Author Note: This idea came to me awhile back, since I'd always wondered how Gaara would be able to control his blood thirst, even though the demon is gone. Despite that, it's not like he could just forget all that; it was like a habit, right? He could ignore those urges, sure, but how hard would it be to not view bloodshed in the same way? Anyway, yeah, so here's the one-shot. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Macabre
"Whether we fall by ambition, blood, or lust, like diamonds we are cut with our own dust."
-John Webster
Why was this happening? She couldn't understand any of this for the life of her. How could this have happened? Why was it still happening? Most importantly…why couldn't she stop it?
Only one color invaded her mind: red. The color of his hair. Everywhere she looked there was red. Blood on the walls, the floors, and the furniture. Blood on the grass, dirt, trees, and rocks. Blood coated on the motionless bodies that littered the ground everywhere she turned. Blood on her white night gown and pale hands. There was no other color that she could see. Not the bright yellow of the blonde boy she loved so dearly for years. Not the unique pink of Sakura's hair, the light blue of Ino's eyes, the green of Lee's infamous outfit, the brown of Kiba's unkempt hair, the mysterious black shade of Shino's sunglasses, and…not the silver white of her older cousin's eyes so identical to hers.
No…there was only red…blood red…and it was because of him.
She should've known his intentions; she should've known how deeply obsessed he had become. And she was a fool for not doing something about it before. It was too late now, and it was all her fault. If only she had succumbed to him when he asked…perhaps none of this pointless bloodshed would've happened. Then again, it wasn't in him to just "let things go" or take what he wants and leave peacefully. That wasn't him, and she should've known that.
Tears spilled over her cheeks as she collapsed on the bloodstained grass of the Hyuga garden—her once peaceful sanctuary. Her body wracked with sobs, her skin shivered from the cold breeze and the sights she had seen. Her breathing was shaky and quick to match her rapidly beating heart. Her hands fisted into the grass before her body gave out and she fell onto the ground with her eyes staring in loss at the once-beautiful flowers.
As she laid there with the distant screams slowly fading into nothing, she wondered so helplessly how this had all started. Perhaps…she was just a fool from the very moment they met. Yes…she was fool for being nice and caring and so accepting. Confusion settled in as she truly wondered what he had seen in her.
Eighteen-year-old Hinata Hyuga sat at the bar of the ramen stand with her bowl of ramen right in front of her. It was her lunch break, and she would have to get back to the hospital in about ten minutes, and then work for a few more hours until her shift ended.
Most of the medical ninjas preferred having their lunches at the hospital, which would save the time from walking to a restaurant or store. In truth, Hinata was always one of those med-nins who ate at the hospital. However, Tsunade had allowed her a longer lunch, so Hinata took advantage of the opportunity and decided to go out to eat. And what better place to go then the quick and cheap Ichiraku Ramen?
Hinata ate one more bite, took a glance at her watch, and paid for her meal. She had five minutes to get back to the hospital, and she wasn't going to be late. After saying her gratitude to the ramen shop owner, she slid off the stool and exited the ramen bar only to run into a familiar blonde ninja she knew.
"Hinata-chan!" Naruto waved her down even though they were standing a mere foot in front of each other. "What are you doing here?"
Hinata involuntarily blushed at his presence, and smiled warmly. "I just…came here for lunch before I have to go back to work."
"Oh, that's cool. Damn," he glanced to his side, but Hinata's eyes seemed to be solely trained on him. "I wish we could've gotten here earlier, then we would've been able to have lunch with you."
Hinata's smile faltered for a moment when she heard his statement. Her head tilted in confusion. "We?"
Naruto's face brightened as he motioned over to the slightly taller man standing next to him. "You remember Gaara, right Hinata-chan? He's the Kazekage of Suna, but don't you worry! I'll be hokage pretty soon since I promised I wouldn't lose to you, Gaara!"
