When she smiles

Chapter 1

Welcome to town

They were best friends, very best friends, but her time in Suna had finally come to an end. Her father's business had the family bouncing from place to place, and Suna had been their latest, and longest stop. Building a business empire was not easy in the desert city and for the past three years they had lived there. Unfortunately now, their time in the city of Suna had come to an end.

Hinata now five years old hugged her friend tightly as the red head simply stood there numb. His best friend, his only friend was leaving, but this time she wasn't coming back. The sea foam green eyes burned with tears as he simply buried his face in Hinata's shoulder before hugging her back just as tight.

"Hinata." A soft voice said, and as the pair looked up Hinata's mother Hina smiled down at them over her large pregnant belly. "It's time to go baby." Gaara hurriedly dried his eyes as he looked up at Hinata.

"Good bye." The boy said softly as lavender eyes pooled up with tears and her lip began to tremble.

"Good bye… don't forget about me ok?" Gaara nodded.

"I won't I promise." He said quietly. Hina walked over and bent down as well as her large stomach would allow and gently cupped the boy's cheek.

"I'm sorry we have to leave Hun. Please if anything else….just remember that you are loved, we love you." Placing a kiss on the boy's forehead, and gently rubbing her thumb over the bandage covering the nasty 'cut' there as well, Hina righted herself as the boy hugged her as best as he could.

"Hinata, Hina it's time to go." A firm voice said as Hiashi Hyuga stepped out of the car. Hina nodded and guided her daughter towards the car, the latter reluctantly being led away.

"Where are we heading to now love?" Hina asked tiredly as Hiashi helped his wife enter the car.

"It's time for us to settle down somewhere." He said as he too climbed in the car, slamming it shut behind him. As the car sped down the road, Gaara watched as it disappeared into the distance.

*Beep!* why was the car honking?

*BEEEP!* What?

*BEEEEEEP!*

Sea foam eyes opened and looked around hardening as they landed on the alarm clock. His hand reached out, but instead of shutting it off, he reached for the cord and ripped it from the outlet effectively silencing the digital beast. Sighing he sat up and looked around his new room, boxes lay unopened and bags of clothes were scattered around the room. He glanced at the watch on his side table it read 12:40pm. Most of the day was already gone, but after all they did just finish moving in, maybe that's why they let him sleep in for once, perhaps with all the commotion he had been forgotten about for now.

Gaara sighed as he looked out the basement window.

'Might as well start unpacking these boxes.' He thought as he heard the ding of the doorbell ring through the house. As he continued pulling things out of the boxes the bell continued ringing and was now beginning to annoy him. He climbed the steps to the door of his room.

'Will somebody get the damn door?' he thought as his attention was caught by a note taped at eye level.

Gaara,

Dad was called into work, Kankuro went to check out the area, and I'm running out to get some groceries. Dad has the car, I took the jeep, I hid your bike, and it's parked in the back of the garage away from the cars behind the gardening stuff under the tarp. I'll be back with food, its 12:30 now.

-Temari

Gaara sighed after reading the note, but crumpled it up after his ears again picked up the sound of the doorbell, now being rung repeatedly.

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, !

Gaara hurried down the hall and whipped the door open.

"WHAT?"

"Heya neighbor!" a blonde said happily, holding a plate of cookies. Gaara stared at the guy in confusion as the plate of cookies was placed into his hands.

"What?"

"My Baa-Chan made these and wanted me to bring them over. I'm Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze." The blonde said as he held out his hand. Balancing the cookie plate with one hand Gaara shook the blondes (though still quite annoyed with him that was guaranteed).

"Gaara Sabaku." Naruto stared curiously at the red head.

"Cool name, it's strange that you have that name, a friend's cousin was just talking about a child hood pal with a similar name. So, you're going to Konoha high, right? What year will you be in? How old are you?" Gaara nodded and turned without motioning for the blonde to follow as he went down to his room to continue unpacking. Naruto was talking a mile a minute about school, his friends, teachers and classes.

"So, are you going to school tomorrow?"

"Yes."

'Why'd I even let him in the house? He doesn't shut up!'

"Who's your home room teacher?" Gaara simply shrugged his temper slowly being eaten away. The school envelope was packed away in one of these boxes, he was bound to find it sooner or later.

"Umino I think it said."

"Ahh, that's Iruka so you're in my home room, so you're a junior huh? Hey, why's your room in the basement?"

Gaara simply stared at the contents of the box. What could he say to that? Oh my father hates my guts so to prove that I'm useless trash to the family he hides me away like some sort of freak of nature…

"I like my space… My brother and sister can get a bit annoying…" Naruto gave the red head a curious glance before nodding. His eyes landed on a small aged photo frame lying face down on the very top of the box, plucking it from the top of the pile the blonde didn't even get a chance to view it properly before his wrist was encased in an iron grip and the picture was wrenched from his hand and tossed back into the box.

"Do not EVER touch that." He growled, his temper now at the breaking point. 'This guy's gotta go.' As if reading his mind, Naruto stood stretching as he walked towards the stairs.

"Well Gaara it was nice meeting you, I have to go now… chores. Sorry I touched your stuff and bothered you. See you around." The blonde said as he saw himself out before he further pissed off the red head. Gaara sighed as he heard the door above him close as he reached out for the photo frame that he had tossed so carelessly aside. It was a photograph of his mother, but as much as he loved her, her picture only hid his one true treasure. Slowly he pulled back the metal tabs keeping the photo frame back and removed the cardboard keeping the picture in place.

Sandwiched between the photo of his mother and the cardboard backing was another photo, one he had stolen back from his father who believed he had destroyed them all. In the picture was of a beautiful and cheery eyed little girl hugging a younger version of Gaara. The pair was close enough for every intricate detail to be seen. The children were no older than five years old, and the little girl had shoulder length blue-black hair pulled into two pigtails, her bangs almost covering her lilac colored eyes which shined happily. She was missing a tooth, yet she smiled brightly as she hugged her best friend in the world. Gaara was beaming and for once his eyes shined happily as he grinned, his two front teeth missing, and a bandage on his chin. Gaara sighed as he placed the picture back in the frame…he couldn't remember any happiness after he lost his one and only friend.

So, what do ya think? The whole story Idea came to me in a dream and I was like Woah! Gotta write that down. Let me know what you think, like it, hate it. Leave a review and let me know! Thanks in advance!

And of course I don't own Naruto, I get no money, the only thing that belongs to me is the plotline!