Neither Gaara nor any other Naruto character used in this fan fiction is mine. If I owned Gaara, I would not be writing this story. Instead, I would be spending sweet time with a chained up Gaara.

Key to a Dead Heart

Chapter 1: Wiping Tears

A young girl with deep mahogany chestnut hair reaching her shoulders in a wildly jagged cut raced across the sandy field kicking the ball to the other side to score a point for her team. The children she had just met that day ranged from ages 7 to even 12 which meant she was the youngest being only 6. This did not by any means make her neither slower nor dull. Her father had recently started to train her to become a ninja and she was absolutely ecstatic. However, her training had ground to a halt in the past month when her mother died and her father still suffered from repercussions of grief. One day he suddenly had an impulse and swept up the girl to travel around the many ninja countries as her mother had always dreamed of doing. Every week, they would move to a different village and sightsee. This week, it was Suna.

The young girl swiftly dodged an older lanky boy and shot the ball straight into the goal. She could tell her team had won when she felt a few of the kids' pick her up above their heads and cheered. One of them made note of the time and soon all of the children were running back to their homes for the evening's dinner and dreams of sugarplums, leaving the girl to start walking to the park since she did not want to go home just yet.

Her warm chocolate brown eyes searched the parks for people when she found a small figure on one of the swings. She crept up quietly to the swings so as not to disturb the person on the swing. As she neared, she noticed that the small figure was a boy with wildly tossed dark red hair that appeared to be coughing or shaking for some reason. The boy didn't even notice when she stood right in front of him.

"Hello. Is this seat taken?" She pointed to the swing right next to him. The boy snapped his head straight up and his wide eyes of shock met her calm ones. The girl's smile suddenly faltered to which the boy's expression also changed to one of anger. 'She probably just realized that she was talking to the monster. Now she'll run screaming.' Thought the red haired boy and clenched his eyes shut waiting for her to scream "Help!" or "Bakemono!" or even both.

The young girl felt the sand beneath her feet shift slightly but paid no mind thinking that it was just the wind picking up. She had been so caught up in the boy's aquamarine eyes surrounded by dark rings that she didn't notice the tears he had been shedding until he closed his black eyelids. She wasn't sure how to comfort someone who was crying since she had never seen anyone but herself cry. Not even her father. She, however, remembered what her dog used to do when she cried though…

Moments passed as the boy's mind could conjure up a scene of the girl's face contorting in disgust. She might have even run away by now; too scared to even scream. Tears began to flow out of the corners of his closed eyes again but he suddenly felt something wet on the side of his cheek. His eyes shot open and before him was the young girl licking his tears away with her wet little tongue. The girl leaned away and smiled at him.

"Don't cry anymore, please?" The boy stared at her not knowing what to do or even think. "Why are you crying?" The boy paused and he cast his eyes downward.

"… No one will play with me."

"Oh. What's your name?" The girl inquired. The boy continued to look at the ground in shame. 'She'll be afraid of me after I tell her and she'll go running.' His mouth tightened into a thin line and the girl waited patiently for his answer.

"Gaara." He waited for her screams or her fast receding footsteps. Instead, he felt a smaller soft hand grasp his and yank on it.

"Well Gaara, I would love to play with you. My name's Kasumi. First name's Hitomi. Better remember it because I'm going to be the best ninja ever!" Hitomi held onto Gaara's hand tightly and led him towards the slides. Once she stopped abruptly and Gaara collided into her back sending both of them toppling over. Hitomi blushed and got up after Gaara quickly stood up. He looked over at Hitomi's face and wondered why it was pink then frowned.

"Why aren't you afraid of me?"

"Why? Should I be?" Hitomi looked up at Gaara's eyes.

"I'm different." He warned.

"How so?" Her sweet voice made Gaara pause. He didn't want to tell her but she would soon find out anyways and she would hate him just like the others. 'She'll surely run away from me this time.' He thought and opened his mouth to whisper his answer.

"I'm a monster."

