Gaara's Loneliness

Hui hadn't been wandering for long when she noticed ANBU watching her. Under the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, everything was laid bare.

That made sense. A foreigner from another village wandering around like this would naturally arouse suspicion. Hui didn't dare draw too much attention to herself, so she pretended to look around with great curiosity as she walked, just like someone who had only recently arrived in Sunagakure and was fascinated by everything.

Hui tried to suppress her presence, making herself seem more like a child. Just then, she heard a group of children laughing as they played soccer.

The wind and sand had held off for once in Sunagakure, so the children had all rushed outside to play. Such opportunities were rare for them, so everyone had arranged to meet and play soccer together.

Sunagakure was beautiful in the fading light, as if a layer of gold had been laid over it. Under the direction of the older boys, the children split into teams and began to play.

The patter of running feet, laughter, and urgent calls carried far. Hui thought that if she followed those sounds, she might find that swing.

A faint smile touched her lips as she started running too. At last, she spotted the children playing soccer around a corner.

But the person behind her was still following close on her heels. Hui Youling gave a cold smile and simply stood behind a building, looking toward the children.

"Oh my, why do these people look so familiar?" Though Hui's lips were smiling, a wave of irritation rose in her heart, as if she wanted to destroy the children before her. She could only turn away and stop looking.

She spotted the alley, hidden in shadow. It was deep and empty. Though Hui didn't trust her luck, this time she really had been fortunate enough to find it.

Hui Youling slowly extended her chakra toward it. She wanted to confirm whether Gaara's assassination would happen today. Perhaps her luck wasn't quite incredible enough; there was no chakra there. But for some reason, she felt relieved.

Hui turned and left, beginning to think through the whole situation. Perhaps it wasn't as simple as she had imagined. First of all, she had entered Sunagakure as a hired shinobi accompanying merchants. If Gaara went berserk, what reason could she give for staying?

No.

Rasa wouldn't let her stay. That meant she would have to sneak into Sunagakure again.

There wouldn't be any sandstorms for the next few days, so there was a good chance it would happen during that time. And food was something Sunagakure needed. The merchants might sell everything in less than a day.

To guard against spies from other countries, Rasa would definitely order them to leave. It looked like she had to prepare several backup plans this time, or all her efforts would come to nothing!

Hui suddenly stopped, realizing that she couldn't return to the merchants' lodgings today. There were many shinobi guarding it. The shinobi behind her wouldn't be too hard to shake, but if she went back tonight, there would be more than one watching her.

Hui broke into a run. After determining the shinobi's position, she turned into an alley, right into his blind spot.

He froze, never expecting her to suddenly start running and disappear from sight. He hurried after her, only to see her run into a crowd. He relaxed a little and continued keeping watch.

Once he had passed the alley, Hui smiled faintly from the shadows. She had never underestimated the three basic techniques: the Clone Technique, the Substitution Technique, and the Transformation Technique. She had studied them all very seriously. Besides, that had been a Shadow Clone. The shinobi would have a hard time realizing it wasn't really her!

Hui slipped back into the darkness and lay low. Before long, a little snake appeared in front of her. She followed it around to another spot and found somewhere she could hide.

Night slowly fell. Hidden in the darkness, Hui watched her surroundings as fewer and fewer people remained on the streets. The wind was stiflingly hot. At last, when it was completely dark and not a soul remained outside, she finally moved.

The night breeze felt a little cool. Hui slowly released the Mind's Eye of the Kagura to sense the chakra around her. There was nothing unusual, so she stepped out of the darkness.

She wandered the streets for a while without encountering anyone. Compared with Konoha, Sunagakure's nights were truly lifeless. Was this what Gaara spent every day looking at?

Hui suddenly remembered that Gaara often went alone to a place where he could see the whole village. "A place where you can see the whole village!"

Hui Youling looked around and spotted the towering Kazekage Residence. Her heart sank. She was sure to be discovered. She let out a soft sigh.

But she had come all this way. How could she let anything stop her? With that thought, Hui ran toward the Kazekage Residence, using the Mind's Eye of the Kagura to avoid the shinobi nearby.

She had guessed right, and luck was with her: Gaara was sitting there alone, desolate, staring into the distance with empty, unfocused eyes.

Hui's heart ached. A thousand thoughts swirled through her mind, but she couldn't show any of them now. She forced them down and leaped to Gaara's side.

Gaara jumped in fright and turned to look at her. This person had appeared while he was lost in thought. His eyes held nothing but wariness. He might attack Hui Youling at any moment.

Hui smiled at him. Gaara didn't yet have the word "love" carved into his forehead, which meant she had come too early.

But this wasn't the time to dwell on that. Even if she had arrived too early, she could still do something for Gaara. She slowly asked, "Couldn't you sleep either, so you came here to look at the night view?"

"No," he answered flatly.

Hui didn't look at him again. She simply gazed at Sunagakure and said to herself, "This is my first time here. You're the first person who's spoken to me."

"You know, I like you. I feel drawn to you for some reason, like I want to be close to you!"

