Gaara knew that the girl staring wide-eyed at his friend was weird. Anyone with eyes could tell that she was shy and easily nervous. Somehow, he realised he was a lot like her, she did not speak unless spoken to, quiet, and reserved. Different kind of calm though, he knew he was always calm in every situation. This girl though, Gaara searched for the correct term, was chaotic calm. He talked to her sometimes. She sat beside him in all of their classes.
The classroom somehow always managed to automatically divide itself based on the type of students; the loud ones like Kiba and Naruto, his quite-close friend (he was not confident enough to call Naruto his bestfriend) occupied the whole right section and part of the front rows, the silent types (who were much lesser in numbers) like him and this girl he was currently studying about, mostly occupied the back rows of the class, as if trying to be as invisible as they could be, and a little part of the left section.
Gaara's focus shifted to the weird girl again, girl whose hair was a magnificent color of midnight blue. He had never seen hair with that color. He recalled most of the Hyuugas he had ever met in his life, they mostly were brunettes. No, Gaara told himself, all of them were brunettes. Her eyes however, were the same white pupils with lavender tint.
Hinata, the girl's name, blinked uncertainly to the blond standing a head taller in front of her, as if not quite believing that someone had talked to her. The boyish-looking boy grinned sheepishly at the girl.
"I kind of left my water bottle on my desk," the boy, Naruto, said shamelessly. Hinata's face was almost as crimson as Gaara's hair that he wondered if she was sick. Gai-sensei never let sick students to particpate in P.E.
Hesitantly, Hinata held up her black water bottle to him, eyes not meeting Naruto's brilliant blue, bangs almost covering her eyes. "Thanks, Hinata!" She had thought the boy would drink right here but he just ran with her water bottle and pale eyes followed Naruto, the corner of her lips turned upwards just slightly. He knows my name. He knows my name.
"He'll never return that." Hinata jumped at the voice. Despite having always been her seatmate for quite a while, Gaara's voice always seemed to make her jump in surprise. Gaara spoke clearly. Each word spoken slowly as if putting emphasis on every syllable. Unlike Naruto's boisterous and boyish voice of a fifteen year old, Gaara's voice sounded older than his actual age, like it'd come from the depths of his soul.
Hinata turned to the redhead, glad that her cheeks were not the same color of his hair anymore. She smiled. "That's quite alright. I still have another one." Gaara didn't say anything.
.
0oOo0
.
The morning was filled with another usual chaotic voices of young students. Ino and Sakura were trying their best to annoy the young Uchiha in the left corner, though of course, the girls wouldn't call it annoying, not that they were aware. They would punch anyone who dare to say that. 'I am just greeting Sasuke a good morning!' 'You are disturbing him, Ino-pig!' Behind them, Sai was trying his best to stop the girls from yanking each other's hair. But Karin had joined the chaos too and things were starting to get out of hands. Sasuke only wanted to die. No one sympathized enough.
At the other corner, another crowd of girls were surrounding a certain brown-haired boy with red fang-like markings on each cheek. 'Of course everyone loves puppies! Here is my puppy ladies! Ain't my boy cute? Whoever gets Akamaru to like you, you get to be my girlfriend!' The crowd of girls left almost instantly after Kiba had said that. Apparently no one wanted to be Kiba's girlfriend yet. The boy sighed sadly. "It's unfair how Akamaru got all the girls." Iruka would flip once he caught Kiba had been bringing Akamaru all this time under his nose. That was against the school rules.
Gaara turned his head to his right and met the back of the blunette's head. His seatmate was staring at something across her desk to her right. Pale green eyes followed the direction of her head and found a sleeping Naruto. As if she knew someone had been staring at the back of her head too, she quickly turned and stared forward and her head dropped to stare blankly at her open book, trying to appear as someone who hadn't been staring at a certain blond boy. Though she knew she was caught by none other than her mysterious seatmate. Not just a seatmate but also Naruto's close friend. It was just the blond's nature to befriend anything that could breath. A voice in her mind told her it wasn't something special that Naruto knew her name. 'Of course he would.'
"Ahem."
The chaos stopped and there, in front of the teacher desk, stood Hatake Kakashi. The crowd quickly dispersed and returned to their seats. How no one seemed to notice Kakashi coming was beyond everyone. Kiba was frantically shoving Akamaru back under his desk. No one tried to wake Naruto up. Not even his seatmate, which was understandable since his seatmate was Shikamaru and he was even more dead to the world when he was sleeping.
The class was quiet when Kakashi was giving them a lecture from behind his desk, a projector showing a slide. Quiet mostly because no one was paying attention. The kids knew how to be quiet and the teacher himself didn't care. 'As long as I'm doing my job and getting paid.'
Hinata was trying hard to stay awake while also trying her best to steal glances at Naruto, who was still sleeping soundly. The furious scribbling of a pencil against a paper beside her was a lullaby to her. The redheaded seatmate was probably drawing something bloody and gory (as usual) that would give any kids who saw his arts two weeks worth of nightmares. Hinata saw it once and was terrified.
