Dedicated to a special someone who has long captured my heart. You will and always be holding a special place right here. Happy Birthday.
With love, I present to you: A Billion Hearts to One
Chapter One
Mild wind tossed the drifting grains of sand against the circular structure located in the center of Sunagakure. Sitting inside the ever so quiet Kazekage office, Gaara closed his eyes and tilted his head from left to right to release the built tension in his shoulders. After taking a deep breath, he glanced at the last few unread documents.
The Kazekage habitually picked up a scroll, but it was a vanilla-scented letter buried underneath that caught his eye.
Gaara stared blankly at the letter before slowly moving his hands and carefully lifting the seal. He examined the enclosed content, but not with the usual indifference.
It was an invitation to the Seventh Hokage's wedding. Gaara silently congratulated his blonde friend, but his delicate heart unceasingly ached as he read through each word. As much as he wished for Naruto's newfound happiness, the thought of the soon unattainable blue-haired beauty pained him.
Gaara hated himself for blindly falling for the Hyuga clan heir. It was never his intention to love his best friend's fiancé. He closed his eyes and easily conjured the image of her long navy hair and smooth porcelain skin, something he found himself doing much too frequently.
The Kazekage remained unmoved as he attempted to absorb the sudden news. It was not unexpected. Naruto and Hinata were his close friends and he knew better than anyone that it was inevitable that the two get married. It was only a matter of sooner or later, and in this sense, sooner than what he believed he was prepared for.
Gaara reread the invitation in futile hope that he misread. It then struck him that the wedding ceremony was only a few days away.
The young leader reluctantly stowed away his personal feelings along with the invitation. Now was not the time to be upset, not when he had his own upcoming wedding to worry about.
The Kazekage immediately took out a writing instrument and began writing the elders to postpone his first meeting with the designated fiancé. He knew it was rude for such a short two-day notice, but he valued his friendship over an unborn relationship between himself and a total stranger.
Gaara knew that the elders wouldn't be too receptive of his sudden cancellation, but he had good reason. It served the elders right for abruptly arranging the marriage without his consent. But as justified as his reasoning was, the Kazekage wanted to at least personally apologize to his future wife for the inconvenience. It probably was not her idea to get married either.
The young bachelor sighed as he signed his sincerest apologies. Before completely sealing the letter, a sudden knock followed by the appearance of his brother cut him off from his original intentions.
A smug-looking Kankuro strolled in and casually greeted his younger brother. Gaara looked up and noticed that the puppet-user did not shut the door behind him. The redhead's turquoise eyes wandered to the figure behind the door. Within seconds, a familiar blonde wearing a giddy smile trailed in.
"Naruto." Gaara's voice was low and passive, but the Konoha guest knew his appearance was much welcomed. "Congratulations."
Naruto shyly placed his right hand behind his head and looked at his fellow Kage.
"Thanks." Naruto's grin was so wide that Gaara couldn't help but crack a smile for him as well.
"What brings you here?" the Sand leader asked. "Shouldn't you be working?"
Naruto nodded his head. "Well, Hinata is doing me a big favor and handling most of the arrangements. I've been cooped up in the office doing administrative work, but Shikamaru agreed to sub in today," the blonde triumphantly shared.
Gaara proceeded to scan his friend's attire. Naruto was not wearing his usual white and red hokage robe; instead, wearing his signature orange and black outfit. The fellow Kage raised his eyes slightly, indicating a certain extent of curiosity.
"This fella here is having a bachelor's party and forgot to let us know ahead of time. So as compensation, the Hokage personally came here to escort us to Konoha," Kankuro emphasized, causing Naruto to smile from embarrassment.
Gaara understandingly nodded. He knew the heavy responsibility all too well.
"I'll meet you at the front gate in fifteen."
The reticent shinobi condensed to sand and blew in the direction of his private quarters. Kankuro took to escorting Naruto back to the entrance of the village where they were set to depart.
...
Back in the lively village of Konohagakure, Lee readily toasted a drink to his childhood friend. "To being youthful!"
Everyone raised their glasses and downed the liquor in one go.
"Youth!" Lee sang as he spun like a ballerina in his green outfit.
"Too much alcohol for him," Konohonomaru stated bluntly, barely hiding his own blush from the alcohol. "Here's my toast to you Naruto! May you live a full life being married to Hinata!"
"I accept!" Naruto energetically responded and emptied another glass. From the corner, the crowd heard a light chuckle and directed their attention to the stoic figure situated at the end of the table.
Upon noticing his sudden spotlight, Sai smiled pleasantly and opened his mouth to speak.
"As much as I would like to congratulate you, married life is not as wondrous as it sounds."
Kiba casually wrapped his arm around the pale boy's neck and laughed. Sai wriggled out of Kiba's grasp and continued his explanation.
"My experience with Ms. Yamanaka Ino is proof of that."
All the boys shuddered at the thought and nodded. Even if they choose to ignore his statement, Sai was the only one married thus far. There was no doubt he knew more than they did at the moment.
Sasuke snorted at the comment and all eyes befell him. A sly grin appeared on Naruto's face as he openly hugged his usually blank friend sitting next to him.
"I think the next one may be Sasuke."
The Uchiha flashed his amber eyes and would have attacked the vulnerable blonde if not for the truth in his statement. Things had been looking up for him and the blossoming Sakura.
"I too agree."
Naruto jumped from his seat when he realized that it was Shino who spoke. Somehow it was always only the blonde who forgot about the low-profile Aburame descendant.
