Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto- so Please don't sue me. Even if you did you would not get much- I don't own much. The plot (or lack thereof),storyline(or lack of) and any OC's are mine- which Are available to be loaned out- after all nothing is really truly yours- if that was true then we would all own Naruto.
Authors Note: THIS IS A FLUFFY GAARA x Hinata. I haven't written fan fiction in a long time so this was fun- but meant to be a one shot. Warning: Characters maybe OOC. Thanks for reading J
Where the heart is.
The cat masked ANBU ninja wavered on her feet ever so slightly ,instantly trying to stabilize herself so that the slip was unnoticed. The hokage, Tsunade, was a very observant woman and especially more observant of her medic nins- for any type of injury to them could be costly in this time of war. The team leader had finished giving his status report, and Tsunade gave them a nod that they were dismissed. The tired Anbu Nin's quickly disappeared behind the heavy wooden door- except for one Cat masked one. "Hyuuga, honestly, how was the mission?" Tsunade asked the Anbu medic. Hinata sighed, secretly thankful for the Mask, not wanting her sensei to see the dark black rings that hung around under her eyes. "It was bloody, we tried to minimize the injured as much as possible- but still the ones injured will need extensive rehabilitation before they are ready to see another battle. The attacks from the sound nins are brutal- unlike any I have seen before, the damage dealt is more internal than external and takes a lot of chakra to heal." Tsunade silently accessed her student, seeing as the last 4 years of being a ANBU medic and 2 months in the field had caused the young woman to grow almost years older than her age. The War with the sound village had not been a easy one, thankfully one that was beginning to slowly grind to a halt. Tsunade felt guilty that young people like Hinata, had to be trained from young ages to help defend their village- and too many young ones names now graced the memorial stone. Hinata stared at her feet, silently willing herself to stay awake- the long silence lingered as her sensei pondered the young woman's words. "Hinata, There is another mission for you- although this one is not as difficult. Can you be ready to go at first light?" Tsunade asked, while gulping down the brown liquid in the bottom of her coffee cup. Frowning behind the mask, the young shin obi replied, weariness seeping into her quiet voice "Hai, I can be ready by then." The Hokage tossed the Cat Nin a scroll," Good, they requested you by name- I think you have made quite Impression on them," Tsunade chuckled. Hinata gave a respectful bow and turned to leave, "And Hyuuga, One more thing- take a vacation while your there. You could use the rest." Hinata Bowed again, "Arigato ,Sensei." And with a quiet whoosh sound- the Cat Masked Anbu was gone. Tsunade downed the last of her cold coffee and smiled, "Go get him girl."
Hinata Hyuuga appeared in front of her apartment, mentally thanking Kakashi for teaching her his transportation Jutsu, It definitely came in handy in times like these- as she had not been able to sleep in 3 days due to the exhausting task of packing the mobile hospital and returning to Kohona had been top priority. Sleep was essential , but to escape the war torn area that they had been inhabiting for the last two months was more important to her team. For Some just seeing the Gates of Kohona again was enough of a incentive not to sleep. Taking her keys out of the kunai holster on her left leg and letting herself in- she breathed in a sigh of relief. She locked the door behind her and removed the Red and white swirled cat mask, letting a cascade of silken black locks fall to her waist. Laying the ANBU mask on the shiny mahogany table, she smiled- Neji and TenTen had kept the place neat while she was gone. In the Four years since she had renounced her position as heir to the Hyuuga Clan and her living on her own, Neji and Hinata had grown to be like siblings- where the separation in the clan of the branch house and the main house of her family caused tension, breaking away on her own seemed to wash away the animosity. Neji understood Hinata best and how she was happy to see her father stand there in shock the day his 16 year old daughter announced to the clan that she was joining the ranks of the ANBU and that she wished to carry on the will of the clan no longer. Hiashi Hyuuga came to regret the times he called his oldest daughter weak upon seeing the master Medic and shinobi his oldest daughter had become. The Members of the Branch house never have forgotten that Hinata freed them- Tsunade had taught Sakura and Hinata about Curse Seals and how to remove them. Hinata had enjoyed removing ALL the branch members curse seals for practice- Thus angering the Hyuuga elders- Hinata had laughed at the family council when they demanded that she be given the seal, her words exactly "Don't make me Kill you." as she strolled away from the council chambers in defiance. Neji had never forgotten the newfound courage of his cousin and took it as a sign that he should take control of his own fate- proposing to TenTen and moving out of the Hyuuga compound. Some of the Branch house members left the Hyuuga compound, fear of the main branch now gone, but some stayed and forced the family to change drastically. While others could disagree, from what Hinata had heard it was for the better- she had received many invitations to return to her family, in the end her heart would not allow her too. Freedom is a great and addicting power . Neji and Tenten had been looking after her apartment when she was gone on missions since then- their kind of "thank you" she guessed. It was nice to be greeted by a clean home- although it was one she rarely saw, cold medical tents had been home to her for a while now. A warm shower and a soft bed had become luxuries to her, a rare treat.