Gaara took notice of the water bottle sitting on Hinata's desk. It was a different color from the one he saw her give Naruto. It was blue like her hair. Naruto hadn't returned her water bottle. "Tell Hanabi that Temari can't teach her today. There's something urgent she must do."
As usual, Hinata jumped at the familiar voice. He always spoke so suddenly to her, not bothering to call her name first or try to get her attention first. "Eh?" Hinata whisper-squeaked. His attention was still on his drawing she almost thought that it wasn't him that had just spoken but she was sure avoice that low only belonged to one person.
"My older sister is your younger sister's private math tutor," he explained without looking up, hands still furiously making strokes on his sketchbook. Hinata wanted to take a look at what he was so seriously drawing but switched her attention to his words instead. It didn't take long for her to fully understand. Temari was Gaara's sister and he relayed Temari's message since Hanabi hadn't been given a phone yet. "Yes. I'll tell Hanabi. Thank you Gaara."
She saw him nod once and thought that it was the end of their conversation when Gaara once again talked. This time putting down his pencil as he leaned back on his chair, hands folded in front of his chest. He always did that, Hinata noted.
"I see Naruto hasn't returned your water bottle." His eyes were on her new water bottle before they settled on the girl. Hinata looked at Kakashi and saw that the teacher hadn't noticed she'd been talking. Either that, or he just didn't care. Her attention was back on her seatmate, his eyes were the color of the green sea-foam, rimmed with black rings, a tattoo as red as his hair just right above his left eye. No matter how used she was to this silent boy's loud presence, she still thought of him as intimidating.
At the mention of Naruto, her cheeks dusted pink and her eyes were twice nervous under Gaara's intense glare. "Eh? N-no. I mean y-yes. It's a-alright though." If anything, she was happy that Naruto had something of hers. Her stutter and sudden changes of color on her cheeks, of course, didn't go unnoticed under his observant eyes. And it was only his name, Gaara mused. Never once Hinata stuttered when talking to him (unless that one time she first talked to him) or to the boy sitting behind her too (Shino was his name) or to Neji. Her stutter was present only if she had to speak in front of a lot of people and had to raise her voice, like giving speech in front of her classroom.
Gaara's heavy stare made her feel like an open magazine. Her mind frantically searched for something that could take his eyes off her. "W-what did you draw?" He noticed her effort to change the topic too but said nothing. His stare fell on his sketchbook, much to Hinata's relief. Her hand carefully touched the sketchbook and waited, just in case Gaara would mind her touching his sketchbook, and heard nothing. So, still carefully, she moved it to her desk in front of her to look at it better.
Hinata mentally cringed at what lay before her eyes. It wasn't his usual disturbing drawing of human blood and murderous monster with a lot of red color, but instead just a black sketch of his only regular pencil but the drawing looked like something which came straight from a horror movie. It was a drawing of a classrom, this classroom, with a demon hovering above the heads of the students, glued to the ceiling.
"It's great." Hinata wasn't even sure if Gaara would want to hear her opinion. It was her honest opinion though, it did look great but it scared her. Hinata wasn't sure but she thought she saw a smile. His smile.
The next day he let her see the same drawing from yesterday but the colored version. It was indeed their classroom as she now could see clearly the haircolor of those heads, there was Naruto's blond head, Sakura's bubble gum pink hair, Ino's pale blond hair, and his own crimson hair as red as blood, beside him was her own blue head. She was starting to think that maybe Gaara could see something they couldn't. When she asked, he answered that he didn't.
.
0oOo0
.
"Oi! Hinata! There you are!"
Naruto's voice filled the whole classroom. He was so loud and confident, he was everything she wasn't. It was early in the morning, only a few had showed up, including her, Gaara, and Sasuke at the far corner of the classroom. She hadn't realized that Naruto, who had always come late ninety percent of the time, had shown up super early today. The boy was in front of her desk before she knew it. Hinata forgot to not look at his brilliant blue eyes and something stirred in her heart. His eyes, as blue as the sky, were clear and calming yet held a rage of a stormy sea that reflected his free spirit. The sky blinked. She blinked too.
It was his eyes, not the sky, she realized.
She must have been staring far too long that Naruto started to look at her worriedly. "Here!" He said, offering something. In his hand was her water bottle but her head was still held up staring at Naruto from her sitting position. "I'm sorry I forgot to bring it yesterday! Gaara reminded me to return it to you. Thanks buddy!" He threw Gaara a face-splitting grin and back to the unmoving girl. "Don't worry I have washed it of course, well my mother did, and fill–hey why is your face red? Are you alright?" And just like that, he placed his hand on her forehead, her skin wasn't burning but he sure could feel a little bit of heat. Her mind went completely blank and her eyes rolled to the back of her head.
"Hinata?!" She passed out. "Oi! Hinata?!" Naruto's eyes widened in utter panic. His eyes looked at the unconscious girl and Gaara back and forth as if he would know something what to do just by looking at the redhead.
