The very next day

With gaara

*gaara woke up at the ring of his alarm. He turned it off and sat up straight and looked around in his room, his empty bare room with no single color to speak of. It was just a bed and a closet for his clothes. He got up from his bed and walked out of it. Today, gaara was acting differently. No one could tell from the lack of emotions on his face, but he had something different inside of him, since the second he woke up, he's had butterflies in his stomach. Gaara knocked the door to his brother's room and waited, and then waited some more. And then waited even more after that, gaara knocked again, this time louder and he heard something on the other side*

Kankurō: I heard you already! I'm coming! I'm coming!

*Gaara heard his older brother yell from his other side and heard a commotion in the room, but gaara didn't move, kankuro had something he wanted. The door swung opened, and kankuro thought it was just his sister to annoy him into doing a chore again, did something he shouldn't have. He yelled.*

Kankuro:What?!

Gaara:.....

*Kankuro looked down and paled. He started to look at gaara nervously. While gaara was looking at his older brother with the same neutral expression, gaara could see the fear in his brothers eyes, and didn't care, since he's always seen him with those eyes, gaara thought it was normal*

Kankuro: Hey...gaara. do you need something?

Gaara: ball.

*gaara said, pointing at one of kankuro's toys, a medium-sized ball perfect for throwing, kankuro nodded and quickly grabbed the ball, giving his little brother a scared and very forced smile, that again. Gaara didn't know it was forced. It was just the same smile kankuro always gave him.*

Kankuro: ok, you me to play with you for a bit?

Gaara: No.

*gaara said as he took the ball with his sand, scaring kankuro, but gaara had the ball, and that's all that he cared about. He started walking away, but kankuro followed him, his curiosity being bigger than his fear at the moment.*

Kankuro: So you're gonna play with Temari?

Gaara: No.

*Gaara said in the same monotonous tone, since his sister never played with him, Gaara never understood why, it was just a fact, kankuro he could sometimes convinced since he was scared of angering the demon. But Temari would just walk away from him, so gaara stopped trying to socialize with her. Kankuro looked at his brother with a raised eyebrow. He may head him, but he was still his brother*

Kankuro: so your gonna play alone?

Gaara: No.

*Gaara said as they made it to the living room. Temari was there, and the second she saw Gaara, she left for her room, kankuro, and gaara waited till they heard her door closing before they continued to talk. Kankuro was deeply confused since the idea of gaara having someone to play with was simply so ridiculous that he didn't even think about it*

Kankuro: ok. I'll bite. Who are you gonna play with?

Gaara: I'm gonna play with my friend.

*Gaara said simply, ignoring the absolutely shocked expression of his older brother and leaving their home. Kankuro stayed shocked for a few seconds before running to his older sister's room and knocking it repeatedly and heavily*

Kankuto: temari!!!! Open up!! Open up! Open up!!!

With gaara

* once gaara closed the door, he ignored the scream of his older brother and walked down the stairs when he passed his father going up, but neither of them acknowledged the other, as gaara left holding the ball tightly, making a straight line to the park*

At the park

*we see gaara in the swing waiting for his friend to arrive, as usual everybody left the second gaara made it there, no one dared to ask him to leave, no one wanted to anger the demon. Gaara was swinging softly as he waited, remembering what happened yesterday.*

Flashback

* The sun was setting after going on a "shinobi" mission with the yellow haired boy into finding something cold. We see Naruto, his mother Anko, and gaara all inside a shop, drinking cold tea and eating mochi. Gaara kept looking at the two people eating calmly next to him, this is the first time gaara actually had a meal with people who weren't afraid of him. Anko looked out the window at the setting sun to see the time. She finished her mochi and tea and got up.*

Anko: ok Naruto, it's time to go to our hotels, you can play with your new friend tomorrow

Naruto: ok! Hey! Let's meet at the same park again, bright and early! That way, we can play for much longer!

*Naruto said that bright smile that made gaara feel things he hadn't felt in so long. It felt weird, but he didn't hate it. He quite liked this feeling. But he still asked nervously, almost scared that some other shoe would drop and this boy wouldn't want to play with him anymore, or he was just playing a cruel trick on him, like his uncle did to him, and gaara...well. I'm getting ahead of myself. Gaara looked at the yellow haired boy, with uncertain eyes*

Gaara: we can play tomorrow?

Naruto: uhu! Pinky promise!

*Naruto said with a closed eyed, big grin type of smile, as he gave gaara his pinky. Gaara looked at his own pinky and then at Naruto's, and he slowly connected the two, a ghost of a smile appearing on the red-haired boy's face as he gave a short nod*

Gaara: pinky promise.