Hina walked into her bedroom- collapsing on the bed in front of her, opened the scroll Tsunade had given her. Reading the scroll, she understood why Tsunade had told her to take a vacation while she was there, the mission was in Suna, the very place she would have set off for tomorrow with or without being told to. Glancing at the clock that read midnight- the 20 year old sighed, getting up and peeling the rest of the blood splattered ANBU uniform off her tired body while heading to the shower- she wondered would she ever get a moment to sleep. Blood , dirt and grime washed away from her body, her long obsidian colored hair hung braided behind her , the white eyed Hyuuga felt human once again- Hinata laid on the soft bed and stretched out with the covers pulled up to her chin- like Heaven , she thought. At first Light she would set out to Suna, she smiled at that thought as she drifted off to sleep for the first time in days.
In the desert only thing that is guaranteed is cold nights and hot days. Luckily tonight was a rare occasion where the moon was bright as it shone upon the sand and the desert air was Luke warm. She stared at the curtains ruffling in the breeze in a open window on the third floor window of the tall building in front of her- molding a small amount of chakra to the bottoms of her feet- the silent ninja in the Cat mask walked in the shadows up the wall to into the third floor window. The moonlight illuminated the red haired man sleeping on the bed across from the window, his skin shown a pure shade of white in the moonlight and the tell tell signature black rings under his eyes remained. Admiring the rare sight, Hina removed her mask and breathed deeply- her heart beat inside her chest rapidly as she approached the sleeping mans bed silently. Sinking to her knees quietly beside him, she gingerly touched his a strand of his blood red hair and gently ran her thumb over his cheek and tracing the "love" kanji engraved on his forehead lightly. He slowly opened one of his jade colored eyes- sensing the familiar chakra signature beside him, the slim black haired woman with the pure white eyes that he had been longing for. Hinata smiled at her love, "Good evening Gaara." The Red haired man gave one of his rare smiles, " I thought you had forgotten me, love." He spoke in his quiet soft voice. Hina bit her lip and looked down at her clasped hands for a moment, " I am sorry, I would have been here sooner but the mission took longer than expected. I came as soon as I returned." Gaara , blinked slowly, it is strange for her to play with her hands- unless she was nervous. Gaara sat up on the bed, slowly wincing with pain slightly. He studied her as she sat beside him on the bed, Her white eyes shined as if they held a secret and the simple act of her playing with her hands spoke volumes. After 3 years of being with him- he would be hurt if she was nervous around him, "Hinata, is there something you want to tell me?" He asked calmly, but backing his words in seriousness. White eyes meeting jade ones, Hinata took one of Gaara's ever cold hands and laid it on her small stomach- where a tiny bump protruded just slightly. His eyes widened in shock momentarily as she spoke softly "Remember when you came to visit me a couple of months ago on the field? You left a precious little gift behind." Gaara pulled Hinata onto his lap, gently crushing his face into her small stomach- joy, a unknown emotion for the so called monster of the sand, flowing through him. Tears rolled down Hinata's pale white cheeks, " So your not mad? You are the first to know- I was so scared that you would not want the child." She spoke quietly, playing with the hem of her shirt. Gaara gazed into her pale white eyes, and chuckled lightly "Why wouldn't I be? I am happy that you would carry my child. Why did not you not notify me sooner?" Hinata smiled, relief washing her fears away " I knew a while ago, but if I showed any signs or let anyone know- I knew I would be sent home from the mission and I could not do that to the rest of my team- they were overworked as it was. And not many know of our relationship- I was not sure that you were ready to make that known." He gazed at her hands, still playing with the shirt hem, knowing she still was nervous- He reached out and took her hands in his. "You knew I would come for you if I found out. I am not ashamed of us, Hinata. You put yourself and the child in danger by staying on the mission- what if you were hurt?" silence…., She looked away towards the window again- trying to escape his eyes. He cupped her cheek and forced her to look him the eyes again- In a frightening tone he spoke again, searching her face for answers " Were you hurt, Hinata?" She downward as she slowly pulled up the black shirt of her ANBU uniform to reveal a healing scar above her hip bone, the light showed the pinkish scar- the slash looked like it was originally very deep and could have proven fatal. He traced his thumb down the scar and she looked away, ashamed she let an enemy harm her. He had made it known to her in the past that he did not approve of her being on the frontlines, but he respected her and trusted her skills. She knew he really wanted to protect her- she felt it in every kiss, every embrace and every time he asked her how her mission went, but he could not always to be around to do that - after all he was the Kazekage and had his own village to protect. Hina did not enjoy fighting, she never had- she was a medic because she wanted to help people and Fighting was just another part of the package that came with her job, however she avoided a fight at all costs. This particular injury just was a unfortunate event where it was a unavoidable situation- the sound nin did not live to tell about the injury he inflicted- Naruto and Lee saw to that after she was knocked unconscious from blood loss. She realized that she was indeed lucky to have survived such a wound, and that she was not another name on the memorial stone.