Gaara, having been asocial most of his life, didn't know what to do either. However he knew that his seatmate wasn't sick at all. She had been totally fine before Naruto came. The redhead stared at her curiously asking himself if he had recalled any girl fainting because of a boy and he didn't recall any. Sakura had never fainted around Sasuke. Neither had Ino or Karin. A girl once said she liked him, he didn't remember her name though, and she'd never fainted in front of him either.
Both the blond and the redhead could hear the raven-haired boy at the corner of the class muttering "usuratonkachi" and another colorful words similar to 'idiot'.
"Take her to the infirmary, idiot. Or you can just wait until she wakes up here. She won't be unconscious for long." Sasuke's voice rang through the classroom. "How do you know, teme?!" Naruto practically yelled. "Tsch. Still as idiot I see. Trust me. Just never let Neji know, though. If he heard Hinata fainted in her class, you don't want to know what he'll do to you for causing her losing consciousness."
Naruto's mind wandered back to the other Hyuuga, a senior by one year. Beside being a genius, that guy did always turn batshit scary everytime something happened to his cousin. Naruto paled at the thought of being the receiving end of the Hyuuga's wrath. "What?! Me? I didn't cause her to faint! I think she is just sick!"
"No, she is not," Sasuke said back.
"How do you know?!"
"Because I do," he stated, as if that explained anything, "ask Gaara. He's been here before you even came." Naruto's panicked eyes moved to meet Gaara's jade eyes. Sasuke muttered something about Naruto being an idiot and oblivious and dense and did he mention idiot already?
By the time Hinata gained her consciousness back, the classroom had been filled at least with most of the students but Naruto was nowhere in sight. The water bottle was there. Thank Kami for that, she couldn't handle him being that close again. It was overwhelming. She was glad she didn't wake up in the infirmary, because if she had, Neji would know and he would know the reason why she'd been there in the first place and Naruto would've been in trouble.
.
0oOo0
.
Hinata had originally thought that after the whole fainting fiasco in the morning, she could go about her day as usual with casual glances towards the blond stolen. However, the oblivious Uzumaki just had to set fireworks in her heart again that day at the end of the class. She was ready to leave her seat and go home when Naruto showed up in front of her, blocking her way. Hinata always waited until most of the students had left the classrom so she could leave quietly and wouldn't have to be surrounded by students eager to go home.
"Hinata!" came his eager voice. Hinata tried hard to not appear as surprised as she actually was. "Y-yes?"
"Uh. Would you want to go to Ichiraku with me? Old man Teuchi's ramen is the best in town and don't worry it's on me!" When he didn't hear a response, the boy quickly added, "You know, as an apologize for giving you the bottle late and for making you faint. Though, I'm not even sure I did make you faint. Sasuke-teme persisted that it was my fault. I don't even know why he was so sure, but anyway would you?"
Her eyes traveled to the far corner on the back of the classroom where Sasuke was standing, ready to leave too. Eyes set on Naruto, he was giving him a look that Hinata didn't understand before settling on her own. 'And is that a smirk? Why is he smirking at me?' That was when the blush started to appear in her cheeks. At that point she had realized the Uchiha had his own suspicions too and it just came to her that her Naruto-kun was asking for a date (that might or might not because of Sasuke). She was standing without saying anything for quite a while, completely forgetting a certain redhead behind her just waiting for her to move out of the way since his seat was beside the window and the only way to get out was through her seat. Naruto was still staring with expectant blue eyes, failing to notice the red in her cheeks.
"Aren't you going to say anything?" Naruto almost begged and Hinata finally blinked at him. "That isn't n-necessary. I don't want to give y-you the trouble." In the end she managed to let words out of her mouth without much stuttering. "B-Besides," she continued, "it's not your fault. It's all about me. It has always been about me." 'me and my lack of confidence and my insecurities,' she thought. The thought almost made her sad again.
"Heh. You heard that teme? Not my fault." He glared smugly at the Uchiha and the raven haired man only replied with, "Idiot." Which Naruto ignored and he smiled at the girl again "Even if that's true, I always love a friend's company. So you'll still come with me!" And he grabbed her hand and his hand was so warm in hers and the warmth spread to her whole body so quickly she felt lightheaded, but that simple skin contact was the tip of the iceberg. This was the second time Naruto talked to her and her body reacted again.
She passed out again. Her body tipped backwards but she was lucky Gaara had been there to catch her in time before she collided with the floor or hit the wooden desk with her head as Naruto had not been prepared for that.
"Eeeeeh?! Hinata?!"
.
0oOo0
.
Naruto had this charm that could make anyone's day brighter by his mere presence. She started to feel bad for the other students who didn't have a Naruto in their classes. The sad thing though, no other girls agreed. They thought he was annoying. Not that Hinata wanted other girls to fall for him too. She was alone in this whole thing and couldn't even talk to him without stuttering. She couldn't even imagine if Naruto had the popularity of the young raven-haired Uchiha's, she would be shoved to the back and would be as invisible as air.
