Gaara was kind to you in his youth. Guaranteed, he was kind to everyone, but you were the only one who returned his kindness.
Children your age ran from him, adults would look away if he ever met their eyes.
Your mother often warned you about the young boy, saying that he was no good and that he couldn't be trusted. You never listened to her, instead choosing to interact with him at any opportunity you could. You didn't understand why no one liked him, he was a fairly nice child and would bring you small gifts that he found on the ground. You treasured these gifts with every fibre of your being, and to this day you found yourself giggling lightly at the memories.
⠀⠀⠀
"Here," Gaara took your wrist, his hand enclosed into a fist. "Close your eyes."
You did as he asked, and you felt something be slipped into your hands. A leaf.
"I've never seen one like it," he mused, "it must be from a tree that's not in Suna."
You nodded at him with a smile. "Thank you. I appreciate this."
The both of you were interrupted by your mother, who was standing in front of your door, as your house was nearby. "Y/N! Get here this instant!"
You shot Gaara an apologetic glance and ran towards her, who shot Gaara a glare while holding onto your shoulder protectively. Without another word, she slammed the door behind her.
"What did I tell you!?" She snapped, glaring at you now rather than your friend. "You are not to interact with that boy! He's dangerous!"
"How on earth is he dangerous?" You asked, attempting to plead with your mother. "He's just a boy! He can't do any harm!"
With a tired sigh, your mother placed her hand to her temple. "Go to your room. Dinner will be ready in an hour."
You did as she asked without hesitation, although you were determined to prove your mother wrong about Gaara.
⠀⠀⠀
The next day, however, your mother proved to be right.
An explosion was both seen and heard in the distance, as you were running errands for your mother. And as soon as it had ended, another explosion was heard.
What was before your eyes was something that you had heard of in fables your teacher would tell you at the Academy. A jinchūriki.
All the 'fables' had been truth, you then realized, you just hadn't believed them. How could something have more than one tail? Well, now you were proven wrong.
You knew you needed to move, however, you couldn't. Your eyes were glued to the beast that was several hundred feet away. Even so, it was massive in comparison to anything you'd ever seen.
The next thing you knew, you were being grabbed by someone in a mask. ANBU. The masked person, who you couldn't decipher the name of, had saved your life.
You sat there, away from the battlegrounds, where the ANBU members attempted to contain the beast.
And when they had, and you saw Gaara's terrified expression, you knew your mother had been right all along.
⠀⠀⠀
Gaara never spoke to you again until you were both being registered for the Chūnin exams. Your squad, along with Gaara and his siblings, Kankurō and Temari, were all allowed to register.
You had been following the pair- Kankurō and Temari, that is- to the registration office to hand in your forms, when all of a sudden, the younger of the two was holding a young boy by the collar of his shirt. Your eyes widened and your mouth hung open, not knowing Kankurō all that well and therefore not knowing that he liked doing this, but you didn't do anything. Kankurō was two years your senior, and also taller by a fair degree. You couldn't stand a chance even if you tried.
⠀⠀⠀
A group of Leaf children ran up to you immediately, a loud blond in an orange outfit appearing quite angry that his friend had been seized by your old classmate's brother. He demanded that "Konohamaru" be let go, but Kankurō only laughed and gripped the young boy's shirt tighter. Temari rolled her eyes and groaned. "Do whatever, I'm not involved in this."
A few minutes passed of Kankurō terrorizing the young boy, he looked up to see a boy with ebony hair sitting on a branch. The pair conversed for a minute or two before you saw a cluster of sand form on a branch next to the raven-haired boy. You immediately knew who it was. Gaara.
"Kankurō," the boy said coldly, seemingly staring deep into his soul. The boy immediately flinched.
"Let him go." He spoke once more, and Kankurō immediately dropped the young boy, causing him to scramble back to his friends.
Your group turned to leave, however, the pinkette with them stopped you. "Wait a minute! It's against the rules to enter another village unless you do have permission!"
Temari laughed. "We do have permission," she answered, showing the Leaf children her Chūnin registration form. "We're here for the Chūnin exams."
"And who are you?" The boy with the raven hair spoke up again, glaring at you and your fellow Sand nin.
"Who, me?" Temari turned around, giving him a flirtatious look. You simply groaned.
"No," he answered, pointing to Gaara. "Him."
"I am Gaara," he answered. "And I'm curious about you, too."
"My name is Sasuke Uchiha," he answered, the look in his eyes near identical to Gaara's.
"I bet you're curious about who I am, too!" The loud blond spoke up again. You simply raised your eyebrow at him, not really knowing what his deal was.
"I don't care about you at all," Gaara answered, barely even sparing the boy a glance. That was all he said before you walked away.
⠀⠀⠀
When you turned the corner, Gaara looked at you. "Y/N. I never thought you'd register to be a Chūnin."
⠀⠀⠀
The Chūnin exams had ended, and you had failed, along with the other members of your squad.
Your head was hung low as you walked back to your home in Suna, afraid of what your mother would think of you failing.
Surprisingly, she pulled you in for a hug and rubbed your back. "I failed my first time, too," she said with a soft smile. "It's okay to fail, as long as you tried."
"I did, mother," you choked back a sob. "I tried my hardest."
"That's all I ask, Y/N, darling."
⠀⠀⠀
Several hours had passed since then, and you were sitting on your rooftop, thinking about how you could improve when it came to the next opportunity you'd get to take the Chūnin exams. You were so deep in thought that you failed to notice Gaara's sand formation appear next to you.
"Y/N," he spoke, interrupting your thoughts. "Can I talk to you?"
You turned, giving him the same blank stare he was giving you. "I'd appreciate that."
"You know how I fought that Leaf nin, right? The blond- Naruto Uzumaki."
You nodded, you had heard that name a lot, mainly from the blond himself, during your time in Konoha. Not to say he was annoying, but... he was annoying.
"He showed me something. Not with words, but with his actions. He's a jinchūriki like me, yet he never shut anyone out. I was wrong, especially with you. I never told you, but..."
"But what, Gaara? What is it, what's wrong?" You asked, turning to him with a concerned look on your face.
"Y/N, you... you've shown me what love can feel like."
To say you were shocked was an understatement. You pulled the boy into a hug, burying your face into his shoulder. He didn't reciprocate immediately, you didn't expect him to. However, he slowly places one of his hands on your back, his attempt at a hug, you mused.
"Gaara, I-" you smiled, looking away from his gaze. "I never thought you'd feel the same."
