Hey everyone! Quick A/N: This is my first ever Naruto fanfic! I don't really have an exact pairing or plot planned out yet, I'm sort of letting things develop on their own!

Byakugan.

Suddenly the vast desert didn't seem so endless. A little over five miles away lay the looming walls of Sunagakure no Sato, the Village Hidden by Sand.

Hinata deactivated her Byakugan and gave a small sigh of relief. The village was no longer visible to her but she knew they were almost there. They had been travelling for nearly three days, and they'd be arriving on schedule. She signaled to their position to the team leader. Shikamaru gave a nod in reply and Hinata felt his chakra pulse, allowing him to run even faster across the sandy dunes. Both of them wanted a soothing shower and a comfortable bed. Sleeping on the ground two nights in a row was less than appealing. Hinata matched his pace and they continued on towards Suna in silence. Neither one felt the need to fill the trip with mindless chatter, comfortable in each others' presence.

Shikamaru and Hinata had been on several missions together before, but never just the two of them alone. In fact, it was rather unconventional for their team to only consist of two people. This mission however, was purely diplomatic. Konoha was negotiating peace treaties with two minor villages in Tea Country, and Suna was acting as the host. Tsunade had summoned them to her office two weeks prior.

"Shikamaru, Hinata," Tsunade greeted them as soon as they walked into the room. "I have a B-ranked mission for the two of you."

Shikamaru straightened and stepped away from the wall he'd started to lean against and waited for the Hokage to continue. Hinata stopped playing with her hands and listened intently.

"It will be fairly simple," Tsunade started once she had their full attention. "The only reason for the high ranking is because we will be negotiating a new foreign relations treaty with Tea Country. I'm sending you two in to finalize everything. I trust that you two are familiar with these types of functions?"

Shikamaru sighed and scratched his head. "Troublesome."

Tsunade glared at the shadow-nin. "What was that, Nara?"

Shikamaru looked up at the annoyed blonde. "I'm saying these type of negotiations are troublesome. Every time Temari comes to Konoha I'm her guide. Meaning I'm lucky enough to sit through every single meeting she has scheduled with council members, the bingo book committee, you, the hospital, the Chunin Exam committee, Konoha-Suna border patrol-"

"Okay Dammit!" Tsunade interrupted. "I get what you're saying. These type of functions don't exactly tickle your fancy but listen up!"

Hinata quickly averted her gaze to the floor, unable to say anything while Shikamaru shifted nervously anxious to get away as quickly as possible. It was obvious the Hokage was getting impatient and they did NOT want to be around when she finally reached her last nerve.

"The reason I have chosen you two to represent Konoha in Sunagakure is because of your backgrounds. Shikamaru, your intelligence and insight is widely respected and I'll leave it to you to make sure we are getting a fair deal out of this treaty. Hinata, you are the daughter of the Hyuuga clan-head, and I trust that you know how to properly behave and interact with the other diplomats. A treaty with these other villages may seem insignificant, but you'd be surprised how quickly wars can grow from minor conflicts."

Tsunade paused and gave an appraising look to the two shinobi standing in front of her. She would trust both of them with her own life if need be. They were strong ninja in their own rights- physically and intellectually.

"Do you two accept?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama," they both replied without hesitation.

"Then I'll see you back in my office to go over the official details of the mission. You'll be departing in less than two weeks."

Hinata and Shikamaru could both see Suna appear along the horizon as they got closer to their destination. Even though it took an hour, to Hinata it seemed only seconds had passed before they were waiting in front of the gates to have their papers checked. There was a good sized line to the entryway. It seemed like Suna had a popular bazaar and citizens and tourists from all over the place were coming and going. Hinata looked around in interest. There were plenty of colorful carts with different wares for sale.

Shikamaru caught her wandering gaze and focused his attention on some beautiful leather gloves. They would be perfect for Temari. He and the feisty sand kunoichi had been casually seeing each other for two months. Being her guide had forced them to interact with one another and Shikamaru found that he enjoyed her company. Then somehow they fell into an unofficial relationship. Shikamaru slowly reached for some money to purchase the gloves as he weighed the pros and cons of buying Temari a gift. He didn't want to send the wrong message- overreacting women could be quite troublesome.