Speaking about Uchiha, that night her mind wandered back to the events of that afternoon. She had been sure it was all a dream and she had just been sleeping but Neji's face was the first thing she saw when she woke up hours later in her bed. 'You passed out,' Neji had stated. Then he told the event when he appeared in Hinata's classroom in search for his cousin when he saw her unconscious and he looked at the panicked Naruto so fast the unsuspecting boy was scared. "Naruto!" Neji said with his authorative voice that only he had and Naruto gulped hard. He walked over to where Hinata was, picked her up, moved to leave, and eyes not moving from Naruto's. Once he was gone, had finally Naruto been able to exhale. Had it been not for Hinata's unconscious body, Naruto was sure Neji would have had do something horrible to him.
So Neji knew, she thought sadly. Apparently she thought she was good at keeping secrets, but she wasn't. If someone as stoic as her cousin knew, then Sasuke... her mind began to panic. Judging by how Sasuke always looked at her that way, chances were slim that the Uchiha didn't know, which was not good since Sasuke was Naruto's real bestfriend. 'Great, now even Sasuke knows. I'm so terrible at hiding my secret after all. So much for being invisible.'
.
0oOo0
.
"Mom! I'm sick! I can't go to school, it'll get worse!" Meanwhile at the Uzumaki household, Naruto was trying to convince his mother that he could not go to school due to an illness. His blanket was up to his chin eventhough he was sweating under it.
Kushina couldn't believe she was witnessing the worst acting she had ever seen with her own eyes, performed by her own son. His acting was so bad she could feel her eye twitch at his fake pained look. "No, you're not. I've checked your temperature and it's normal."
"Then that thing is broken!"
"I know you're faking this to skip school for whatever reason. You're being childish."
"Well I am a child!"
"You're fifteen."
"Fifteen year-old child." Naruto didn't give up.
Kushina sighed, her patience was running low. Minato had gone to work already. But she tried to give a different approach anyway. "Why are you even pretending anyway? You don't usually do this to escape school. Tell me what happened."
"Hyuuga Neji happened. That's why!"
And so, the tale of certain events that involved one Hyuuga Hinata, who passed out two times a day, and one Hyuuga Neji began. He told a story like he was LTE-rapping, not forgetting to insult Sasuke occasionally because he felt like Sasuke-teme should be in this story since he was so annoying. Kushina was used to his fast-talking though.
At the end of the story, his mother seemed to have put two and two together. "Hmm. If Sasuke himself had said that to Naruto then he is right and he's trustworthy. He's so smart after all." Naruto frowned, his mother was mumbling something cryptic. Then she looked at her son and smiled.
"You see, Naruto. I think Uchiha-san is right. I think it's because that Hinata is always like that around you. He might or might not know the reason why. I thought at first she was allergic to boys but then you said her seatmate is a boy. Gaara, is it?"
"You think she's allergic only to ME? Mom what's wrong with me? Does she have Narutophobia or something?" His cerulean eyes showed panic.
Kushina let out a hearty laugh. How could her son be this cute?! She realized that she was being biased everytime she boasted that her son was the cutest. But this?! 'I don't know that my son is THIS adorable and awesome that he attracts a Hyuuga? I'm so telling Minato.'
Sure Mikoto's handsome son atrracted a lot of girls but her cute son attracted a Hyuuga.
"No, she doesn't and there is no such thing as Narutophobia. And this entire thing, trust me, is not a bad thing." Kushina smiled reassuringly. "I think you should ask her again to eat at Ichiraku or involve her when you go out with your friends. Be nice, she'll be overwhelmed being with too many obnoxious kids like you—"
"Mom!"
"—okay? I think she's a great friend. I feel like I've known her just from hearing your story."
"But Mom, we're being off topic! I still don't want to go to school today!"
He had PE with Gai-sensei today and they were sharing the stadium today with Neji's class. Naruto had been dreading this day. He just wasn't ready to be the receiving end of Neji's wrath, being the reason of Hinata's constant fainting. It didn't help that Hinata never fainted before. So maybe Sasuke was right, Naruto thought sadly.
"Oh, right. Neji. I still think Neji won't do anything to you. Heheh." She laughed to herself. 'Knowing that Hinata will probably be angry with him forever' she grinned and Naruto didn't understand. Kushina had been acting weird since he had told her about Hinata, Neji, and Sasuke. "Though, you're gonna be late anyway. I'll let you skip today. I'm gonna call the school to tell you're too sick to go to school. But just this time, okay?" she said sternly.
Kicking the blanket, Naruto grinned, looking so much like his mother. "Okay, Mom!"
.
0oOo0
.
"Are you Hinata's classmate?"
Gaara blinked. He just saw a mini version of Hinata, at his own home. Except, she wasn't shy little Hinata. This girl had brown hair, like the other Hyuugas, got the same lavender-tinted white eyes. Gaara then recalled his sister telling him that her student would be studying in her house, saying that 'Having Temari come to my house twice a week sucks and incredibly boring.'. So this time Hanabi said that she was the one who would come over to study math.
Temari herself was a college student who taught middle grade students who need a private tutor because sometimes, as students nowadays put it, teachers were no help. Learning privately with a tutor was a great help for Hanabi since she was always distracted in class and the overpopulated class made everything worse. There were simply too many kids in one class she couldn't concentrate at all. She had a tutor only for math though, she could manage the other subjects. And having the extra cash, for Temari, was always appreciated.