Hinata laid her head on his shoulder again, praying silently that he would not be angry with her about doing her duty. They were both Shinobi- danger was a job requirement-Medic or fighting warrior- there was always risk involved. The silence sat in and the two silent people just enjoyed the moment- it was rare for the lovers to be around each other for long and they wished to make every moment count. Hinata felt the tension wash away from her, She was relieved he wanted the baby and sorry that she had put herself and the child in danger- she knew he had the right to be angry with her. Now, what was her original mission- she thought, then remembering the Hokage's scroll mentioned that the Kazekage had been injured and that they were advising that the wound had been particularly difficult to heal. Since Shukaku had been extracted from him- he did not heal as fast as he once did. She mentally chuckled to herself, Wondering what had been hard to deal with- the wound or the Kazekage himself? Gaara was known for his stubbornness and often refused medical attention even when he badly needed it. More times than she could count she healed him as he slept- so not to attract his ire. Activating her Byukagen silently, she scanned his body until she found the long, thin wound that spanned from his left shoulder to his left hipbone. The wound looked to be quite painful and it was leaking chakra heavily. Checking her own Chakra levels mentally- she weighed her options, A - heal his wounds and fall straight into a coma like sleep till her own chakra levels replenish themselves, which undoubtedly would anger the red haired Kazekage she was sure, or B- rest and wait till she recovers more of her own chakra then heal him- but he would be in pain and risk him being in worse shape later. Deciding she loved Gaara enough that she did not want him to suffer any longer than necessary, and after all she desperately needed some sleep- she made some hand signals for a healing jutsu and called her remaining available chakra into her hands- then touched his shoulder gently. He did not notice that she had done this till the pain that racked his back suddenly stopped and he noticed that his lover had fallen limp in his arms. Annoyed he sighed, and laid her on the bed next to him- running his hand gently down her cheek and murmured a soft "thank you." in her ear, then kissing her forehead softly. In her sleep, she smiled.
The beams of sunshine warmed the sleeping young woman's face, pleasantly disturbing her sleep. Slowly regaining her consciousness- Hinata slowly opened her eyes, taking in her surroundings silently. The beige colored walls and ceiling stated to her that she was no longer in Gaara's bedroom. She soon realized she was lying on the futon in the kazekage's office- the large cherry desk loomed in front of her, stacks of papers randomly lying about- threatening to fall at any moment. Hina sat up slowly, noticing she was no longer in her Black and white Anbu uniform, but in a long white cotton dress. She peeked over the desk to see the poor Kazekage lying on his papers- peacefully sleeping. Noticing the glass of water on the table beside her, she picked it up, pleasantly finding it to still be somewhat chilled- sipping the water as she walked to the open window. Sitting on the window seal, she looked curiously at Gaara. His red hair unruly as ever -swaying the gentle breeze of the open window, his head lying on his arms like a child sleeping in class. His facial features relaxed- Hina could almost swear he was smiling. She studied him carefully, she loved to see him sleep- she remembered a time when he could not. He seemed so peaceful when he slept, he so deserved peace- one of those who have had a hard life from birth, she hoped she would not complicate his life more. Hell, her life just became a lot more complicated, she stared blankly out the window, falling back into her thoughts. Absentmindly she brought her hand to lay on the tiny bump on her stomach, remembering the day it all began.
