Hinata sliced another huge ball of dirt heading to her. It was exhausting destroying all of Gaara's small projectiles heading her way. Even though they were dirt, they were sent off in high speeds and she made the mistake of not destroying one small one. The gash on the side of her cheek is proof enough not to underestimate her enemy's power. It wasn't only the balls of dirt she was worried about. At first she thought Gaara was a long distance fighter but he started to go after her; trying to touch her whenever it seemed she let her guard down.

And she knew how dangerous he was if she let him touch her.

The hospital was still evacuating and she had to be the wall between them and literal death. But she was growing exhausted and she didn't know how Naruto and Sasuke were fairing. She dodged bullets of dirt racing her way and tried to dash towards Gaara. It was a risk going head to head with him but if she can only knock him out then she'll have a chance to capture him and hand him over to authorities.

She sidestepped his hit and swiped at his feet. He fell but easily picked himself up again. He hasn't broken a sweat yet. He had the upper hand.

"Why aren't you fighting me with your full capability?"

She ignored his question and swung her sword toward his stomach. He jumped away and suddenly began to smile. She felt a rope of dirt tie around her feet and she fell, dropping her sword. She began to break the dirt rope but it just fixed itself. She looked up and saw him standing over her. She reached for her sword but he kicked it away. He grabbed her around the throat and picked her up, the dirt rope disappearing. She clawed at his hands and felt his green eyes glare at her.

"Why aren't you trying to kill me?!" he roared out before slamming her to the ground. She choked and gasped as he let go of her. She massaged her throat, coughing out air and a bit of saliva dripping down the side of her face. "Answer me!" He kicked her side and she cried out in pain.

"Do you see it as a curse?" She looked up at him, eyes wide. He smiled. "I see it as a blessing. We have the power to end one's life! We have the right to do as we please as long as it is justified!" He kicked her once again. "We are on par with the Gods themselves!"

"How is this…" she coughed out, grasping her side in pain. "How is this justified?!" She looked around the broken buildings and her eyes landed on the dead body of the man Gaara killed without much thought. "We don't have a right to take another's life!"

Angered, he grabbed her throat and picked her up. Her legs dangled as she struggled to break away. "Why do you think like that?!" he roared. "Have you not been hurt by others? Have you not seen the corruption tangled within Iyatora? Why haven't you taken vengeance?!"

He threw her body and she slammed against the concrete. Scrapping her elbows, she looked up and glared at the young man before her. He was right, in a way. There was injustice in every universe and alternative realities. But what caused him to view Iyatora in such a way?

"What makes you different from me?" he asked softly and, for a moment, she saw a child scared and confused.

"We're the same in every way," he began and with every word his voice rose. "Why haven't you used your blessing to help out your brethren?! Do you not believe in vengeance? Do you not think that those who hurt your family belong down below?"

She slowly stood up once more, contemplating carefully on his words. "In the beginning, I did," she spoke from the heart, vulnerability shining in her eyes and holding a defensive position. For some reason, she felt the words come out her mouth before she knew it. "I was filled with hatred. I was blinded by a fire that gave me comfort and all I saw were those who slaughtered my own dying before me…" She stopped before resolving herself. She stood a bit taller and tried to stop from shaking. Her body ached but she continued, "But I was given wisdom by the man who saved me. He said that by killing those who've hurt me won't make me feel any better. My family will still be dead and, at the end, I will not have gained anything."

His eyes widened and his head began to ache. He groaned, grasping his head in pain.

"Don't listen to her."

"The pain still lingers but I have hope that my family is alive." She saw how he began to curl into himself, grasping his head. "There's much more than vengeance. The hatred consumed me but…" She smiled suddenly and he looked up to lock eyes with her.

"I've learned to move on."


"Gaara, what happened?!"

Three year old Gaara looked up worriedly at his mother as she rushed to the now dead cat on the floor.

"I-I don't know," exclaimed Gaara, stepping away from the animal and hugging himself. "I-I'm sorry, mom!" Tears began to run down Gaara's face as he tried to wipe them away. He blushed in embarrassment as his mom turned to look at him, puzzlement on her face.

"Did you hurt the cat?" she asked slowly.

"No!" Gaara shook his head to emphasize. "It just jumped on the patio and I wanted to play with it. I just touch it…"

"What's wrong?!" Seven year old Temari ran out with a four year old Kankuro behind her. She gasped when she saw the dead cat and covered her wide mouth with her hands. "What happened to the kitty?"

Kankuro peeked from behind her than turned to look at Gaara's horrified face. "Are you okay, little bro?"

Gaara wiped away his tears and his mother bit her lip.

"Okay guys go inside. I'll deal with this." When the three of them didn't budge, his mom laughed. "Go on! I'll make sure to bury the cat."

Temari took one last look at the cat before grabbing Kankuro and Gaara's hand. Gaara can only look back once more to see his mom's puzzling gaze before the back door closed.


Gaara roused awake. He blinked tiredly and turned to look at his window. Since Suna was always hot, the windows and curtains were always open. He heard Kankuro's snoring and Temari tossing and turning in her bed. It was still night time and he was about to fall back to sleep when he heard his mom's voice.

"Rasa, do you think this is that power?"

One can easily hear through these thin walls. So he stayed quiet, curious why his mom was awake at this hour.

"Karura…are you sure?" His dad's voice sounded tired.