"Yes," the redhaired teen finally answered. "What are you doing here?" He gestured to the hallway where his room was located in.
"Why, I am wandering of course!"
He thought she was going to make lame excuses such as looking for the bathroom or something. He looked at the brash little girl again but didn't say anything. Hanabi stared back as though it was a challenge.
"Actually, I am also looking for you," Hanabi said. Gaara didn't respond but it was clear he was waiting for her to speak more. The girl looked over his shoulder, to the room behind him whose door was open. She casually manuevered past him and went inside his very bedroom like it was a day to day occurence. "So, tell me about this Naruto guy."
If Gaara was taken aback by how absurd the question was or how little Hanabi acted, he didn't show it. He just followed her inside like it was also a normal thing to do with a guest. "Why are you asking?" He asked, voice as rough as ever. Instead of sitting in an armchair or on his bed, she just plopped down on the floor. Gaara was leaning againt his wall, arms folded in his chest.
"I just want to know a little about a guy who my sister is so infatuated with. She won't tell anything about him to me."
"Infatuated?"
"Oh, you know." She gestured vaguely with her hand but vague never worked for Gaara.
"I don't know."
Hanabi's eye twitched slightly. "I don't come here to explain about what infatuated is, or what a crush is. I just want to know how this Naruto guy is."
"Crush?" He muttered to himself. Curious. "Is that why Hinata faints everytime Naruto talks to her?"
"She faints around him?!" Hanabi almost yelled. "Sister gets it bad. Real bad." Muttering, she nods to herself, then shakes her head, then nods again and then shakes her head again. She looks up. "Is he blonde?"
"Yes."
"Is he handsome? Cute?"
"..."
She stared when he didn't answer. Hanabi almost regretted on behalf of her sister that she was in love with this Naruto guy instead of this redhead. The redhead certainly wasn't looking bad at all.
"Tell me, just your opinion, is he?"
"I don't know." Because Gaara didn't know what standard for him to base on. "Is he nice?"
"Yes." That, he knew for sure.
"Tell me more about him."
"He's... everyone says he's an idiot and he pranks his teachers."
If Gaara was to be honest, he didn't know why everyone says he was an idiot. Surely someone's intelligence couldn't be based only on their skill in math or another academic subject. He had seen it himself that Naruto aced every kind of sport, be it athletic or non-athletic. He did great at his first time trying any sport, like a dark horse.
Hanabi laughed, her hand made a kind of vague gesture. "That much I already know. Literally everyone but him knows."
"Knows about what?"
"My sister's infatuation..." There was that word again, Gaara thought. "...with this blond kid named Naruto."
Then Temari showed up. Her hands on her hips, standing in her brother's doorway. "There you are! Come, Hanabi. Dinner's ready, let's all eat. Yes, you too Gaara. And Hanabi, after this we continue our lesson for another hour and solve your homework with my aid, then you can go home. Understood?"
"Yes, Ma'am!" She saluted, smiling, she really liked Temari as her mentor. She taught math better than any teacher ever could and because of her now math seemed so easy to her and she aced every math test despite not having paid any attention in class. Hanabi made her way to follow her to the dinning room.
Gaara followed them closely behind, several thoughts running through his mind, and the gears in his brain working hard.
.
0oOo0
.
Despite everyone knowing Hyuuga Hinata being an admirer of Uzumaki Naruto, Gaara doubted she talked about it to anyone. The blunette was indeed hopeless in this whole thing about a certain Uzumaki. She didn't have a close girl friend, or a close friend for that matter save her cousin and little sister. But Gaara doubted that Hinata talked to Neji about Naruto, like girls usually did to their girl friends, having seen himself how her cousin reacted to her fainting. He seemed the type to beat up any boy dare enough to get close to his cousin and judging by how Neji instantly looked at Naruto, Gaara knew that Neji was well aware of his cousin being an admirer of the young Uzumaki. Hinata was hopeless as she was helpless.
Gaara was a lone wolf. That Uchiha was certainly one too. And this blunette most likely was too. The whole time he had been her classmate as well as her seatmate, she never talked to anyone beside him and Shino (the boy behind her) and Sai (the boy beside Shino). Hinata only spoke to students whose seats were close to hers. She didn't talk to the girl in front of her, though. It was because the girl had never talked to her first and the other two boys had. Had Gaara been seated three desks away behind her, he was one-hundred percent sure she would've never spoke to him too. So it was safe to say that Hinata was a lone wolf too.
Hinata had come to accept that her secret wasn't secret anymore. Uchiha had made himself clear that he knew his bestfriend was being crushed on by the Hyuuga. As scared as she was, she doubted he would tell Naruto. Maybe he had, but Naruto, being the dense kid he was, still didn't get it. It seemed that everyone but Naruto knew. Well maybe not everyone, Hinata mused, it seemed like her asocial seatmate didn't know anything about her, or so she tought.