Flashback
Hinata let out a tired sigh and looked around the makeshift medical tent- the place had not been this empty all day. Set up for the Chuunin exams- between the sparing part of the exams and the outbreak of violence on the border- the medical tent had seen more patients than ever it was intended for. It was a fortunate thing that many of the Nin from Konoha's allies were in the village for Chuunin exams- they were a essential to helping beat the missing nin from the sounds attack. When the village had finally quieted down for the evening- the other medics assigned to medical tent wondered away , leaving Hina to clean up the mess herself- assuming she would because she was the Medic that Tsunade had put in charge and she was so mild mannered that it was assumed she would not be angry about it. Cursing her own mild temper, she began to clean and reorganize the tent for tomorrow's onslaught of the chuunin hopefuls. Pretty soon she was finished, and noticing that there were no more patients to treat- she grabbed her own jacket off the chair beside her and made her way into the dark streets of Konoha. She had only made it a few hundred yards from the Medical tent when she heard a familiar frantic voice calling her name. She turned around to her see her best friend and fellow ANBU member, Naruto carrying the body of a unconscious man. She turned and ran back to the tent- turning the lights on and motioning him to lay the man on the cot. Only then did she realize whom Naruto had brought her: Sabaku no Gaara. Surprised she looked in Naruto's panicked blue eyes- calmly speaking, "What happened ?" Naruto sighed and flopped into one of the chairs by the cot, Hina activated her bloodline limit to scan where the desert warriors wounds were. " I was patrolling the border and we found him out there. He must have been hurt in the battle earlier and not made it back to the village. I think it would have been noticed that he had not returned, is he going to be ok?" Hina watched her former crush 's blonde brows furrow in frustration and worry. "Well, His wounds are mostly internal- I will do my best. Don't blame yourself- From what I know of Gaara, he is mostly a loner- he may not have wanted to come back to the village or he may have thought he could over come these injuries. He has beaten a lot worse than this though- so he will recover from this too." Hinata comforted her friend with a tired smile as she called chakra to her hands and laid them on the injured mans chest, trying to heal the internal wounds. "Do you want me to stay here with you Hina? People fear Gaara and call him a monster- are you scared too?" Naruto asked seriously, He knew Gaara had changed for the better and everyone deserved a second chance but lots of people still dislike Gaara for his past. Hina looked up at him, pearlescent eyes in the lights, " There are no monsters here, Naruto. We both know everyone has to change. I will be fine and so will the patient here- haven't lost one yet. Go home and get some rest- If anything happens, I will come for you.." With that the blonde haired nin left, but not before turning to his friend "Hinata, you're the best." Giving her a kiss on the cheek, she blushed ( knowing that they were just friends) and replied "I know, I know."
Three hours and 10 rolls of bandaging gauze later- the tired medic Nin knew what true exhaustion was. Incredibly sleepy and nearly Chakra depleted- Hina flopped down on the cot next to the man whom she spent so much time tending- she healed all the internal and external injuries that she could find, bandaged them- where his shredded clothing had been- now he was wearing a shirt of gauze, and preformed a few jutus to Alleviate any pain he may have been experiencing . Closing her eyes, She heard a soft but raspy voice ask, "why would you save a monster?" Opening her eyes- she knew he had said it, even though his eyes were still closed. She sat up and grabbed her canteen of water , then kneeled by his cot- placing the bottle to his lips, " Here drink this," He did as he was told. Getting back up and laying back on her cot, she closed her eyes again- just enjoying the simple act of doing nothing. "You never answered me." She heard his soft voice again, she liked it- it was soft but masculine too, something that that was rare in a man. She silently smiled, " You heard Naruto, did you?" she responded. " I do not sleep," the reply came. " As I said there is no monsters here Gaara. Naruto trusts you- that is good enough for me. You are human and fallible- just like the rest of us." He chuckled, countering her statement, "Trusting, aren't you?" She opened her eyes and propped herself up on her elbow, surprised to see his beautiful jade eyes staring at her. " Let's consider this logically then- Sand and leaf are allies- it would do no good for you to hurt me. Nor would it benefit me to hurt you. We both serve our countries and would do nothing to hurt the well being of the country we serve. And yes, Gaara, for some reason I believe you trustworthy. Naruto believes you to be a good person and he is a good judge of character." Gaara laid back and closed his eyes again, and so do did Hinata. It was quiet for sometime- she was sad at the silence between the two- he was a interesting and dangerous person to deal with, but she liked talking to him. 'Maybe I am secretly suicidal,' she thought to herself as his quiet voice broke the silence once again, " I owe you my life." She smiled through her closed eyes, " You owe me nothing. I am glad I could help- but if you wish to repay me- take me to lunch one day. Naruto only takes me out for Ramen- and I will tell you a secret that even he does not know." A soft chuckle came from the other cot, " And what is that secret, may I ask?"