Hinata wandered over towards some pretty hair clips and sighed. Coming from a prestigious clan, she had an abundance of hair ornaments, some hundreds of years old. However she never wore them, preferring a more comfortable laid-back image, the kind that wouldn't draw any attention towards her. Looking at jewelry always made her think of her mother, her only memories from a few family photos. They were all adorned with necklaces and intricate hairpieces. She took one last look at them before turning around and walking right into Shikamaru.

"Su..Sumimasen Shikamaru!" Hinata choked out, completely startled by the collision. "I wasn't paying attention!"

Shikamaru gave her an unreadable expression for a moment before smiling slightly.

"It's fine Hinata," he said amused at how flustered she was. "I shouldn't have been standing so close."

He looked at the jewelry stand she was standing by and assumed that she didn't want to waste her money. "Do you want me to buy something for you?"

Hinata was not expecting the question and was caught off guard."What? Oh no thank you! I was just looking!"

"Are you sure? You seemed interested in them," he continued. Shikamaru understood her reaction. He would never go out of his way to buy someone something- unless it was barbecue and the rest of his team conveniently forgot their wallets. Before he and Hinata left Ino had given him an enormous sum of money to buy her clothes with while he was in Suna.

"Instead of sitting on your lazy ass all day in Suna, go out and buy me clothes, okay?" The blonde had said in a bossy tone. "I cannot believe you get to go to Suna after I've asked Tsunade a hundred times! The fabrics there are divine! And also-"

Shikamaru had completely tuned her out at that point.

Either way he had tons and tons of money and Ino wouldn't miss it if he bought ONE necklace for Hinata or whatever. Besides, all of the coins she'd given him were heavy and it would be a lot less troublesome if he could spend some to lighten the load.

Hinata shook her head no, not having any excuses to give him. She looked up towards the gate and saw that it was almost their turns to have their papers looked over.

"Shikamaru!" She said, thanking her luck for a change of subject. "Let's go, it's our turn soon." She happily left the carts and headed towards the guards.

"Hn." He grunted in reply. Then he followed the female, eager to get inside the village.

^O^/

They followed their unnamed guide down the long hallway, several doors on each side. The guide was rambling on about how honored Suna was to host the diplomatic meetings and that he hoped they enjoyed the beautiful sights Suna had to offer.

"...And this is your apartment, Nara-san. Here's your key and you'll find your schedule for the next few weeks on your desk."

Shikamaru took the key with a polite nod and muttered a good night to Hinata as he went into his room and shut the door, clearly not wanting to spend another second with the chatty guide. Only Hinata and the guide were left in the hallway and Hinata silently cursed Shikamaru for abandoning her. Slowly turning around, she faced the beaming guide.

"Hyuuga-san, have I mentioned how lovely you look today?" He said with an obnoxious smile.

Hinata, completely deadpan, replied, "Where is my room?"

"Oh!" The guide hurried over to the door across from Shikamaru's rooms, "Right here Hyuuga-san, I'm sorry to keep you waiting."

Hinata walked straight by the jumbled guide, snatched the key right out of his hand, and promptly shut the door behind her, no goodbyes were exchanged. Grateful to finally be alone, Hinata scanned the area she just walked into. She found herself in a fairly large sized room that was nicely furnished. She could see a door to the side that she assumed to be the bathroom. A quick examination proved her assumptions true and she immediately shed her sandy clothes and eased herself into the warm bath.

A hearty shampooing and rinse off later, Hinata jumped into bed, snuggling underneath the warm blankets. The nights in Suna were much chillier than Konoha so she was glad the comfy bed came with plenty of thick blankets. Tired from three days of travel, she promptly fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

As the first few rays of sunlight shone through her window Hinata lazily opened her pale eyes. She was always an early riser. Being a Hyuuga meant that she was up at dawn for meditation and then sparring lessons from her father before she went to the academy. Years of repetitiveness had ingrained the habit deep within her.

After lounging in bed for a few moments, she proceeded to stretch her tired limb and deftly got out of bed. Deciding to wear something comfy, she selected some light sparring clothes and tied her hair in a quick pulled-back ponytail. Ready to go, her stomach rumbled a bit but she ignored its whining; she was going to eat breakfast with Shikamaru later.

