Hey guys. I really should be studying for my exams right now. But when my friend and fellow Naruto fan mentioned that it was Gaara's birthday today...well...let's just say that logic went out the window real fast.

So this here is my first enstallment to a series of character tributes that go along side to my story "I'll do Anything." So there will be spoilers to events that will occur later on in this tribute here.

Disclaimer: Acara Whitefox does not own Naruto or "Save You" and "I'll do Anything" by Simple Plan.

Gaara: My Ultimate Defense

1. The first memories Gaara has of his siblings are of the day that they ran into his playroom laughing like idiots. Not recognizing who he was, they sit down and teach him how to play tic-tac-toe.

Temari (or Temi, because ar's were still beyond him) cherishes her doll collection and Kankuro (who was dubbed Kankru) likes finger paints. And Gaara loves them, because they do not look at him like everyone else.

When his father come to take them away, Gaara asks his uncle who the two "really, really nice people were."

Yashamaru answers, "They're your brother and sister, Gaara."

2. The second time that Gaara saw them, they had become "Battle hardened Temari and Kankuro," who had already taken their first kill at eight and seven respectively.

When the clouds of insanity lift from his mind for a minute or two, Gaara thinks about how they were too young.

Shukaku answers, "And what about you, brat?"

Gaara does not have anything to say to that.

3. If you had asked the people of Suna what they thought about Sabaku no Gaara, they would have told you that the boy was a freak and a monster and a complete sociopath.

If you had taken the time to ask Gaara what he was, he would have said that he was a liar.

Because he like to lie to himself and say that he did not care.

4. It is a well known fact that the Yondaime Kazekage is a control freak. What is not well known is just how much control he has over his two oldest children.

But Gaara knows. He knows because he sees Kankuro wincing from bruises on his arm. He knows because he sees Temari scrounging for money to pay for food because their father spent their salaries on alcohol.

Again.

Soon after, Gaara begins to hide his money beneath the loose floorboard in his room. Just in case.

5. The first time that Gaara sees Temari as his sister after the death of Yashamaru is when he is eleven years old. She breaks a boy's nose because he did not realize that yes, she was in fact female.

It was only when he overhears Temari crying herself to sleep that he goes to the floorboard in his room and pulls out a wad of cash.

The next morning, Temari wakes up to find a beautiful purple battle kimono on her bedside table. It's three sizes to big for her, but she wears it like it is the prettiest dress in the world.

Temari, to this day, thinks it's from Baki. But Gaara knows better.

6. Kankuro hates the fact that he looks like his father. And he is reminded of it everyday until a mysterious cat-like hat and a jar of purple war paint appears on his desk.

Kankuro, to this day, thinks it's from Baki. But Gaara knows better.

7. The day that Gaara really looks in the mirror is the day that he realizes that he has red hair, a trait that none of his living relatives seem to share.

Over a series of sleepless nights, Gaara investigates his family's history and discovers that no one on either side has red hair. He begins to wonder if he is truly his father's child.

8. The fact that he is a carbon copy of his mother's best friend is not helping.

9. For someone who had such psychopathic tendencies, Gaara only has one rule about killing people: Never hurt a medic. Medics had always fascinated him; they gave life, where as he took it away.

Gaara has only broken this rule on two occasions, both of which were accidents. The first was Yashamaru. The second was a girl named Izumi from that failed mission before his first Chuunin exams.

10. Gaara was excited after the Neji-Hinata fight for a reason that most people would never be able to comprehend.

Neji had broken the rule: Never hurt a medic.

11. The first time that Gaara looks at Naruto and sees him is during the finals of the Chuunin exam. It's not when the blonde unleashes a wave of chakra that makes even Shukaku go silent or when he bursts from the ground and nearly breaks Neji's jaw.

It's when he's jumping around the stadium afterwards that Gaara realizes that the kid is still going.

12. The next time Gaara sees Naruto is when a blob of orange comes out of no where and kicks him in the side of the head!

13. It's not until he and his siblings are safely back in Suna after the invasion that Gaara has the courage to call his brother and sister "Temi and Kankru" for the first time in years. And it's when Temari is sobbing tears of joy into his shoulder and Kankuro is saying that it took him fucking long enough that Gaara realizes what a family is.

14. After he rescued Rock Lee from the bone wielder, Kimimaru, Gaara realizes that he has had a father all along.

It is not the Yondaime Kazekage, nor is it the strange red haired man from his mother's photo album.

When Gaara tells Baki just what he means to him, the older man ruffles his hair and gives him a set of keys.

15. When Kankuro finds out that they were the keys to Baki's house and that their teacher is offering to get them out of the Kazekage compound, Gaara finds it amusing to watch them scramble up the stairs to go pack.

He does not need to though. His bags are already at the door.

16. Gaara decides that he wants to be Kazekage because Naruto wants to be Hokage. They would be the Jinchuuriki of Fire and Wind, fighting to pave a new path for their people and human sacrifices alike.

The fact that Gaara would be able to talk to the blond more often is definitely a perk.

17. Gaara's new clothing did not come from Temari or Kankuro or even Baki. It came from his students at the academy.

After Matsuri's kidnapping, more and more students left his siblings and came to him for teaching. Most of which were girls who had a keen eye for the small things.

Like the fact that Gaara's sleeves were a little too short.

So they pooled their money and bought him the outfit that he would later wear to his coronation.

18. When Gaara is called in by the council one day, he expects the worst.

He has full reason to, of course, as the previous Shukaku jinchuuriki had been terminated when she was the same age as him.

But instead of sentencing him to death, one of the councilmen merely tosses him the Kazekage hat and tells him to sit down.

It takes Gaara several minutes to regain the connection between his mouth and brain so that he could accept.

19. Gaara likes his hat. He especially likes the fact that it can cover his entire face if angled just right.

Because when he takes it off to reveal the Godaime Kazekage to Sunagakure, he can practically feel their jaws hitting the dirt.

20. When Sabaku no Gaara, thirty years old and a time traveler, takes a katana to the gut to save his sister from the same fate, he smiles.

Because he loves them.

Because this is his Ultimate Defense.