Hinata rolled over on her side - feeling sleep take over her , with a yawn she replied " I don't like Ramen." She heard another chuckle as she fell into the peaceful darkness.
end of flashback
A sudden, gentle touch to her cheek, brought Hinata out of her thoughts. She found herself looking into a pair of jade eyes. "Ohayo, Gaara-kun. Have a nice nap?" she spoke softly, bringing her fingers to trace the outline of his cheekbones. She couldn't help notice how handsome he had grown to be over the years. " I could ask the same of you, are you alright?" He asked her in his silken voice, Sitting in the floor - pulling her on his lap. Gaara wrapped his arms around her waist, Hinata leaned back into his strong embrace, loving the feel of his arms around her- she felt safe and protected all at once. Hinata played with his fingers, caressing them gently with hers, " I feel better than I have in a long time, thank you. How long have I slept?" . His hand grasped hers suddenly, playing with hers, "Two days, another day I would have to have you admitted to our medical center. Promise me that will not be so foolish anymore," Relief evident in his quiet, silky voice. His hands became still as she knew he was being serious, " My wound could have waited till you were capable of handling it. You have to think of our child too. I could not bare to lose either of you." She caressed his hand again, " I could not bare you in pain if I could help it. I promise not to endanger myself or the baby again." Hinata replied with a soft sigh-She did not want to argue with him right now. She wanted to enjoy the time they had together- they had not had the luxury of time alone with each other in a long time. A comfortable Silence overcame the two again- each lost in their own thoughts. Usually they saw each other between his visits to Konoha when he was there on business, which he made it a point to be -often, and she was actually home instead of being out on a mission, or whenever she got a chance to pass through Suna- which she would any chance she got. Up until now the most semblance of a commitment that they could offer each other- was the few pieces of clothing and toothbrush that they kept in each others closets in case the other was to stop by for the night. With a child in the mix, both wondered how their relationship would change. Hinata had thought of Marriage, but she would never want to force anyone into that- child or not. The idea of asking him was terrifying, Hina knew her heart would surely shatter into pieces if he rejected her. Love was a double bladed sword, Naruto once told her in a moment of lucidity - love would protect you or it could rip you in two- at times she believed that no truer thing could be said. When Gaara had been kidnapped by the Atasuki and died, she felt as if her heart was shattered into a million pieces-at that moment she wished she did not love anyone. Just returning from a mission herself, she slipped into his hospital room in the dark of night and cried silent tears of relief that he was still alive-even though Chiyo-sama had given her life to save his-At that moment Hinata thanked Chiyo for loving Gaara enough to want him to live. Hinata had stood by Gaara while he recovered- surely he would stand by her now, but would marriage be a option for them with his position? Almost reading her mind at this moment, Gaara whispered in her ear, his breath tickling her ear " I want you to be mine. Stay with me?" Hinata's eyes widened in shock for a moment, then closed them- gathering courage, " Gaara, I accept on one condition. Tell me you don't feel forced into this." Gaara turned her around to face him, cupping her face and staring into her eyes, His voice full of emotion- a characteristic unusual for the Kazekage. "Hinata, I have been terrified every time you left for a mission- even from here I have feared that you would never return to me. Three years, ago, you told me you did not think me a monster and that there was good in me, that you trusted me. So trust me when I say I love you- I want you and have wanted you to be with me since the night you saved me three years ago. No, Hina, I am not being forced into this- I want you with me forever. As for our child, it will have all the love that it can stand from two loving parents, so do not worry."
Tears flowed from white eyes, and the two kissed passionately. Hinata was happy to finally be home- after all home is where the heart is…
Fin
Okay- I have not wrote fan fiction in a LONG TIME! Sorry so very fluffy but sometimes everyone needs a little fluff. Gaara and Hinata are so cute- couldn't resist. Please review, but don't flame me too hard- I am very sensitive J Please forgive spelling errors- I have no beta.
Twilight