Shaking her head a bit too violently, she refused to be this distracted so early, this was the first class of the day. Her read-headed seatmate wasn't furiously sketching in his binder anymore, binder that he was supposed to write notes on. It seemed that he had finished a quick drawing. Hinata timidly turned her head a little to look at Gaara then to his closed sketchbook. Her left hand reached out for that sketchbook, ignoring how she suddenly got so bold, she really couldn't seem to turn her attention back to the powerpoint slide the teacher was showing.
When Gaara didn't do anything to prevent her, she placed the sketchbook on her lap under the desk, afraid of Iruka taking a glimpse of it that could get them both in trouble. It looked like a new brand new sketchbook. Maybe it was, he probably had just bought it. She had seen most of his drawings in his old sketchbook.
When she reached the first page, though, her eyes widened.
Gaara watched her reaction quietly and smirked. He waited.
"Gaara, what..." She whispered.
In front of her was a drawing she would have never thought Gaara would draw. It was a drawing of her. Of her and her crush together. It was Hinata and Naruto. A drawing of Hinata and Naruto. There was a touch of his style in that drawing, so she knew it was his. She let it sink in her brain. What was happening?
In that sketchbook, Hinata had blood splattered on her face but her expression was solemn and happy and she was looking at Naruto who had the same bloody condition. It looked like they had been through an apocalypse in some alternate universe. What she didn't understand was how Gaara could capture her and Naruto's expression without having to look at them while he drew. A talent.
Hinata turned wide-eyed at him. Her eyes flashing confusion and demanding explanation but Gaara could only let out a, "Do you like it?" Hearing no answer, he said again, "It took days to draw that."
"Why?"
"I have noticed your...infatuation with Naruto."
Hinata blushed bright red at his use of word. She wasn't infatuated! She simply...admired Naruto. This was Hanabi's doing, Hinata was sure of it. "I'm not infatuated!" She whisper-squeaked, "Admire him, yes, but not infatuated!"
The corner of his mouth turned up a little.
"Do you take commissions?" Hinata blurted out. Apparently Gaara knew about her little crush too and she had given up. She had to own this drawing, or probably ask him to make more.
"Well I actually wasn't going to let anyone have my drawing. But you seem to like my art that much." His voice was quiet, above a whisper. "So yes."
"How much is this drawing?"
"Don't worry it's not pricey. Just a little money and a favour."
She glanced worriedly to the front class. Iruka didn't notice them and Naruto was absent again today. He was absent too the day after she passed out on him.
"I need you to come with me to visit a friend's house."
He smiled. Yes, he was going to do it his way. First subtly, then not so subtly.
.
0oOo0
.
Hinata still had no idea whose house it was in front of her. Gaara brought her here as part of her payment for his ridiculously beautiful art.
Apparently the original price for his art was quite expensive and she didn't have that much money (his father had enormous fortune but she didn't want to claim it was hers, hers was the money she had saved for years), so he halved the price for her if she did what he wanted her to do.
He punched the bell once again. The door swung open and a beautiful woman with bright red hair like Gaara's appeared. She wondered briefly if she was his mother. She smiled as she looked at both her and her male friend.
"Gaara! It's been a long time since the last time you visited. You brought a friend!" Her eyes moved to Hinata. Oh this beautiful woman wasn't Gaara's mother then. "Hinata I'm glad you came to visit Naruto too." She smiled beautifully. Hinata froze. N-Naruto? I am in Naruto's house? I should've known, who else would he visit? As if Gaara had another friend other than Naruto. No offense to Gaara.
The corners of her mouth turned up into a timid smile. This woman was so beautiful in ways she couldn't even explain. Somehow Hinata didn't notice how she knew her name already.
"Come, come inside!" She opened the door wide, letting both teenagers take off their shoes. "Naruto is in his room. He has just eaten so I don't think he's sleeping already. He's quite miserable, you know. So a visit from friends would make him feel better."
Hinata immediately knew who Naruto got his personality from.
"Naruto! You've got visitors!" She said loudly then opened the door to his room. Once they had been inside, they could see Naruto in his bed in a sitting position. His mother then left them both to themselves.
His cerulean eyes widened at the sight of Gaara and surprisingly, Hinata.
"Gaara! You came! Hinata too! What a surprise!" In his bed, Naruto looked really miserable. He looked pale. His eyes had lost the twinkle, they looked dull. She missed the color on his cheeks, the twinkle his eyes held, but he still got the same spirit. Being sick didn't stop him from being a sunshine, her sunshine.
She surprised herself for not being embarassed in Naruto's presence, maybe that was because Naruto looked so miserable she couldn't help but look at Naruto.
"How are you doing, Naruto?" Gaara calmly asked.
"Man, being sick sucks. I can't do anything, my stomach feels funny, my head is spinning, my skin is burning, and delicious food tastes like crap. Can't wait to get healthy again."
"You were absent too last week, Naruto-kun. Please maintain your health," Hinata finally spoke, keeping her blush down. His eyes went from Gaara to her.
Oh. Last week's sickness was fake and it was because he was afraid of being in the same area as Neji. This time, though, was real. But she didn't know that and she didn't need to know that. He mentally cringed.