Back to the present with gaara's siblings

*we see the two of them on top of a rooftop looking down at gaara, sitting on the swing set, holding the ball tightly. While his siblings in the rooftop were arguing*

Kankuro: I'm telling you, he said he was meeting a friend.

Temari: And I'm telling you that's impossible. No one would want to be his friend. Not after he killed Uncle Yashamaru

*temari said with a deep frown, hating the fact that the family member she was closest with got killed by her own brother, if she could even call him that. Kankuro, being more calm about that situation, gave his sister a sideeye since he kept his ear to the streets, and what he heard is completely different to what happened.*

Kankuro: I feel like you're mad at gaara for doing that. When the rumors are that the old man told yashamaru to attack gaara.

Temari: Rumors are just that. Rumors. Doesn't change what happened. He killed our uncle, he killed the last memory we had of our mother, he's nothing more than a....

* Temari wanted to keep her rant going. She really did. Even if deep down she knew kankuro was right, deep down, she knew it was her father's doing to turn gaara into a monster, a weapon for Suna. But she couldn't be angry at her father. She wasn't strong enough to be angry at him and do something about it. So she transferred that hatred to her youngest brother, since everyone else already hated or feared him, why couldn't she? Unfair? Yes. But she was only 8 so what can you expect? But her rant was interrupted by the sound of a blond haired boy walking to the park, walking towards gaara*

Naruto: Hi!!

With gaara

Naruto: Hi!!

*gaara heard the voice of the boy, and his eyes widened as he looked up. There he was again. The yellow haired boy there with his mother, like promised. The boy ran up to him with that big smile of his, making gaara start to blink rapidly to stop the tears of either shock, happiness, or relief that the boy actually kept his promise to him. Naruto made it close to him with his big smile on his face, never leaving. He was happy to see his new friend again.*

Naruto: Hi! We've had so much fun yesterday that we never gave each other our names. I'm Naruto! Naruto Mitarashi!

Gaara: My name's gaara. Gaara of the sand. I.. I brought this ball with me

*gaara said softly, he got up and presented the ball to Naruto. Naruto gasped in excitement as if the ball was the greatest thing in the world. He grabbed it and smiled even brighter if that was possible, pointing to the volleyball net that was already set up for kids that were there before they left running at the sight of the demon*

Naruto: You did?! Great! There's a net over there. Let's play some volleyball! I should warn you. I'm very good!

Gaara: Yes. Play. Together.

*gaara said softly, with a ghost of a smile on his face, as he always does, Naruto grabbed his latest adopted introvert by their wrist and dragged gaara with him to play, since Naruto refuses to let anyone be alone.*

With the siblings

Kankuro: Would you look at that. He actually has a friend

*kankuro said with a small smile, yes he was scared of what his brother could do, but he was still his little brother, and still wanted to help, he was just too young to know how. Temari, on the other hand, was frowning deeply as she watched the demon actually having fun. When that was something, he didn't have the right to feel and that she should tell their father about this. And again, before anyone hates on her, remember.  8 years old, she's too young to know anything. Kankuro, being a year younger than that, glared at Temari, not liking what he heard, since instead of thinking that gaara didn't deserve this happiness. She said it out loud.*

Kankuro: What? Why? You know what he'll do if he finds out that gaara has a friend

Temari: Good.

*Temari said, turning around to walk away. Kankuro looked at his sister, and then at his little brother,  he gulped nervously and ran to be in front of his sister, stopping her from leaving the rooftop.*

Kankuro: I'm. I'm not gonna let you do that.

Temari: Move out of the way, kankuro

*temari moving to the side, much to her annoyance kankuro copied her movement, stopping her from leaving, kankuro looked at his sister nervously, but still very seriously, every second becoming, more determined on what he was doing*

Kankuro: No. I'm not gonna let you ruin this for him.

Temari: I said, "Get out of the way."

*temari said as she walked forward, and much to her shocked, kankuro escalated the situation by pushing her, making temari fall on her butt. Temari was really angry since the floor was dirty and now her skirt was dirty.*

Temari: Did you just freaking push me?!

Kankuro: And next time, I'm gonna punch you. Unless you promise not to tell Father about this

*kankuro said, getting into fighting positions, unlike gaara, Naruto, and the children of their age, kankuro and temari being older they did have shinobi straining, they did know how to fight, with temari being much more advance in her training than kankuro. So Temari got up slowly and also got in a fighting position.*

Temari: I'm not gonna ask you again.