"How else the cat could have died?" Gaara felt more awake now. He gripped his blankets close to him.

"Maybe Gaara accidentally hit it?"

"No, Rasa! You know Gaara! He wouldn't hurt a damn thing!" His mom's voice sounded strain like she's about to cry. "I'm scared. What if it is that? There's no other explanation."

"We can test it," answered his dad, his voice oddly sounding soft.

"You know how expensive that is? We were barely able to pay off this month's rent! The groceries and bills are just pilling up."

"I know, I know."

"Maybe I should take a second job? It'll help with all of—"

"Hey." Gaara gasped when he felt someone poke his cheek. He turned to see Kankuro sleepily looking at him. In the dark, Gaara can still make out the bed hair and frown on his older brother's face. "Are you okay?"

Gaara just nodded and tried to pull his blanket over his head when he felt someone pull it away from him on the other side. Temari looked wild with her traditional four pigtails gone and her hair sprung free with curls and waves here and there. She sat him up and grabbed his thin pillow before throwing it on the floor. She walked over to her bed and grabbed hers and then to Kankuro's and grabbed his. She gathered all their blankets and laid them on the floor.

"Well…come on!" Even from his bed, he can hear his sister's embarrassment from the way she avoided looking at them.

Gaara and Kankuro locked eyes before smiling widely. Despite the argument over money, rent, and bills were still going on, nestled between his siblings made his parent's disagreement disappear.

In its place was warmth he always knew he'll have.


"Gaara, I need you to kill this frog."

Gaara gripped his dad's hand and looked up at him with his eyes wide.

"Wh-wha…?"

His dad sighed and squatted to his level. In the morning, his dad told him they were going outside of Suna to the nearby lake. Of course, his siblings groaned and argued that they also wanted to go since going to the lake was considered a luxury to them. It was far from home and required to rent out a piece of the lake but, nonetheless, his dad told them no and it was only Gaara because he was doing so well in school. Of course, Gaara didn't really complain. He rarely saw his dad since he worked so much or so that's what his mom told him.

But he wasn't expecting this.

"Gaara," his dad stated, looking him in the eyes, "I need to see if you have a special power. I don't know how else to do it. That's why I took you out here. The quicker I can see that you do have this power then the better it'll be for you."

"But dad…" whined Gaara, looking back at the frog trapped underneath the net. "I don't want to hurt it."

"Gaara," repeated his dad, his grip relaxing on his shoulders and his thumb caressing him. "Do you want to kill another kitty?"

Gaara shook his head immediately.

"See it like this, son. If we figure out if you have this, you can control it so another animal can't get hurt." His dad gave him a smile.

Gaara looked between his dad and the frog.

"It's okay…to do it?" Gaara asked uncertainly as he slowly walked towards the frog. "I'll learn…to control it?"

"If you have it, son," doubtfully said his dad, "then we'll teach you how to control it."

Gaara didn't understand. But he trusted his dad.

"Remember, you have to want to kill it."

Gaara's hand shook as he touched the frog.

The frog convulsed before falling to the side.


"Happy birthday, Gaara!" Kankuro hugged Gaara tightly before lightly punching his shoulder. "You're five now!"

"You're getting older." Temari leaned against the door frame, her four pig tails and her dress making her not look like his sister.

"Well, you're nine so…" sniggered Kankuro before Temari yelled and tackled him to the ground. Gaara laughed as his brother and sister wrestled on the floor. Two years have passed since figuring out what his power was. He saw it as something dangerous but his family insisted to keep exploring it to control it better. There's always a balance to everything, his mom told him one night when he couldn't find sleep. He just had to find it.

And so, now at five, Gaara can officially say he learned how to control it.

"When are mom and dad getting here?" asked Kankuro before pushing Temari off of him, a frown on his face and rubbing the bruise on his head.

"I don't know," replied Temari, getting up and looking out the window. "They said they'll be here by noon but it's past that…"

"It's okay…" whispered Gaara, looking at the ground and hugging himself. "They'll come back. It's my birthday."

Temari smiled and hugged him. "Of course! Why would they miss it?"


"Kankuro, don't let go of Gaara's hand!"

"Sorry." Kankuro winced and grabbed Gaara's hand again. "My head was just itchy…"

Temari sighed as she pulled along Kankuro.

"We have to stick together!" she whispered, going around another corner. Gaara looked around and saw that most of the streets were empty. It was well off in the night and their parents haven't come back. He remembered beginning to cry as well as Kankuro when Temari said they were going to go out and find them. He held onto Kankuro's hand tightly. Gaara was scared. Where were his parents?

They heard a shout and they all stopped. There was an alley up ahead and right next to the bakery shop where his parents supposedly went. They were kids after all. They had every right to be terrified. There was another shout once again and a car zoomed past them stopping right in front of the alley. The door slid open and a group of people came out from the alley. Temari stood frozen, Kankuro watched with wide eyes, and Gaara began to breathe heavily. They watched from the shadows as a wall of people blocked their view but they managed to see two people getting dragged into the car. One had rusty, red hair and the other had brown hair. The bodies got thrown inside and Kankuro managed to catch a glimpse.

It was their parents.

Temari knew this was bad and immediately covered Kankuro's mouth and pulled both of her brothers to the other street. Gaara's eyes watered for an odd reason but something caught his eye. Wrapped around one of the groups arm's was a familiar logo.

The emblem of Suna's city council.