He smiled seepishly. "Yeah. I will be healthy in no time and I promise I will not get sick again. Don't worry."
The conversation went on for another thirty minutes, but despite there were three people in the room, Naruto was still being the one who dominated the conversation. That happened when the other two people were as quiet as midnight. But Gaara and Hinata could tell that Naruto was more than happy to talk a lot and to have them both listen to him. Hinata was sure she could see colors rushing back to his face. Lively colors.
Then his mother barged in to invite them both for dinner. The two hadn't realized that it was already dark. Another blonde man was there, looking so much like Naruto, in his work attire. At the dinner, she finally knew her name was Uzumaki Kushina and Naruto's father's name was Minato. Then the day ended with Gaara asking Naruto to get well really soon and that he couldn't wait to have Naruto back at school, and Hinata shyly telling him to rest well and another shy 'see you at school.'
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0oOo0
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They walked down the road in silence. Several thoughts running through her mind. Somehow she knew Gaara was doing this for her. "Gaara," she began. He hmm'd to let her know that he was listening. "Can you draw chibis too? You know, those cute drawings with small bodies and big heads?" Hinata asked.
A corner of his mouth turned up. He was fighting the smile that was threatening to show up. "Yes. I think I can do that." Then she pulled out his new sketchbook from her bag and handed it to him, asking him to draw again there. As Neji pulled over the curb, she offered him a ride home which he accepted since the bus stop was a quite long way.
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0oOo0
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He showed her the finished chibi she asked for. Having seen terrifying morbid artworks from him most days, she was quite surprised at the finished result. She couldn't have known he was also talented in cute drawings. The drawings of her and Naruto in this were too adorable that she didn't believe at first that Gaara drew this. She almost squealed. He cut the price in half and ask her to do another thing.
"That day you passed out when Naruto asked you to Ichiraku," he began. Hinata could feel herself breaking a sweat. "W-what about it?" He smirked in a way only Gaara could. "Make up for it. Ask him to Ichiraku after school, it's his favorite ramen stand."
"Will you be coming with us?"
"No."
She glanced at Naruto who was now talking with his own seatmate, Shikamaru, and Kiba, his back facing her. Hinata broke another sweat. "Just Naruto and I? The two of us?" Gaara nodded once. "I don't think I can do that."
"Then you have to pay for the full price. Just to let you know, it was physically painful to draw these chibis." Somehow Hinata wasn't surprised. "I'll ask him," she finally said.
"Good luck."
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0oOo0
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Somehow Hinata knew she was doomed when she asked for more art from Gaara. His artworks were always beautiful and movie-poster worthy. His art always exceeded expectations. And he kept telling her what to do and it always involved Naruto.
He once asked Hinata to come to Chouji's new BBQ restaurant opening since he invited the whole class with no exception, promising that he would be there too so that she at least would have two people that she was comfortable with. Since she didn't do well in crowds and got overwhelmed easily.
The class squad had been surprised seeing Gaara there. As he had never participated in any class event. She had sat next to Naruto, who sat next to Gaara.
Anything that brought her closer to the blonde.
Someday, someday maybe Hinata would dare enough to show these artworks to Naruto when she was brave enough to tell him her feelings. How these drawings were beautiful because it was about her and him and that her bestfriend drew them all. Yes, she thought of Gaara as her bestfriend.
Hanabi found out a few weeks later about the sketchbook full of drawings that she was sure Hinata didn't do. Having noticed the signature that wasn't Hinata's in each drawing, whose curve also looked like it started with the letter G, she made a guess quickly.
Hinata told her then that she paid for them and that her seatmate did it. Hanabi had teased her to no end. So the next math tutor, she was planning to go to Temari's.
"I don't know what you have done, Gaara. But it seems to be working," Hanabi said. She was in a break and was eating dinner. Gaara joined them both. His other sibling, Kankuro, always worked until very late so Hanabi hadn't gotten the pleasure to meet him.
"What is working?" Temari asked. Curious. To her, it looked like there was some illegal business going down between her brother and her student.
"You see. Gaara had been painting or drawing, I don't really know the difference, these beautiful artworks for Hinata."
Temari raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What is he drawing?"
"Her and her crush, Naruto."
"Oh? And what is about this that's working? They're dating already? Hinata and this Naruto?"
Gaara was still calmly eating his food. Hanabi giggled. "Not yet. But they're closer than ever. Last night I caught sister on the phone with him. You see, they've been texting and calling."
He almost choked. That was actually his work. He remembered asking Hinata to text Naruto. Getting his number was quite easy since the class had their own group chat. Hinata just hadn't had the courage all this time.
Which was also the reason why Sasuke hadn't bothered to be in any group chat since that one time he had been getting spam texts from Sakura, Karin, and Ino. He changed his number and hadn't been in any group chat ever since.
Gaara's little smirk didn't go unnoticed by Hanabi. Temari's eyes widened comically. She looked at him like he'd just grown another head.