Kankuro: I'm not gonna let you. You may have forgotten. But I didn't. "Protect each other, love each other." mom told us this before she died. So I'm gonna make sure her memory lives on, with or without your help. What are you gonna do?

Later, with Naruto and gaara

Anko: Kids! That's enough playing. Come and eat!

*anko said loudly to the kids on the playground, Naruto nodded, exhausted but still full of energy, while his spirit was filled with endless energy, and his body couldn't keep up and he didn't have a certain demon's chakra to heal his tiredness. Gaara, on the other hand, didn't show much emotions but he had some sweat on his body, much less than Naruto since he was used to this climate, but still was pretty tired keeping up with Naruto. Naruto was gonna go to his mother. He made it half way, and then turned around, grabbing gaara's wrist and taking gaara with him*

Naruto: she said kids. Mom has food for you, too

Gaara: Oh.

*was all that gaara could say since he didn't know how to react to that piece of information. They sat down on the picnic blanket, and anko gave both of them a plate of food. Naruto smiled brightly at his mother*

Naruto: Thank you, Mommy!

Gaara: Thank...you.

*Gaara said softly as he ate with the Mitarashi family. As he ate, gaara felt weird about it. Normally, he eats alone in his room or in some dark corner. But here he is now, eating in brought daylight, with company next to him. For the first time since he was born, Gaara was able to have the closest thing to an actual family meal.*

Anko: How is it, gaara? Do you like it?

Gaara: it's... good. Thank you for making this for me.

*gaara said softly, as he continued to eat, being the first time he's had an actual mother style homecooked meal for very obvious reasons. Anko saved her hand dismissively as she enjoyed her own bento box*

Anko: Of course, I wasn't gonna not make a meal for you. That would be cruel. So, if there's anything you would like, just ask, and I'll make it

Gaara:.... I... I remember my big sister saying that my mother liked monkey bread. Can you make me one? I've never had one before

*gaara asked shily, as if just by asking that anko would get angry with him. But anko remained with her smiling face and nodded at the shy boy. Though in the back of her mind, she does wonder if she didn't adopt Naruto, would he have turned out like gaara right now? A question for another time. For now, anko's brain was remembering the recipe for monkey bread*

Anko: Sure. that's actually quite easy to make. Heck, I have all the ingredients for it already in the fridge of the hotel room.

Gaara: Your...your really gonna make it?

*Gaara asked, surprised that she actually was gonna make something just for him. The nod he got from the woman made the butterflies in his stomach to return 10 folds. Anko just nodded, showing to gaara why the children of konoha see anko as the fun mom.*

Anko: Of course, I do the same thing for Naruto's other friends like Sasuke with a tomato soup and grilled cheese, or Hinata chocolate pudding, or Kiba with ants in a log, so I have no problem making you something special to eat.

Gaara: Thank you...

*gaara said, but it came as more of a wet whispered,  anko just smiled at the child. She didn't see a monster.  Not even close. Anko herself was a monster for what she did when she was Orochimaru's puppet. But Gaara, on the other hand? He was just a scared little boy in need of guidance and friendship *

Anko: You're very welcome. And Naruto, I'm watching you. You better not "accidently" spill your vegetables to the sand

Naruto: darn it. Oh! I have an idea! What if gaara comes to our hotel tomorrow morning, so we can make the monkey bread together!

*Naruto said excitedly, already thinking of his next adventure, Naruto mitarashi vs. the crazy monkey of bread. Anko nodded, having a more calm excitement to contrast her son, as she looked at the red-haired boy, looking at the two of them*

Anko: Now that's sounds like fun. What do you say, gaara?

Gaara: I...I would like that

*gaara said his voice almost a whisper, but Naruto heard it and was excited to have his new friend have a sleepover with him. Gaara was a little nervous since he's never had one before, but the smile Naruto was giving him made that nervous turned... well into more nervousness, but it was an exciting type of nervous.*

After chibi anko, chibi gaara, and chibi Naruto finished eating

Naruto: All right! Let's keep playing! This time, I know I'm gonna win!

Gaara: Yes. More. Playing.

*gaara said softly as he grabbed the ball with one hand, he was gonna grab it with two, but Naruto grabbed his other hand, Naruto gave a bright closed eye smile and gaara for the first time today, gave a smile that he's supposed to have, a smile just as innocent as Naruto's. In anko's opinion as she watches the two.*

To be continued, or read ahead 3 months and 2 weeks 14 chapters on Patreon

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