While Naruto continued to ramble on, Hinata's eyes locked onto the man she hadn't seen in five years. She absently gulped and stared at him warily. She remembered his gruesome past—having seen some of it herself—but she knew that it would be wrong to judge him. He was Naruto's friend now, he had changed for the better, and he was the leader of his village.
Not to mention, she admitted with a small blush, he had grown into a very handsome man. She had no doubt that there were women fawning all over him at his village much in the same way Konoha women had obsessed over Sasuke Uchiha. Like Sasuke, Gaara emitted a presence of stoicism and calm. His eyes looked uncaring and bored, but they were the most interesting color of green she had ever seen. Or were they blue? Or maybe both? She wasn't sure, but now that she was taking a good look, they were very intriguing.
His red hair had also grown longer, but remained just as wild as it had always been. He still carried the same gourd on his back, but his clothes had differed. Hinata also had to admit that his new clothes suited him better.
Not realizing she had been staring so intently, she nearly jumped when his cold eyes flashed to meet hers. She averted her gaze, blushed in embarrassment, and twirled her fingers together nervously. "Um," she gazed up at him through her dark bangs. "It-It's nice to meet you again, Kazekage-sama." She bowed for a quick moment before standing erect again.
By this time, Naruto had flung an arm around her shoulders and turned to face his red-haired friend. "Hey Gaara, you remember Hinata-chan, don't you? She's the quiet and shy one."
Gaara nodded shortly in acknowledgement, but his eyes stayed fixated on her face. Oh yes, he remembered her all right. "I watched your fight in the Chunin exams when you lost to your cousin." He noticed her flinch at the memory, but she smiled at him nonetheless. But, it wasn't just the fight that he remembered so well. It was her blood that had been spilt that triggered his memory more clearly. Yes, that delicious smell of blood and innocence. A rare combination. Gaara no longer contained the sand demon, but the scent of her blood had never truly faded from his memory over the years. And now that he was seeing her again, and how much she had changed, he came to one realization. The scent of her blood was still as intoxicating as ever. From deep within his mind, he wanted to quench his newfound thirst.
Hinata's tear-filled eyes gazed wearily up at the full moon in the night sky. A few wispy clouds were slowly moving to block the moonlight from sending its rays down onto the fragile woman. With a sigh, she closed her eyes only to notice something bone-chilling. With a gasp, her eyes snapped open and she listened intently only to realize that she could no longer hear any screams.
There was silence, and only silence. Her heart began to beat loudly in her chest as she struggled to sit back up again. After accomplishing that, she pushed herself up to stand on her tiresome feet. She swayed for a minute before taking a few steps. Her gaze stared dizzily at the bloody ground before straying upwards to see something that made her eyes widen in horror.
The shadow of a man danced on the walls of the hallway, which was a ways across from her position. Just by looking at the devilish shadow, she was able to easily discern from the wild hair and strange shape on the back resembling a gourd, that this was Gaara, the murderer of her family and clan. He hadn't exited the hallway yet, but she could tell he was coming closer towards her direction.
"Hinata…" His deep and scratchy voice called out to her in the silence. "Where are you…Hinata?"
Hinata breathed a few shaky breaths before a quiet sob escaped her lips. Her hands automatically went up to wipe at the tears now streaming down her forlorn face, and it was then that she realized just how much blood she wore.
It was stained on her nightgown, her feet, her arms, her hands, and now smeared across her cheeks. That was just what she saw of her front; she was scared to see how terrible her back looked. What really terrified her, though, was the knowledge that none of this blood was hers to begin with. She had held too many dead bodies in her arms in just the past ten minutes.
Seemingly frozen in place as his shadow loomed closer down the hallway, Hinata was suddenly jarred out of her tense shock when a hand clamped around her mouth and another hand gripped onto her arm. Before Hinata even had time to scream, a voice hissed quietly into her ear. "Come on, Hinata, we have to hide!"