"… My mommy used to paint her eyes black too. Not as much as you but she still looked so pretty! And so do you, Gaara-kun! You're no monster!" Gaara's eyes lightened and a smile emerged banishing any traces of loneliness.

2 days later

"Gaara?" Hitomi propped herself up on her elbows and bag next to a lying Gaara in the sand.

"Hmm?"

"I have to leave Suna tonight." Hitomi's voice rang out in sadness and Gaara immediately sat up from his lying position. His clear eyes searched hers and started to almost water.

"Why? Stay. Please. Stay with me forever." Gaara whined.

"I can't. But I want you to promise me something before I leave." Gaara nodded instantly. He'd do anything she wanted him to. Whether it be to scale the mountains of the snow country or even wander across Suna's dry deserts without water for however long she wanted. Anything for her.

Hitomi blushed before she looked away from his face. "Promise me that you'll find me and marry me someday." Her blush grew and she looked at Gaara to decipher his reaction. Gaara's face just remained at the same constant expressions and his eyes bore deeply into hers.

"Oh..." Hitomi looked downwards at his lack of response. Gaara had been expecting Hitomi's wish to be a bit more complicated and he smiled brightly at Hitomi. "Of course. But I thought we were already married?"

Hitomi stared up at him and grinned. "Not yet!" Hitomi reached into her bag and pulled out a small carefully hand carved wooden box and handed it to Gaara whom looked at the small box inquiringly. "Okaa-san made this for me. You can have it but I'm keeping the key." She reached for her necklace which held a small silver key. She turned it over to the back and showed Gaara the engraved message that read 'Hitomi & Gaara.' "This is how we'll find each other later." She took the necklace off over her head and unlocked the box. Gaara stared at the box inquiringly as a soft melody started to play from the box. "This is a lullaby that my okaa-san used to sing to me every night." Hitomi smiled softly at the box while letting Gaara listen to it for a while. "Take good care of it Gaara." She closed the box and locked it then wore the necklace once more.

"I promise I'll find you with this and we'll get married for real."

"Okay." Hitomi watched Gaara tighten his hold on the box and the both of them just lay on the cool sand of the night. She soon found herself a bit exhausted but did not want to leave her friend. That is until a blonde man came looking for Gaara like he did every night. He was Gaara's uncle and had addressed himself to her as Yashamaru the first night they'd met.

"Hello Hitomi-chan. Gaara, it's time to come home." Yashamaru took Gaara's hand and started to lead him away. Gaara walked for a while with Yashamaru before he ran back towards Hitomi.

"I love you Hitomi-hime." Gaara leaned forward and placed his lips upon Hitomi's cheek. He then opened his mouth and faintly licked her cheek before sprinting back to Yashamaru.

Hitomi held her hand up to her cheek with a cherry blush and stared off after Gaara. Out of the corner of her eye, however, she thought she saw Yashamaru frown. She moved her eyes up to Yashamaru's face but it was not so. Yashamaru seemed to be smiling at her and Hitomi watched as the both of them walked back to their home. If she hadn't been cursed at the time with a child's nativity, then she would have known that Yashamaru's smile was feigned.

That night, Hitomi and her father had loaded the carriage with their belongings and set off on their journey to their next stop: Konoha. Hitomi could feel her deep chocolate eyes well up with tears as she watched the moonlight play upon the passing sand. Suddenly a familiar voice resonated throughout the desert and Hitomi's head shot straight up. 'Gaara?'

"Otou-san, stop the carriage man! I think I just heard Gaara scream!"

"You know that bakemono?" The man in charge of the carriage looked back at the petite girl. "Stay away from him. He's dangerous." The man even sped up the carriage to further the distance between Suna and himself.

"No he's not! You're lying!"

Hitomi wanted to hurl herself out of the carriage but her otou-san caught her in his arms.

"There's nothing we can do, dearest Hitomi. It's too late. I'm sorry." He whispered into her ears. At that moment, Hitomi could feel her tiny heart shatter into a million pieces.