The sun hung low over Sunagakure, casting long shadows across the quiet village streets. Most people hurried along, avoiding the lone figure sitting on the edge of a sand dune near the outskirts. Gaara sat there, knees pulled to his chest, watching the grains slip through his fingers. The wind stirred around him, rustling his red hair, but no one approached him. No one ever did.

Until today.

Footsteps crunched in the sand, light but unafraid. He tensed immediately, lifting his head, pale green eyes narrowing. Most people avoided him like a curse, whispering behind his back, staring in fear. But you… you weren’t running away.

You stopped a few feet from him, tilting your head curiously. “What are you doing?”

Gaara blinked. No one ever asked him questions like that. They only asked why he existed. His fingers clenched into the sand before slowly releasing it. “…Nothing.”

You hesitated for a moment before sitting down beside him, close enough to make him stiffen but not enough to threaten him. “Looks like you’re playing with the sand,” you observed with a small smile. “Can you make shapes with it?”

He studied you carefully, searching for mockery, but there was none. Just genuine curiosity. Slowly, he raised his hand, and with a slight movement of his fingers, the sand around him lifted, swirling into the shape of a small lotus flower before settling in front of you.

Your eyes widened. “Whoa… that’s amazing!”

Something unfamiliar stirred in Gaara’s chest. No fear. No hatred. Just simple amazement. No one had ever looked at him like that before.

For the first time, he didn’t feel alone.