Hinata glanced behind her and saw her younger sister staring at her with pleading panic. Her bottom lip was trembling and the poor girl was drenched in just as much blood as she was. Still feeling in a daze, she allowed her sister to practically drag her away from the blood-drenched garden and down a distant hallway.
They didn't stop until Hanabi had pushed her older sister into a random dark room and shut the door stealthily behind her. With her back to the door and her breathing labored, she gazed with wide eyes at Hinata, who was collapsed onto the ground with her shaking arms holding her up. If she looked closely, she could see small teardrops fall to the ground between her palms.
Hanabi calmed her breathing, even though her heart was still beating rapidly, and edged over towards Hinata until she was sitting right in front of her. Gripping onto her shoulders, she shook her slightly. "Hinata…What's going on?" she whispered frighteningly. "Why is this happening? Who is that guy? Isn't he the Kazekage? What is he doing here and what did he do with father and Neji-niisan?"
Hinata could only shake her head as silent sobs tore through her fragile body. "He killed them, Hanabi…He said he killed them all…" She sniffed and wiped at her face with her trembling hands. "Sakura-chan, Tenten-chan, Ino-chan, Shino-kun…Kiba-kun…even Naruto-kun! He killed them all when they were sleeping…"
If it was possible, Hanabi looked even more terrified than before. Putting on a shaky smile, she shook Hinata's frame again. "Don't worry, Hina-chan…help will come. Hokage-sama is probably sending help right now…"
Hinata only shook her head again in hopelessness. "Nobody knows…Nobody saw him…Our whole clan is dead…I saw it all…"
"Did he see you?" Hanabi held her sister's face in her hands and lifted it so their eyes would meet. "Did you see you, Hinata?" she asked urgently.
Again, she shook her head. "I've been running…He hasn't found me yet…" Her eyes widened as she grasped onto Hanabi's wrists in desperation. "He keeps calling out to me, Hanabi…He's trying to find me…He won't stop until he finds me…He keeps calling…and calling…and calling…It won't stop…until he finds me…"
Hanabi gulped and wrapped her arms around her older sister. "Then we just have to stay quiet and he won't find you."
Despite how comforting her words were supposed to be, the same thing kept running through Hinata's mind like a haunting lullaby. He will find me…He always does…
It was strange, and she couldn't remember how exactly it happened, but over the course of Gaara's stay in Konoha, they had become something akin to friends. She wouldn't go so far as to say that she held the type of bond with him like she did with Kiba and Shino, but she didn't consider them strangers or acquaintances either. She supposed it happened because she worked at the hospital just as Sakura did. Since Sakura and Naruto were quite close, the blonde would come to visit often. Gaara had been by Naruto's side for most of the trip, so it was really no surprise that the redhead would be seen with the blonde during those visits to the hospital.
Hinata was friends with Sakura, so she would also see Naruto during his visits, and thus, she would see Gaara as well. She believed that it was during those visits that they began to form a relationship of sorts. Naruto and Sakura were arguing continuously, which left the two quiet people to stand there awkwardly, well at least Hinata did. Also surprisingly, it was Gaara who initiated their first real conversation. Hinata couldn't recall what they talked about, but the uneasiness she usually held around him was slowly disappearing the longer they talked.
Gaara wasn't talkative by any means, mind you, but despite the comfortable silences, the conversation actually flowed most of the time, and their discussions were based on their own opinions concerning various matters. Whether it be politics, values, missions, fighting styles, or even what type of tea they preferred in the mornings, they would express their opinions on the issue and ask with pure inquiry as to what the other thought about it. Hinata was truly interested in what Gaara had to say about things, especially since his thought processes were based on logic and what suited the economy as well as the people. Hinata, on the other hand, based her opinions largely on how it would effect people as individuals.
The way Gaara would intensely stare at her as if every breath was important would always make Hinata blush and stammer in the middle of something she was saying. It happened every so often, which was embarrassing, considering that she hadn't stammered for years. Neji would be so disappointed in her.