Hui looked at Gaara as she said the last part. He gazed back at her impassively, his eyes filled with confusion.

"Oh, right, my name is Hui Youling. What's yours?" Hui held out her hand in greeting. Gaara didn't seem to understand what she meant. His gaze lingered on her hand, but he made no move.

A moment later, Hui's gentle laughter rang out. "Hehe, how about we become friends? You're supposed to shake hands before becoming friends."

Gaara didn't raise his hand, but he replied calmly, "My name is Gaara."

Hui didn't press the issue of the handshake. She drew back her hand and continued, "Gaara—that's a wonderful name. It's full of love."

Gaara froze at her words. He furrowed his brow and watched Hui, then finally spoke after a long silence. "Do you really think so?"

Hui's lips still held that same gentle smile, but her mind was full of thoughts. No matter how much she said now, Yashamaru would eventually tear it all down.

Gaara was still destined to become "the demon who only loves himself." But what could she do? She could say she liked him, but they had only just met. It would all sound like a joke—not even she would believe it.

"Yes..." Hui lifted the corners of her mouth slightly, and an unusual light appeared in her eyes. Turning toward the distance, she spoke slowly. "I've always traveled alone, hoping to find someone. I also want to become stronger and become someone of value. The journey can be lonely, but I've always held on to hope for the future, because I believe I'll meet him."

"Though I've also encountered many sad things along the way—the kind of loneliness you can't put into words. I think you must understand, because we're the same kind of person." Hui looked at Gaara, her eyes holding an emotion he couldn't understand.

It was actually love she was keeping buried inside. Gaara didn't understand, but for some reason, he remembered that look for a long time.

Gaara stared straight into Hui's eyes. They were deep and black, yet bright. He repeated, "The same kind of person... Loneliness..."

Hui smiled radiantly. "Meeting you, Gaara, really is my good fortune. Meeting you has made me happiest of all."

Gaara simply looked at Hui in silence. Yet for some reason, he no longer felt quite so sad.

Hui glanced at Gaara and saw the faintest smile at the corner of his mouth. She felt happy too, then began telling him about all the interesting things she had encountered along the way. Gaara listened quietly beside her, seeming to picture the things Hui had seen.

She told him about the world beyond the village: towering trees, insects chirping at night, and fireflies that appeared when you were lucky—little insects that glowed in the night sky. She also told him about the bustling night markets in other villages, with so much delicious food and so many fun things to do. The world outside seemed very different from Sunagakure.

But as he listened, Gaara noticed something. "Hui... are you actually a girl?"

Hui looked at Gaara in shock, her eyes wide with disbelief. But for some reason, she also felt delighted. She laughed and nodded. "Mm."

Gaara smiled. "Then you really are a special girl."

Hui smiled too, then turned to ask Gaara, "Would you like to come play at my place? I really want to be your friend!" That excitement still lingered in her eyes.

Gaara quietly looked at Hui Youling. In her eyes, there seemed to be only him—no hostility, no hatred. The smile on her face was so happy, and her whole being radiated joy. The warmth made him want to draw closer.

"Friends..." Gaara murmured, looking a little dazed.

Hui suddenly felt her smile about to give way. She really wanted to hug him, to tell him what was in her heart, to tell him she had always liked him—liked him so, so much.

She had always wanted to work hard and become stronger, to get closer to him. At last, she had come here from Konoha. She had gone through many sad and painful things, and those experiences had filled her heart with anguish and confusion. But these were the choices she had made. What right did she have to tell him about them?

"Okay," Gaara finally agreed. He even gave Hui a faint smile. At that moment, he was still the little boy who could smile.

Hui hadn't wanted to cry, but when she saw his smile and heard him say "okay," all she felt was joy, hurt, and relief. So many emotions swirled inside her that she could barely control them. But she didn't want him to see.

Gaara stared blankly at the person who had suddenly thrown her arms around him. Her embrace was so warm. No one had hugged him in so long. Was this what a hug felt like?

As Hui held Gaara, tears quietly slid down her face, though she made no sound. As if making a solemn promise, Hui Youling said, "Gaara, I hope you'll believe me. No matter what you become in the future—whether a monster, a demon, or even someone others fear—I still won't betray you!"

Gaara, I exist for you. Even if the whole world betrays you, I'll stand by your side. I owe you so much. This time, I'm making amends.

"Even if I'm not by your side in the future, you'll never be alone, because we'll always be beneath the same sky, looking at the same moon." Hui quietly wiped away her tears and let go of Gaara.

"Gaara, please believe me. I'll always believe in you too, because this is our promise!" Hui looked at Gaara again. As she finished speaking, her smile grew wider and wider.

Perhaps our bond began long ago. Whether or not you understand it, I only ask that you believe me this once.

Gaara blinked. His eyes were calm and still as water. His green eyes were as gentle as jade.

Captivated by those eyes, Hui stared straight at Gaara too. Then she heard him say softly, "Okay. That's our promise."

Gaara didn't really understand what the girl in front of him was saying. But she made him feel warm, in a way different from Yashamaru. She made his chest hurt less and his heart feel less sad.