Hello all of my loved readers! I hope you continue to enjoy my work!

Angel

Six year old Harry Potter whimpered as his Uncle continued to 'beat the freakishness' out of him. He had been caught talking to snakes in the garden again, they were his only friends and yet even they had been killed simply because Harry liked them. Tears coursed down his cheeks as he remembered Silva. She was a beautiful little garden snake only a few days hatched, she had gotten separated from her nest and Harry who had been gardening at the time had helped her find it. Unfortunately he hadn't noticed his Uncle watching him, and before the little snakling could make it to her nest his Uncle had stabbed her with the shovel right before Harry's eyes he cut the snake in half and laughed as he dug her corpse into the ground.

Now Harry was being punished for his display of freakishness, the little boy was numb with pain, at the beginning his Uncle had counted between the lashings to make sure that Harry had felt every sting, but as he carried on he had lost himself in blood lust and was hitting the shredded back of the young boy at uncontrollable speeds. Harry looked up at the starry night sky through tear filled eyes; he could only see a few patches through the window. As he saw a shooting star he wished that he would have a friend, a protector, someone who would save him from his life of pain.

Gaara of the Sand stared out at the full moon, his attention was caught by a shooting star and before he stopped himself he found himself wishing that he wasn't alone. He snorted, he was born alone, he would die alone, no one in this world wanted a demon as anything other than a weapon. He turned his back on the bright moon light. He paused as he looked down at his growing shadow. The moon's light became brighter and brighter, encasing him as he disappeared from the Sand Village.

The twelve year old nin growled as he landed in a strange dark place, he looked around and realized that it was some tiny compartment, he listed carefully four outside sounds and his eyes widened when he heard a small boy's whimpers, he could tell they would be screams but apparently there was a gag in the boy's mouth. His eyes narrowed as he opened the door silently. He turned and looked in the door way of a kitchen stood a tall pinched face woman who was trying to distract a rather fat child with ice cream as she nervously looked over her shoulder at her enraged husband. Her eyes locked with his and the look in his eyes gave her a non verbal warning to remain silent. She hesitantly nodded and turned her attention back to the fat child.

Harry whimpered as he fell limply to the floor, unable to hold himself up any longer he buried his face in to the carpet, the rough gag in his mouth making his lips bleed as it held back another scream. Vernon smirked down at the worthless form of his nephew, those freaks had placed him here for 'safe' keeping, but Vernon would never stand for it in his house. Due to his rage he never noticed the other figure that had joined them in the room.

Gaara stared at the bloody form of the boy that lay limply on the carpet. The large walrus shaped man stood above him, his bloody belt raised to bring down another flash of pain. Gaara was petrified for a moment, caught up in flashbacks to his own childhood. His most trusted people attacking him for merely being born with a demon encased inside of him, his earliest memory of his mother smiling down at him before she died the look in his father's eyes as he gazed at his own son and called him 'demon'. "Now you freak…time to put an end to this…" Vernon growled, snapping Gaara from his thoughts the Sand Nin narrowed his eyes, summoning sand from his vessel and ending the large man's life before he could even finish the blow.

Harry looked up hesitantly at the sound of choking above him. His eyes widened with fear as he saw his uncle's face encased in a mask of sand. Harry was silent as his Uncle struggled futilely for his life and soon fell lifelessly to the carpet. Harry was trembling uncontrollably as he looked up at his savior. Empty green eyes encased inside of black eyeliner gazed back emotionlessly at him. Harry whimpered and started to pull away. The look in the other's face frightening him.

Gaara had been studying the boy, realizing he must be strong in order to endure as much as he had. He noticed the child whimpering and backing away, and he figured that he must be scaring him. He tended to do that to a lot of people without noticing, however when it came to this child he didn't want to see the look of fear in his eyes. But he didn't know how to look at someone reassuringly so he merely came forward and gently removed the gag around the boy's bleeding lips "My name…is Gaara." He murmured. Stroking the boy's bruised cheek as he counted the wounds he would bandage later, the blood was pooling on the carpet, and he didn't think the boy would stay awake for much longer.

The boy opened his mouth to reply but all that came out were tortured coughs. Gaara gathered the younger boy in his arms and carried him into the kitchen "Mamma? Why is that other freak here? Where's dad?" Gaara narrowed his eyes at the fat child and poured up a glass of water for the young one in his arms. It did not escape his notice that while one child had overindulged in food, the other was malnourished. He watched as the small dark haired boy in his arms drank slowly, stopping to cough every now and then before he pulled the glass away and smiled softly "My name is Harry Boy."

The woman in the room made a small sound and Gaara turned his cold gaze on her "His name's Potter, Harry Potter…" Gaara glared at her for a moment longer before turning his attention back to the boy. He realized that he must be still glaring when Harry tensed in his arms. He took a deep breath and tried to think of a different expression. Finally he shifted his features so that he was now emotionless rather than cold. Harry relaxed slightly and smiled as he weakly reached up and traced the curve of Gaara's face "Angel…" he murmured, his eyelashes fluttering with exaughstion as he soon fell asleep, his head leaning against Gaara's chest and his small hand holding tightly to Gaara's shoulder.

