother, the only family that I could remember. Her beautiful face smiled down at me from the clouds and tears began to fill my eyes. 

My eyes landed back on Gaara as I felt my vision starting to blur. I willed myself to focus on him, giving him a pleading look. As I continued to stare into his turquoise eyes I witnessed something shift deep in his subconscious. His face that once seemed to enjoy what he was doing, suddenly held a shocked and pained expression. He dropped his outstretched fist and I felt the sand's grip on me loosen.

All at once, I fell back to the ground as Gaara bent over, grabbing his head and wailing out loud. I sputtered and coughed, trying to catch my breath as I sat up on my elbows. Looking through blurry eyes at the boy holding his head and screaming for the demons to leave him, I couldn't help but pity him. His sand hovered around him, suspended in mid air until it slowly worked its way back into his gourd.

As I forced myself up onto my feet, my knees threatened to buckle as I continued to watch. His two teammates tried to ease him, but it seemed to only be making things worse. As the seconds ticked by, the girl to his left looked over at me with an angry expression.

"Go! Get out of here!" She yelled at me. "It's not safe! Run!"

I knew I should listen to her, every part of me wanted to, but I couldn't take my eyes off of Gaara. I took a step back and his head shot up in my direction. Our eyes locked for a second time, and all of a sudden I was able to see past his evil demeanor. His eyes were screaming out for help. They were terrified, and seemed to be filled to the brim with pain and anguish.

My jaw dropped slightly. I recognized that look all too well. It was pain. It was pain and loneliness and heartache.

"I said GO!" The girl yelled again, and this time my body listened, moving on its own. I turned my back on Gaara and ran in the other direction until I was completely out of range, with tears streaming down my face.