As the days wore on, Gaara would no longer wait until Naruto's visits to the hospital in order to be with the timid female he had grown to be very attached to. Any amount of time he was able to inhale her scent would only increase the strange hunger he was feeling. It wasn't entirely a bloodlust, and it wasn't entirely lust of the flesh either, which he wasn't too familiar with. It was something in-between, something mixed. He knew it wouldn't be sated until he had her to himself, and all for himself. That was why he had made it his every endeavor to "run into" her whenever she was out on the town.
Hinata thought it all coincidence, and any other suspicions were brushed off to the side as soon as he invited her for coffee, tea, or a meal, depending on the time of day. Hinata would always agree because she couldn't manage to even think to say "no" when gazing into those deep eyes of his, which held an abyss of emotions she couldn't comprehend, but it always managed to make her heart beat much faster.
And so began Gaara's conquest for claiming the petite Hyuga as his own.
Hanabi suddenly screamed when a tendril of sand wrapped tightly around her ankle and forced her towards the closed door, from which the sand crept under.
Hinata's eyes widened as she rushed toward her sister and reached out a hand, hoping Hanabi would be able to grasp onto it. However, just as the two sisters' fingers touched, the younger Hyuga was yanked back through the door, causing it to splinter to pieces as the little girl was dragged around the corner in a gruesome manner. "Hinata!" She screamed pleadingly with obvious terror in her usually strong voice.
"Hanabi!" Hinata yelled, and without thinking, ran after her sister.
When she rounded one corner of the massacred compound, she caught sight of her younger sister digging her nails into the floorboards, trying to use what little muscle she had left in order to keep from being pulled towards a destination neither Hyuga knew about. Her little body was quaking with the added effort, but it only took one strong tug from the sand to make her be dragged once again down another hallway.
With her breathing labored, Hinata ran as fast as she could towards the last place Hanabi was before disappearing once again. As she passed the certain spot where Hanabi was clinging to, Hinata briefly glanced down to the floorboards and grimaced at the ripped nails embedded into the wood followed by long scratches of blood leading down the hallway. She stopped when she caught no sight of either her sister or the sand.
Following the faint trails of blood—assumably Hanabi's—Hinata trembled as her feet led her to a closed door with dim light peeking from underneath the frame. Her whole body was shaking as she reached for the handle. Her heart was beating too fast for her to breath, and she closed her eyes tightly as she bit down on her lip to keep her sobbing silent. Tears cascaded down her porcelain face as she tried to lessen the terror riding over her entire body.
She could hear screams and yells from behind the door, and she could easily recognize the screams belonging to her sister. Hinata knew now that Hanabi was inside that room…She also knew that Gaara was in there as well.
"Hinata…"
His scratchy, deep voice traveled to her ears from inside the room, making her gasp audibly in fright.
"I'd get in here if I were you…" His voice was almost calmly lilting as if he was a gentle person trying to coax an innocent animal into coming into his arms. However, it also held a strong hint of threat if she didn't obey.
Sniffling and whimpering quietly, she finally pushed the door away, allowing the dim light to shine onto her pale figure.
The first time Gaara kissed her, it came as the biggest surprise in Hinata's life. It was late at night after they had dinner, and he offered to escort her home. A few meters from reaching the entrance gate to the compound, they had stopped walking to say goodbye to each other. That's when it happened.
She couldn't comprehend how he felt for her. Her first conclusion had been that he was simply romantically interested in her, causing her to blush in flattery. In her heart, she knew she didn't exactly feel the same way, for he had become a close friend and confidant over the short time he was visiting. The only time she had ever felt something romantic was around the soon-to-be hokage. If Naruto wasn't interested in her like that, then why would someone as powerful and godly as the Kazekage of Suna even glance her way twice in that way?
