Disclaimer : Naruto/Naruto Shippudden does not belong to me. If it does, I'd like to have Hidan for myself coz i think he's damn hot. I think he's the only character to actually show his chest.
A/N: I have made minor changes to the story, mostly at the ending...just to make it nicer. And I do hope it would be more heartwarming than the original. :) Plus, taking an advise from a fellow reviewer (Shukaku-chan) to correct my Japanese (i'm not offended. And I thank you.) I hope it would have looked better. :)
Choosing a Bride (slightly edited)
Gaara had spent the past thirty minutes looking through the file in front of him - profiles (pictures included) on some of the Konoha's female shinobi, supposedly potential wife for himself. He sighed and closed the file and lean back against the chair. Why he had accepted – or at least think that the proposal seems to make sense – he had no idea.
There was a knock on the door and he granted the visitor to come in. Temari opened the door and saw his brother resting against his chair with eyes closed.
"I heard the news" Temari said. "You are not serious about it, are you?" Gaara didn't reply. "You know, if you accepted, the situation is different. Shikamaru and I are in love. To have us married and having myself as an ambassador for Suna is a good proposal. But to have an arrange marriage for you, just so your wife would be the ambassador for Konoha..." Gaara still did not reply. "What did Tsunade-sama say about it?"
"She objected." Gaara said bluntly. Temari cocked her head towards her little brother. "She thinks that arranged marriage is outdated. Youngsters would rather fall in love and get married."
"Oh" Temari looked at the file on Gaara's table. "But I think she's right. Don't you want that Gaara? I'm just worried that you may end up not being happy."
"I have not agreed to anything." Gaara flipped through the file again. "But I did say I was open to suggestions and I also said that if I do agree, it would be on my terms."
"And that would be?"
"I choose my bride. And she herself would decide if she wants to marry me."
"And what if you couldn't find a bride to your liking or if you do find one and she does not agree?" Temari asked.
"Then nothing will happen. We will simply get someone from Konoha to be the ambassador without having me marrying." He closed the file again and looked up at Temari.
"If so, you could have just reject the proposal and not having to go through the hassle of finding yourself a bride from Konoha in the first place" Temari reached for the file that Gaara had been flipping. "So why?"
"The elders were right" Gaara stood by the window overlooking the setting sun. "I'm already twenty four and alone. Agreeing to this arrangement, not only will I be married but it would be beneficial for Konoha as well as Suna."
Temari frowned at his answer. It wasn't that Gaara lack in the looks department. He did have a lot of admirers but none of them would dare approach the Kazekage. And Temari understood that Gaara is afraid of rejection if he were to go after a girl, any girl. He was after all once a Jinchuuriki - he was once a monster. He may have changed to protect his people and his village and earned the respect of the people of Suna, yet she knew that most women would only dare to admire him from afar. And that is why, if he were to agree to proposal, it would be on his terms.
"I wonder..." Gaara trailed, and was silent for a moment. "It is said that even in arrange marriages, love could be nurtured. Eventually..." He did not continue, leaving his thoughts hanging.
Temari could not reply. She knew how Gaara had longed to know how it feels like to love - to be in love. She had seen him with a longing eyes everytime, she's with Shikamaru or when he saw other couples. Eventhough she and Kankuro loves him, it was different. Gaara needed something more, a kind of love he could call his own. She looked up and saw the last ray of the sun peeking out behind the trees as it touched the red haired figure.
"I'm going for a walk." Gaara turned and walk past Temari. "Don't worry about me. Konoha is a very safe place." He said as he unlocked the door. "And I won't have to worry about you living here with Shikamaru in the future." Gaara gave a faint smile to his sister before closing the door behind him.
...
He wasn't sure where he was going. But he allowed his feet to carry him. His thoughts brought him back to the files. None had really interest him, though it showed him some interesting people. Sakura was one of the girls in the file. He would NEVER have her, knowing that Naruto was head over heels with the pink haired girl. Besides, he personally think that they both make quite a good match, both being quite loud and annoyingly cheerful. And Sakura, wasn't his kind of girl. She was violent. He wondered how Naruto is able to take all her beatings and smacking.