"Is that so?" Kankuro let a grin form on his painted face. "Then you're all wrong. The next one to get married would definitely be..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Gaara shot an unmerciful glare at his older brother. The redhead had absolutely no intention of sharing the news of his upcoming marriage.
Everyone noticed the brief wordless interaction between the two sand siblings. Gaara soon received curious glances accompanied with expecting faces. The elder brother exclusively waited for Gaara to come up with a plausible explanation for his unusual reaction.
"The next one may well be Temari and Shikamaru."
Kankuro clapped aloud at Gaara's quick thinking. The puppet master wondered how long his conservative brother could hide his little secret. Kankuro smirked at Gaara who crossed his arms securely over his chest.
"Then the Leaf and Sand would be inseparable." Naruto raised his glass. "To marriage!" And everyone drank.
...
Gaara sauntered through the quiet streets with Naruto on his shoulders. The blonde drank enough to knock anyone dead and it was a miracle that he was still half conscious.
The redhead was not particularly pleased to have been selected to bring the drunken Hokage home. Honestly, he would've preferred Sasuke's job of escorting the wild Whirlwind Lee back home. But at the humble request of the bachelor himself, Gaara couldn't find the heart to refuse.
His shoulders, trained by the many years of lugging a gourd on his back, easily dragged along the weight of Naruto. Gaara normally enjoyed such moments of bonding and simple silence. But this time, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
The thought of accidentally coming across a certain Hyuga scared him. The very thought of bumping into her distressed him. How he yearned to see her for countless sleepless nights, yet if he were to see her now, it would be to see her walk away to some place forever beyond his reach.
Gaara forced his eyes shut as he tried to block her out—her eyes, her hair, her blushing face, her smile, her gentleness, and her warmth—from further infiltrating his unstable mind. At this rate, he wouldn't have the confidence to even consider moving on. He was stuck in quicksand and unable to move—or so he thought. The possibility that he was unwanting to move crossed his mind, but he immediately shunned that thought out.
Suddenly, a crack of light shone on his face followed by a thin figure slipping out the slightly open door. The smell of baby powder and flowers filled his lungs with the energy of spring and immediately, all anguish evaporated when his turquoise eyes met with the transparent pair.
But despite the appearance of the captivating woman, Gaara preserved his impassivity, expertly concealing all traces of excitement and hurt—a trait he learned as an experienced shinobi and a once-neglected child.
"Gaara-kun." Her sweet, mellow voice sang his name like no other.
The corners of the Kazekage's mouth curved slightly upward as he burned yet another image of the stunning Hyuga into his memory. His gentle eyes fell onto her as he carefully whispered her name.
"Hinata."
The girl's eyes lit up when she realized that the usually distant Kazekage dropped the formalities. She couldn't help slipping out a giggle when she sensed Gaara's slight nervousness that came with simply saying her name.
The Kazekage shifted to draw attention away from himself. He moved to a better position to support his drunken friend.
Light blush covered Hinata's otherwise pale complexion when she saw Naruto's innocent sleeping face. Even after years of interaction, Hinata couldn't get over the overwhelming feeling she got when looking at Naruto. Her eyes, filled with love and acceptance, was directed solely at the oblivious blonde.
Gaara looked away to hide the stinging envy in his own eyes. When Hinata realized that the redhead was still patiently supporting her dear fiancé, she quickly apologized and requested the Kazekage to lay Naruto down on the couch. The girl dug out a blanket and laid it over the Uzumaki, careful not to wake the snoring angel.
She quietly tiptoed out of the room and when noting the absence of the redhead, peeked out the door. Gaara was already heading the opposite direction down the peaceful street. Unable to watch him leave without presenting her earnest gratitude, Hinata hopped lightly onto the street and called out his name in her irresistible soft-spoken voice.
Gaara clenched his fist tightly before regaining his emotionless composure and turning to face the girl.
He stood still, expecting her to speak, but instead was greeted by an amicable smile that pushed aside the darkness surrounding them. Gaara couldn't pull himself away so he continued to stare silently, unwilling to let any exchange of words disrupt the beautiful scene.
Hinata inched forward, taking cautious steps to avoid the tiny night critters crawling on the floor. Gaara kept a steady gaze on the celestial being.
Naruto is truly blessed.
The redhead suddenly found himself internally sulking. As if forbidden jealousy hasn't already taken its toll on the stressed Kazekage, he was now torn by the demands of his arranged marriage where he has absolutely no say or even the slightest idea about his future wife.
"Gaara-kun." Hinata's big eyes looked determinedly at the sand ninja. "I promise to take good care of Naruto. So you don't have to worry. Thank you for your friendship all these years and I hope the good relations between the Sand and Leaf continue to prosper throughout the generations." Hinata picked up the redhead's hand to emphasize her candor.
Gaara nodded apathetically. He didn't quite understand why his heart was beating so quickly when Hinata was only initiating casual conversation.
Hinata's smile brightened upon seeing the Kazekage's agreement.
"I'm so glad that Naruto has you as a friend." The blushing girl turned to leave.
"Hinata Hyuga," returned a low husky voice. "It is I who is in deepest gratitude to him."
"Goodnight, Gaara-kun." Hinata flashed one last smile before passing stealthily through the streets, cautious not to wake any of the sleeping villagers.
Gaara watched wordlessly as she disappeared into the night and back to Naruto's side. He gritted his teeth as his right hand clenched his suffering heart.
He needed to forget her—quickly, but more importantly, painlessly.
But alas, that would be too much to ask for a single heart to do alone.
3/14/17 A/N: I must say, I'm a slow writer . just realized the main couple doesn't meet til ch 6 x.x so skip there if you like (tho you'd be missing out on some leaf action)