The Day I Met Him (Rewrite)

Chapter 1 - How We Met

I was only 7 when I first saw him. And I've never forgotten how it all started.

"Over here! Pass it!" One of the kids called out. I sat on a step not too far away, watching the group of kids I was 'hanging out' with kick a ball around. They weren't my friends. I knew they just tolerated me and acted nice because I was, how do you put it? Special.

Just then, one of the kids kicked the ball too hard and got it stuck on a nearby roof. "Aww man!" "There goes our game." They all complained. I was about to stand up when they all fell silent. Looking in the same direction as them, I saw the ball being lifted by what looked to be sand. It slowly floated over to a small boy I hadn't noticed until now. He had red hair, sea green eyes, and dark marks around his eyes.

The sand dropped the ball into his hands, and he looked at the other kids. There was a small pause before he held the ball out to them and shyly said, "Here." Turning my attention back to the group of kids, I saw them all trembling with fear. Finally one kid yelled, "Its Gaara! Let's get out of here!" They all took off running and disappeared.

When I turned back to the small boy, he had a look of shock on his face. He dropped the ball at his feet as his expression turned sad. After a moment I sighed, stood up, and walked over to him. When the boy, I'm guessing who was Gaara, saw me he looked pretty surprised. Upon reaching him, I scooped up the ball and looked at him. "Gaara, right?" I asked. He nodded. I turned, walked a few paces away, then turned back. I set the ball at my feet and kicked it around a bit. I looked at Gaara again. "Wanna play?" He looked at me for a moment before smiling and nodding.

And that's what we did until the sun began setting. After our last game, I picked up the ball. "It's getting late. I should be going." As I turned to leave, Gaara called out to me. "Wait! What's your name?" There was a bit of silence before I answered. "Kikima." I began walking, then called over my shoulder. "See you tomorrow!" But unknown to us, I wouldn't.

Later that night as I sat on the roof of a shop pondering, a bloodcurdling roar interrupted my thoughts. Before I could move, something hit me and sent me flying into a wall. I must have hit it pretty hard, because before I blacked out I saw a tan and blue monster roaring.

When I finally came to, I was in what looked to be a hospital room. Near the door were two men I'd never seen before speaking to a doctor and a nurse. "Those were his orders. Keep her here in the Leaf Village after she gets better until further notice." And that's how it was for the next six years.