There was a girl named Yakumo, who is able to use powerful genjutsu. However, she was not really strong physically and the information on her said that she had a monster within her. Gaara could understand her plight but he had no intention of having a wife who might be a threat to his home. He knew that he had no right to jugde her but afterall he had to think about his people.
And there was Hyuuga Hanabi. She was the youngest amongst the list and he she reminded him of someone. Then it clicked to him that Hyuuga Hanabi had the same eyes as Neji and his cousin, Hinata. He already know about the Hyuuga bloodline and capabilities. They are definately one of the strongest clan in Konoha. But he was wondering why Hyuuga Hinata's profile is not in the file.
The sun has already settled. The moon and the stars are the only light that guided him in the forest. In a distance towards his right he could hear the waterfall and he moved towards the direction. It would probably be a nice place to think. As he neared his destination, through the trees, he could see a figure at the waterfall. He stopped, calculating if it's a friend of foe and he decide to wait for a while before he or the person make any move. He hid himself behind a tree, but enough to see what he or she is doing. And what he saw was something beautiful. A girl was dancing - no, she was doing a stance yet she moved gracefully, gliding, twirling accompanied with the sprays of water around her. The she stopped and walked towards his direction. He thought that maybe she had found out his whereabouts. But she stopped on one of the large boulder and laid on the flat surface, gazing out towards the sky.
Once he thinks that it is safe, he move towards her. As he stepped out into the clearings, she abruptly sat up and faced him, hands holding a kunai in a fighting stance. It didn't surprise him though, as he had purposely walked in a rather noisy manner. Perhaps she had already known he was hiding in the first place. Afterall, she is Hyugaa Hinata. Once she saw him, her posture relaxed.
"Kazekage-sama" he frown slightly at the name she called him. "May I know what are you doing here? It could be dangerous for you." It amuse him that she said that, afterall, it really is almost impossible to defeat him. Almost. She had already stood on the boulder and he had to looked up slightly. From where he stood, the full moon was directly atop of her head and the slight breeze idly played her long midnight blue hair. And her eyes were just like the moon. She had changed from the last time he had seen her, when she and the other Konoha Shinobi had came to his rescue from Shitenshounin leader of Takumi Village, Seimei. She had grown taller, longer hair that reached her waist and curves at the right places. To think of it, tonight was the first time he had seen those curves. She would normally had her jacket on but now she was only with her black tank top and pants.
"I could accompany you back to the village." She still had the same small voice but no more stuttering and with a lot more confidence.
He took a look to his right towards the waterfall. And noted that she was just doing what any shinobi would do - her responsibility to protect. Especially if it was a Kazekage.
"Are you saying that, I am in need of a bodyguard to bring me back to the village?" He asked, without looking at her.
"Gomen. I didn't mean to sound it that way. I am just carrying out my -"
"-duties." He complete the sentence for her. "I understand. If that's the case." He jumped up to the bolder next to her and sat down on the flat surface. "Perhaps you could guard me while I spend my time here for a while." She was hesitant for a while, but soon she took a place beside him.
"Gaara" he said. She turned towards him with a questioning look. "I'd like you to call me Gaara, Hinata" She nodded saying a "hai". He could see that she had a blush crept up on her cheeks, likely it's because he called her name or maybe she wasn't expecting him to know of her name. Temari had told him of her crush on Naruto and how she'd faint whenever Naruto is near her and Hinata was a painfully shy person, that she often thinks that nobody would notice her. He glanced to his right, taking in her looks and he actually find her to be attractive. Naruto must be blind not to notice this. But everyone has their own taste. They sat there blissfully in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable and he appreciated her being with him without showing any fear or judgement and tonight was the closest thing he ever had being near to a woman he hardly knew.