That's not to say that she didn't enjoy the kiss, but the way he kissed her…it was…discomforting. The few times she had been kissed in the past, it was all very innocent and chaste. The way Gaara's cold lips met hers was ravenous. It was as if he had been deprived of human touch his entire life, and as soon as he felt it, he wouldn't let go until he made up for every touch he lost.
Hinata was submissive during the entire moment, which was due in part to the fact that she was still in a state of shock and disbelief. For the short moment, she had unintentionally let Gaara have his way with her.
The Kazekage took immense advantage of that. It began with just feeling the texture of her lips against his and gradually escalated to wanting to taste her. One surprisingly smooth hand rested against the side of her face while the other hand became entangled into her dark locks in order to move her to the angle he appreciated most.
His eyes were closed, as were hers, as he released his tongue to caress her lips. His thumb massaged her jaw, and as soon as her lips parted, his tongue dove in for the kill. His husky moan was both heard and felt, causing Hinata to nearly lose her breath at the new sensations. It seemed every rational thought she had completely disappeared from her mind. Suddenly, her own inner need for human touch was beginning to climb towards his own, and it terrified her.
Gaara nibbled, tasted, sucked, and even bit. His teeth pinched a small part of her bottom lip, causing little driblets of blood to come out. Hinata yelped at the sudden pain, but was drawn back into her hazy world as soon as he caressed the small wound with his tongue, tasting the blood he had always craved to taste.
That was when the kiss became dangerous.
The sand demon had long been extracted from Gaara's body, but the memories alone managed to awaken something hidden deep within his core. The bloodlust in which he had always pushed to the back of his mind and ignored had come back with a vengeance and in a totally different way than he ever experienced. He wanted to taste more of her, make her bleed, and then taste her again. He wanted to claim her and keep her with him always, make sure everyone knew that she was his and his alone. No man was to even look at her in a way that displeased him, and she was to only see him. Her mind, body, heart, and soul would belong to him, and in return, he would offer the same to her.
It was decided, and there would be no room for disagreement.
Unfortunately for him, Hinata's thoughts didn't walk on the same path as his own. That's where the problems started.
Not wanting Gaara to go any further, especially if it was his libido at the forefront of his mind, Hinata pushed herself away until there was a considerable amount of distance between them. The intense fire in his eyes made her melt and freeze at the same time, and it scared her. "Gaara, no…" She was panting and held one hand over her abused mouth. "This…This isn't right. We're just friends…aren't we? Nothing more…"
His eyes narrowed sadistically. "I don't see it that way." He raised an eyebrow as if daring her to reply to him in a way he wouldn't like. "Do you?"
Bottom lip shaking, she hesitantly nodded her head.
His hands slowly clenched into fists. "Why…" He questioned through his gritted teeth.
Gulping in fear at his dangerous mood change, Hinata's entire body seemed to tremble while she concentrated on giving him her honest answer. "I…I'm in love with Naruto-kun."
His eyes widened to a crazed degree as the familiar feeling of rage and betrayal began to envelop his entire body.
In the blink of an eye, Gaara was in front of her forcing her back to the wall. She screamed instinctually, but it was cut off when his hand clamped over her mouth. His strangely mixed eyes glared warningly into her own frightened ones. "That was the wrong thing to say."
She shook under his hold and winced from the tightening of his other hand gripping around her arm. Tears filled her vision, blurring his image.
"I won't give up." He murmured in a deathly tone. "Not for anything…" his lips moved over to her ear. "And it will be all your fault."
"What are you doing." A voice like burning silver called out to them from the compound gate's entrance. Hinata's eyes flashed over to who it was and cried a few more tears in relief at seeing her older cousin standing there tensely.
Gaara's own eyes slowly trailed over to him, and his entire body stance switched to an impassive calm. "What do you want?"
Neji seethed and stalked closer. "I said, what do you think you're doing…Kazekage-sama?"
"Talking with a friend, obviously." He answered monotonously, trailing his eyes back to Hinata.
"Let her go…now."