Wanting a peaceful place to meditate, Hinata activated her byakugan to search the building. Almost every room was occupied. It seemed like all of the diplomats in Suna attending the conference was residing in the same building. It made sense that they'd have buildings designated solely to house their foreign guests- this particular building being located within quick walking distance of the Kazekage's offices. Across the hallway she could see Shikamaru still sleeping soundly. She smiled when he rolled over in his sleep, obviously nearing the end of REM sleep. He'd be awake in less than an hour. She shifted her focus back to the task of finding a meditation space.

The roof appeared to be the only unoccupied place in the building. Hinata immediately found herself near the top after coming across a tucked-away staircase. It was tricky to find and it was probably hidden so that the guests wouldn't be wandering all over the place. Blinking from the sudden onset of light from the sun, she stopped walking once her eyesight adjusted. What she found up there was breathtaking. The entire village of Suna lay out in front of her glittering in the light of the rising sun. The sandy buildings emitted several shades of gold Hinata had never seen before. She walked slowly over to the edge and quietly admired the view. Moments later, completely forgetting her morning meditation, she sat down and watched in awe.

^O^/

Subaku no Gaara sat awake in the darkness atop of the Kazekage Tower. He preferred this peaceful state of solitude. Night after night, he would stay up late finishing paperwork until everyone else left. Then he'd go out onto the rooftop and meditate. Sleep still escaped him after being an insomniac for the first 15 years of his life. Being a demon container had taken his toll on normal sleeping habits, and Gaara doubted that he'd ever be able to fall into peaceful slumber.

He revered the mind-numbing silence of the desert. Noises of the bustling village disappeared with the setting sun and he had the world of the night all to himself. Thanks to his sand armour the bitter cold winds didn't touch him. Gaara inhaled deeply, and then slowly exhaled, clearing his mind. He didn't have to think about his duties as Kazekage. That was reserved exclusively for the day when his office was swarming with attendants, diplomats, message-runners, ninjas awaiting orders... RIght now there weren't any ignorant people trying his patience. He didn't have to keep his guards up-they were actually up all the time, he was ready for an attack at any moment. But he could relax a little when he was alone.

The night soon passed and a dim light started to expand over the village. He absent-mindedly watched the sun's light transform the village around him as it did every day of his life and swept his gaze over his surroundings. There were signs of awakening villagers running about on morning errands and setting up shop for the day.

He promptly stood up and rearranged the few loose grains of sand back into a solid shell around his body. People called him paranoid, constantly wearing his armour, but he had every right to be. He had experienced countless attacks of his person growing up as a very young child. It was almost fortunate he contained the Shukaku- the one-tailed demon was able to protect him from sneak attacks that he didn't sense. Free of the Shukaku for several months now, Gaara still encountered attempts on his life. They weren't as frequent, but holding the title of Kazekage welcomed a new crowd of enemies.

Gaara turned to walk back to his office when some slight movement caught his eye. He focused his gaze towards the foreign residential buildings where he'd seen the dark figure. His eyes registered the person as a young kunoichi- one he did not recognize. He noticed her position overlooking the rest of Suna. She obviously appreciated the sight of the glowing village in the morning sun. A few moments passed and he averted his attention back to the oncoming day. He had several important meetings set up- including the write-up of a peace treaty with Konohagakure and Tea Country. The image of the girl wriggled its way back into his mind. He growled in annoyance. He didn't care about foreigners unless they were leaf-nin. He had precious people there. Shaking the girl from his thoughts, he turned around and continued the walk back to his office. There was a giant stack of paperwork demanding his attention.

^O^/

Shikamaru groaned at the sound of knocking at his door. The night had passed way too quickly for his tastes. He tried to ignore it but it steadily grew louder.

"Shikamaru-san?" Came the muffled voice of the stupid guide he and Hinata had the day before, "Shikamaru-san, can you hear me? Are you awake? The morning sun has risen! It is absolutely-"

Shikamaru realized that he was going to have to answer the door in order to shush the annoying guide.

So troublesome.

IMPORTANT: Should I continue this story? I'm debating on whom to pair Hinata with; Gaara, Kankuro, or Shikamaru! Otherwise I'll develop a little ShikaTem on the side if you'd like. Thanks for reading!

A/N:

REM sleep is the last stage of sleep- the dreaming stage.

Hai- yes