"Are you saying that my stoic, emo, asocial little brother is playing matchmaker?" Hanabi almost spit her orange juice out. "What is the world coming to?" Temari was geuninely amazed. Now that Hanabi thought about it, it indeed looked like Gaara was playing matchmaker.
"Whatever you're doing, Gaara-nii, you're doing the lord's work."
He sipped his tea. "I'm just doing...the seatmate's work." If he was to be honest, he was quite flustered. He was doing this in silence!
"No need to be all shy, Gaara-nii, you're starting to look like my sister. After all, this is because of you, my sister is happier and her crush notices her. From now on, it's just a countdown before they're officially going out."
Gaara wondered how someone as young and little as Hanabi could be talking about this and sounding more experienced than him, Hinata, Naruto, and Temari combined.
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0oOo0
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Hanabi had been right. It was little changes but those little changes mattered. Naruto started going to school earlier to talk to Hinata before class started. He invited her to Ichiraku more often. And Hinata was now brave enough to go to Naruto's house without him.
There was also the midnight calls and texts that none of them were telling. Somehow he was getting reports from Hanabi even though Gaara didn't ask for them.
They now walked to the school gate together too, Naruto always waiting for Kou, her family's driver, to pick her up. Him waving enthusiastically, and Hinata waving back shyly before getting in the car. Then Naruto accompanied her to the bookstore when she needed new books, and always offering his company afterwards. Naruto hugged her when he felt happy. They went to new places together, last time being the new ice cream parlour down the road. Naruto's friends quickly caught up and teased him to no end, Sasuke included, in his own unusual way.
Then there was also the stolen glances. Now it wasn't only Hinata who did it. Naruto did it too. But when Hinata caught him staring, instead of looking away, Naruto just grinned at her, his eyes always twinkling. When Naruto caught her staring, though, he did the grinning for her.
Gaara watched them both get closer and his chest felt tight with strange feelings. Not jealousy, mind you. He somehow felt like watching his child growing up. Which didn't make any sense at all since he didn't know how it was like to have a child and he never had a child in his life.
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0oOo0
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Somewhere in the Uzumaki household...
"Minato can you believe that?" Kushina sobbed. "Our boy is all grown up. We're going to be grandparents." She sobbed harder. Minato patted her back, he might or might not have sweat-dropped.
Exasperated, Naruto ran his hand through his blonde locks. "Mom... stop it." His parents could be embarassing sometimes. He turned and looked at Hinata and his eyes softened, his heart doing that strange thing whenever he looked at her.
He offered his hand for her to hold. "Come. Let's get out of here. Casual stroll in the park sounds nice, don't you think?"
"Yes. It does." She smiled, putting her hand on his as he took her hand in his. The night breeze greeted her face when they opened the door to the outside, her heart feeling warm.
When she found them both stopping in their track, she glanced up at him curiously. The next thing she knew was Naruto's face leaning closer to her and she found herself unable to look away from the blue pools that were his eyes that gleamed in the dark. His mouth turning into a sly smirk.
"Hinata, please don't faint."
And Hinata found herself wanting to melt into a gooey mess. But she closed her eyes and felt his mouth on hers.
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0oOo0
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The next time Hanabi was in his house, she was knocking in his bedroom door with a remarkable force a tiny-looking girl couldn't possibly have. When he opened the door, he found Hanabi standing there, smiling an ear-to-ear grin. Her eyes gleaming.
"Guess what?"
"What?"
"You are so going to be Hinata and Naruto's child's future godfather."
"They're expecting a child?"
"Sometimes you're dumb for a genius." Gaara could feel his eye twitch. "No, Gaara-nii. Of course they are going to, some time in the future. Right now they are officially going out. You know, dating. In relationship. Real."
Somehow she felt the need to emphasis each meaning of dating. She couldn't fight the smile off her face.
"I am glad."
"Just remember that you heard from me first."
"Hmm."
"Gaara-nii san."
"What?"
"Do you think they've had their first kiss already?"
"..."
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—FIN—
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0oOo0
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1) I apologize if you feel like the Naruhina moments are lacking. I actually wanted to emphasis on Gaara and Hinata's friendship and how he helped her as a bestfriend.
I have read several fics that always have Hinata's bestfriends do makeover for her, dress her up in clothes she's uncomfortable in, etc etc. I don't like that actually. I am the type to feel extremely uncomfortable (and pissed) doing something I am forced to or I don't like, so I always sympathize with her lol.
So about this oneshot, I was aiming to get a bestfriend for her whose personality is so much alike. And I've loved Gaara since his psycho, homicidal days. So that's it, I made him her bestfriend. Instead of making her do uncomfortable things to get close to Naruto, in this fic, Gaara accompanies Hinata in some occasions so she'll have a familiar face around, until she's comfortable enough alone in Naruto's presence.
2) English is not my first language, as you can detect from my very limited vocabulary. So if there are repetitions of words, or limited diction, I am very sorry. If you also find any incorrect use of grammar, I am very sorry, please kindly point it out for me. I am still learning. I receive constructive reviews, but please don't be too hard on me. I also apologize if you found typos, I have beta-read this several times, maybe I've still missed the typos.
Thank you for reading.