Gaara was barely able to contain his shock at the thought of this child calling him an 'angel 'he had been called many things in his relatively short life, but never before had he been exposed to such a cherished title. He pulled the boy closer into his embrace and turned to the woman speaking for the first time "Where is his room?" The woman looked shameful for a moment before murmuring "W-we usually keep him under the stairs." Gaara looked down at the small child in his arms, the word 'treasure' came to mind when he saw the young form cuddled so trustingly against his , wanted to smile, but couldn't remember how.

Gaara looked at the woman with mild confusion for a moment before he looked at the stairs and then the small door under them, he recognized it as the place he had arrived in. He turned his glare on her again making her whimper "Y-you can use Dudley's second room." Gaara gave a sharp nod and was about to leave when he felt Harry stir against his chest "Blanky…" He murmured. Gaara's brow furrowed as he knelt and opened the little door, inside were a few drawings pinned to the wall, a moth eaten pillow, a few broken toys, and a ragged baby's blanket. He carefully pulled it out, not wanting to tear it on the rough wood inside and gave it to the sleepy Harry.

Harry smiled as he buried his face in the dirty blanket and smiled warmly up at Gaara. Gaara looked back at him and pulled him closer as he carried the boy up the stairs. He soon figured out the difference between the two rooms and realized that the woman wanted Harry to sleep in the room that was filled with broken or discarded toys. He then looked at his other option, the fat child's room, he sneered, not wanting to even think about sleeping in there he went back to the toy filled room and cleared of a small cot he laid Harry down and once again those bright green eyes opened "Are you going to sleep with me?" He asked softly as he yawned, causing his chapped lips to bleed a little more. Gaara shook his head and gently urged the child down to go back to sleep.

Gaara waited until he was sure Harry was asleep before he pulled out his medical kit and started taking care of Harry's wounds as best as he was able. He sighed when he ran out of bandages and thought he should ask the woman downstairs for some. He got up, feeling strangely hesitant to leave the child alone he shook his head and went back down stairs, only half surprised to see the woman packed up with the pudgy child "We're leaving." Was all she said before exiting the door. Gaara thought good riddance and then went to find more bandages.

The next morning Harry woke slowly blinking as he tried to figure out where he was he couldn't see very well without his glasses all he could see were fuzzy mounds and lots of brightness. He then saw a familiar red shape moving towards him. "Hello? Gaara?" He called hesitantly feeling vulnerable without his glasses.

Gaara came and sat down next to the young boy and pushed the glasses he had found into his hands. Harry put them on and smiled "There at least now I can see you angel." Gaara paused and looked at the bright eyed child "Most people…call me a demon." He said slowly in his husky voice. Harry smiled sadly and snuggled up against Gaara "My uncle and Aunt called me a freak…" Gaara pulled away and cupped the boy's chin "That's different…you're not a freak just because you're special."

Harry giggled at his new friend and said "Then…you're not a demon just because you're special either." Gaara looked at the boy for a moment he was stunned that such a battered child could still be so kind. Gaara looked away; he knew that he wasn't as kind. Harry looked around a panicked look on his face "Oh no! What time is it? I need to make breakfast before my Uncle and Aunt get mad." Harry tried to jump out of the low lying cot but was soon stopped as he collapsed to the ground in pain. "Oww…" He whimpered.

Gaara gently picked the boy back up into his arms and said "Your Uncle is gone and so are your Aunt and the other child." Harry looked up at him with wide innocent eyes "W-what about me?" He asked softly tears filling his eyes. Gaara didn't know what to do, he had never encountered tears before, and he had little idea how to behave around a child. He shook his head, at first he had been obsessed with how he would get back to the Sand Village, however…now something was telling him that his place was with this small boy…here in this strange new world. Held Harry close to his chest and said "I'm here…I'll protect you."

Harry gasped as he looked up at Gaara "My wish! Last night…I saw a shooting star and I wished that I wouldn't be alone anymore, that someone would come and protect me." He smiled up at Gaara and hugged him tightly "I was right, you're an angel sent to save me!"

Gaara looked down at the young boy and felt his lips turn up into a smile, a very small one, but the first true smile he had ever known "And I wished that I would no longer be alone…so it seems you are my angel and I am your demon." Harry sighed and narrowed his eyes in an attempt to mimic Gaara's infamous glare. "You're not a demon!"

Gaara felt a strange light emotion flutter through him when he saw the little boy trying very hard to glare at him. He almost like he wanted to…laugh, but he felt like that would be crossing a line "I do have a demon inside of me…" He tried to justify, but from the look on the child's face it seemed as if he was having none of it. "Very well…" he sighed in defeat, not liking the child mad at him. His surrender was rewarded by one of Harry's bright smiles. Gaara merely sighed and shook his head as he held the boy tenderly vowing on his sand that he would save this child from a life of pain, as the child had saved him from a life of loneliness.

Thank you for reading! I hope you smiled! More to come!