Gaara's lips twitched into an amused smirk before he backed away from her and looked at Neji from the corner of his eye. Without so much as a raised brow, the redhead turned on his heel and disappeared in a whirl of sand.
As Hinata slumped to the ground after his departure, more tears flowed over her cheeks at the realization that she recognized the look in his eyes when he glanced at her last. She hadn't seen anything like it in years, and would've thought she had forgotten about it, but it was there…still fresh in her memory, like a burning seal.
That look in his eyes was the same look he had back in the Forest of Death during their first chunin exams. It was the same look he had when fighting Rock Lee.
It was a certainty of death and bloodshed.
Neji calling her name, shaking her shoulders to snap out of it…none of it helped. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and her vision went black.
The next time her eyes would open, it would be to the sound of screams.
Upon opening her eyes and gazing into the room, she first caught sight of her family, who were each held against the wall by the sand acting as shackles. Her father, Neji, and Hanabi were there, chained against the wall with Neji in the middle. The way they were positioned reminded Hinata of them being on a cross. Blood stained their usual light skin and their once strong eyes now appeared dully faded.
Her father's head was lowered, but his eyes were wide open in defeat. Neji's attention shot directly to Hinata as soon as she entered the room, and his eyes implored her to save herself and get away from the demon who was holding them captive. He, out of all three, looked the most dead. The way his body sagged and appeared ultimately limp suggested that he had more than one bone broken, possibly shattered. Surely only Neji would be alive after whatever torture he might've endured.
Hanabi, who had looked only frightened when Hinata saw her last, was now looking even worse. She was bleeding profusely from her hands, and there were scratches decorating her entire front. She was crying and whimpering, and would let out the occasional scream when the sand tightened around her wrists and ankles. The sand itself appeared a dark rusty red color, but only when gritting against the delicate skin of the Hyugas.
Seeing those close to her, related by blood, and pinned to the wall helplessly made Hinata collapse to her knees and clench her hands into the dirty white carpet beneath her.
Predatory footsteps enclosed on the exhausted form of the young Hyuga female until he was kneeling in front of her. Without touching her, he leaned forward until his lips hovered over her ear; during which, his sand swerved like a snake around her body before crawling onto her lap, around her waist, and just over her breasts. Unlike the sand's treatment of Hinata's close family, it seemed to caress her with lust-driven possessiveness. Whether the sand had a will of its own or not, it still echoed its' master's thoughts and feelings. These feelings and thoughts, of course, all seemed to whisper the same phrase: Mine.
Gaara chuckled as he inhaled the mixed scent of Hinata's usual fragrance and that of all the blood he has spilt that night. It was intoxicating, and it would be even more intoxicating if the blood were her own. He wouldn't mind that; after all, the last time she bled in front of him had been a quite memorable moment indeed. Just thinking about how her blood tasted on his tongue, mixed with her own flavor that was entirely hers, made him lick his lips hungrily. The pleading in her eyes and small whimpers escaping her perfect lips made him nearly lose control and take her right then and there…in front of her own family.
Resisting the strong urge to do so, he merely chuckled darkly and smirked sadistically. "I've been waiting for you, Hinata." His words were like raspy breaths against her skin, causing an obvious shudder to run through her entire body. "I've been looking everywhere, but couldn't seem to find you at all. I asked for assistance from everyone I passed by, but none of them seemed to want to tell me your whereabouts. I wonder why that is…"
Neji had been silent for awhile until he watched the deadly sand explore almost tantalizingly the shape of Hinata's breasts. It massaged her as if it was Gaara's own hand doing it, which made Neji all the more angry. All Hinata could do was close her eyes as another few tears streamed down her cheeks. Neji growled ferociously. "Get the fuck away from her!"
His outburst didn't seem to faze Gaara whatsoever. The only indication he had of hearing Neji was the increased tightening on Neji's limbs, erupting a pained groan from the Hyuga prodigy. Hinata's eyes widened and focused on Neji in horror. "Neji…!"
