Waterfall
The figure moved uneasily in thought. She waited patiently but anxiously for his response.
"Ask him first. Then you might be able to find out. Simple questions, not direct to the subject you wish to gain information on. Why again do you wish to know?" He queried.
She blushed uncertainly. "You may tell me. I might know him. I've kept your secrets so far, have I not?" She had to agree there. This strange man, a ninja from either Leaf or Sand, she did not know, had been meeting her at a waterfall for a few weeks now. She never saw the stranger past the sheen of flowing water, yet, in a strange way, she felt she could trust him. He had not betrayed her trust yet. They would meet at Strange Falls, a relatively unknown location, to talk. He told her nothing about himself, his name was a mystery, as was his appearance; his voice was teasingly familiar. Only that he was a friend. The waterfall was called strange because it was dead silent. The water flowed at such an angle that when it hit the rock below, it never made more than an occasional dim splash. She would bear her soul to him; tell him every aspect of her life she wished for advice. He would always listen attentively; always he would provide her with, at the very least, an epiphany. The shy Hyuuga had changed and grown more than anyone had thought possible, all thanks to his advice. He never seemed irritated at her; he gave her the best advice he could. It sometimes seemed like he enjoyed it, the way a civilian might enjoy collecting stamps.
"You have been exceedingly loyal. I am wrong to hesitate." The figure seemed to nod.
"Now then. Who is he?" He seemed uninterested to know if it weren't for the fact that he made a point to ask.
"I am unsure of what to call him. He says that if I have known him from before his 'promotion', that I must call him his name without a suffix. Demo, I am not comfortable doing so because, in my opinion, I do not know him well enough."
"Call him by his formal title; all that apply." Replied the figure without hesitation.
"Sabaku no Gaara, Kazekage of Sunagakure no Satou." The figure remained in silent thought for a moment.
"I know him. Quite well, in fact." He replied with a strange tone in his voice. "And why do you wish to know him more thoroughly, without his permission, might I add?"
His words stung a bit, but she responded bravely.
"I've… a bit of a f-fancy…for, uh…h-him" It was the first time she had stuttered since their first meeting. The man seemed shocked in silence. His posture, from what she could tell, was slightly slumped over in frustration; his hand was on his forehead. "Is something the matter?" she asked shyly. He made a small noise as though he was contemplating.
"Go and tell him as soon as you possibly can. He shall not reject you, this you may believe." She was slightly startled at his answer. He always answered with some uncertainty, for no man can predict fully the actions of others. One particular statement echoed in her mind as she thanked him and left. I know him…quite well, in fact. I know him quite well…quite well? It didn't make any sense. Not even his siblings knew him that well… Who would know him better than his own family? He had no assistant that would know him personally; he would never allow such a thing. He had no object of affection that he could bare his heart to. Who did that leave? A secret friend or love, perhaps? She couldn't know. Who was this man, anyways? And why was he so kind to her? All these questions and more flooded her mind as she entered the city gates at exactly half past one. Any later and her father would worry, unless she was on a mission. Funny, she thought, how her father can be more concerned about her coming home five minutes late than her being on an S-class assassination mission in enemy country. She slept uneasily; her mind was still plagued with queries by morning. She would not be able to see the man until that night.
0oOo0
Gaara strode impatiently on the rooftop. What had he been thinking? His emotions had taken control; that had never had good results. Why should this time be any different? He was positive she wouldn't reject him; she was the one interested in him, after all. How would he react to the confession? Any response he could give with his limited emotion would be mistranslated as rejection. Then it hit him. Actions speak louder than words, don't they? Yes, that would do nicely. He wouldn't be due in Konoha for another week, however. He didn't like this timeline…
0oOo0
Hinata escaped the Hyuuga household as quickly as she could. She blew past Neji at the front gate, apologizing on the run. She had to find Gaara, although the feeling in her chest told her to do otherwise. No…I've got to find him! She bolted to the Hokage building in search of Tsunade. She slowed to a quick walk once she was inside the building.
"Excuse me…" She said quietly to the receptionist. "Do you know if the Kazekage is in town?" The receptionist shook her head.
"He's not going to be here for another week or so. Sorry, Hyuuga-sama." Hinata thanked her and left rather slowly. She was hoping to put this tidbit of advice to use quickly; a bit like ripping off a band-aid. Feeling slightly dejected, she walked down the street with her hands in her pockets, her eyes downcast in thought.
"Hinata-chan? Something wrong?" She smiled up at her teammate.
"Ie, Kiba-kun. Just thinking." Kiba nodded.
"By the way, everyone is down at Ichiraku Ramen. Apparently there's some rumors going around and everyone wants in on it. Ja-ne!" He said, bolting off to Teuchi's ramen shop. Hinata followed slowly; she didn't have anything else to do, so why not?
"Ohayo gozaima-"
"Hinata-chan!" She looked up at the one who had cut her off. "Hi!" She smiled up at the loud blonde and tried her greeting again. This time, she finished it without any interruptions. Sakura sighed in annoyance.
"Leave it to Naruto to but in before she has two words out…"
"What is everyone talking about?" She asked shyly.
"Gaara-kun is coming by tomorrow morning! He wasn't supposed to be here for another week, but for some reason he's taking a small break here!" Yelled Lee excitedly. Her face paled.
Gaara-sama! Here! BY MORNING! Oh, dear!
"Hinata? Are you okay? You look a little pale…" said Naruto.
"I'm f-fine." She said with a small laugh.
"She's probably scared of Kazekage-sama. He can be a pretty intimidating guy…" whispered a random person. In a way, they were right. She should be able to trust the stranger's advice beyond a shadow of a doubt, but a deep, gloomy cloud hung over her head. The feeling in her gut told her frightening things. She was going to talk to the waterfall man again tonight, even if it killed her!
0oOo0
"You doubt me?" he questioned her. He had an amused tone in his voice.
"Sumimasen…I am not able to do otherwise. It is my instinct." He scoffed at her statement.
"Instinct is hitting the invisible target; instinct is sensing the presence of an enemy ninja though completely innocent circumstances. Having a sudden attack of nervousness at the prospect of revealing to a rather frightening individual that you have feelings for him…is not instinct. You are simply nervous. Anyone in your position would be, despite my reassurance." She nodded mutely. What could she say? "He will be there tomorrow…by the river at sunset; choose your timing wisely." He mused. The river? It's almost as though he was setting her up. Why was everything going so perfectly? This time, it was instinct.
Sorry to all those who are waiting for me to update Much Allotted Time for Mishaps. I'm almost done! I've had some 'dental work' done -- (More like 'those sick bastards enjoy torturing me' work XP) And now school hath begun! I needed to get some stuff out of my head, so here it is. (Yes, this will be multi-chapter, however there won't be many chapters.)
Tsu-chan