"Are you not afraid of me?" He questioned. He really wonder since she had not said a thing to him.
"Should I Gaara?" He had to smile. She sure is witty.
"My past..." he continued.
"Has got noting to do with the present. Naruto-kun is still one and I am a friend of his, am I not?" She said.
"Naruto and I. We might be Jinchuuriki but we are different. You know that don't you?" He now had his face turn facing her. Wanting to read her expression.
"Perhaps. But we are all alike." WE? he wondered what she meant. "Same feelings, same pain only different situations. And at that point of time, we hoped, we prayed and hold on to something or someone who thinks that we deserves second chances and deserves better. So Naruto-kun, you and I. And perhaps Neji and Lee-kun are not much different. We all try our best to prove our worth. And the only difference between us and Naruto-kun is that, Naruto hold on to his dreams, we hold on to Naruto-kun for our dreams"
"You like Naruto, don't you?" She did not reply for a while and he regretted that he poked his nose into other people's affair. "It's personal, I should'nt -"
"Iie (No)" Was it No as in the question wasn't personal or No as in she does not like Naruto, he wasn't sure. He gave her a questioning look.
"Iie (No) it's not a personal question." She gave him a smile. "And I don't like Naruto in that way either." He was shocked, he thought he knew her answer due to her silence. Besides, it was known throughout Konoha that she had a huge crush on Naruto. "Once, a long time ago, perhaps. But it was just a silly schoolgirl crush. But he did give me courage and strength when i needed it most. He gave those to most of us. Don't you think so?" Gaara nodded in agreement.
"What do you think of arranged marriage?" Gaara asked. He was wondering what she felt about it.
She pulled her legs up to her chest and hugged her legs and her chin rested on her knees, looking up to the moon. "I suppose it couldn't be that bad, I think. Afterall, parents matchmake their childern because they think it is best for them. Provided that the future spouse is someone decent at least. But I think getting married when you are in love would be nicer." Then she tilt her head to one side, cheeks against her knees. "Anyway, it is said that love could be nurtured. It need to take both parties thou. But eventually, maybe someday...it would be nice to have a happy ending"
They fell into a comfortable silence again before she asked him, "Then what about you? What do you think? Most people -"
"- I think you are right." Gaara answered before she could continue further. He knew what most people think. But she and him are not those most people. "Gaara smiled and he stood up. "I think it's time for us to head back to the village."
She stood up with her jacket and put it on. "Allow me to escort you home." Her voice soft yet with confidence and determination and her cheeks tinted pink, probably due to their conversation.
"I insist that I escort you home." Gaara said. And when he saw that she was about to retort, he continued "I am afterall the Kazekage, I believe you should be listening to my order?" She looked at him for a while before nodding.
They reached the Hyugaa's compound withing fifteen minutes. And they stood outside the gate for a moment.
"Arigato. For sending me home." a blush crept to Hinata's cheek. He nodded and waited for her to be back into her home safely. As she turn around to push open the gate, he held onto her hand and quickly let it go when she turned to face him.
"I was wondering. You could have left and not stayed with me just now. I am sure that you know that I am capable to defending myself and it is not exactly an obligation for you to guard me." For the first time in his twenty four years of life he blushed.
She smiled at him. "I just thought that you needed someone to talk too. That's why I stayed." She pushed the gate ajar, and stopped for a second. "Goodnight Gaara." and she was gone behind closed door. He was having butterflies in his stomach. Ticklish or flipping, he couldn't really describe it. He never felt it before, but the fluttering of butterflies in his stomach sent warmth throughout his body unlike he had felt before. And he welcome the new strange experience. And he wondered if falling in love feels like this.
Gaara smile, knowing that he found himself the perfect bride. He needed someone strong yet kind, gentle and compassionate. Someone who would understand and not judge him. Someone he knew he could learn to love and be loved back. He needed Hinata. Nevermind if she is not in the list of girls in the file. He could always insist. Afterall, this matchmaking is for the greater good for both Konoha and Suna.
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