Quickly, Gaara's hand locked onto her jaw, forcing her to face him. "You will look at me, and only me."
Hinata's eyes stayed on him before averting to glance at Neji when another groan escaped from his dry and cracked lips.
This quick movement allowed a jealous growl to emit from the redhead as he forced her closer to his face. "Do not look away from me! You will see me, and no one else, do you understand?"
Flashing her terrified eyes back to Gaara, even more tears cascaded down her already tear-stained cheeks. "Why are you doing this? Why?"
For that moment, his whole body seemed to shake from rage. "Because your hokage and that moronic father of yours refused my proposal. I simply asked politely to take you with me back to my home to live for the remainder of your life, and they refused me…just as you refused me. No one…says 'no' to me."
As if on cue due to his pent-up anger, the sand tightened around Hiashi, resulting in a hoarse yell of pain to come from the older man's throat.
"Father!" Her bottom lip was trembling, which resulted in her nervously biting down onto it. Sniffling again, she reluctantly moved closer to the madman in front of her, and stared pleadingly into his eyes. "P-Please Gaara…Please…just s-stop…Let them go…D-Don't hurt them…a-anymore…"
His eyes narrowed dangerously at her request. "Why should I give you what you want if no one will give me what I want?"
"Wh-What…" Hinata gulped, trying to regain her resolve. "What is it that…y-you want…exactly?"
His grip tightened on her jaw at the same time he inched closer until his lips were only a breath away from hers. "Don't play stupid with me. You know very well what I want."
Her head nodded before her whole body seemed to slouch to the ground in defeat. Breathing heavily, she attempted to bow to him despite the state she was in. "I…I will do a-anything…anything you ask of me…if you just…" She released a choked sob before continuing in a tearful voice. "If you just leave them alone and don't try to hurt them ever again…Please spare their lives now, and I'll…I swear I will do anything…anything…"
As the weight of her proposition mulled over in his mind, a slow smirk began to appear on his mouth once again. This time, he felt victorious, and it was emanated in every inch of his expression. "Anything? Anything at all? You're willing to fall at my feet and beg to do anything for me…anything I ask…just so these mindless fools will live past tonight. Correct?"
Hinata nodded fervently, still in her position on the floor.
"Well…" Gaara gently lifted her chin until she was eyeing him again. "What kind of man would refuse such an offer? Surely not I. Surely not when you're the prize."
Hinata's eyes closed as if she had just sealed away her soul to the devil. In some type of actuality, it may have been just that.
"Very well." Gaara conceded. "I will spare them, but you will leave with me now—no questions asked." As soon as the words left his mouth, the sand released the restricted Hyugas, allowing them to collapse onto the ground in unconscious heaps, all except for Neji.
The conscious Hyuga male couldn't move from his position of the floor, but was still able to hear and see the conversation shared between the two…and he was pissed. "Take her now, but I swear that I will come for her. She will never belong to you, and you've just destroyed your village by doing what you just did. You have started war between our two villages!"
"It does not matter." Gaara replied calmly. "I have murdered your most valuable shinobi warriors. The only one I have to concern myself with is that troublesome wench of a hokage you have, and she will not be much trouble."
"How could you?" Neji was raging in ferocity. "How could you sacrifice a treaty between our villages that we've had for years, as well as your friendship with Naruto just to fulfill an empty obsession of yours?!"
"You think too simple, Hyuga." Gaara muttered, seemingly without a care. "She belongs to me, and always will. I will not let anyone else have her, especially for a treaty that wasn't meant to last long anyway. And Naruto…" For a quick moment, the redhead almost seemed regretful. "I did not want to harm him, but he held something I wanted. He had Hinata's heart, and as long as he lived, he would always have it. I couldn't allow that."
Neji wanted to say more, but knew an end of a conversation when he heard it. Bowing his head to the floor, he tried to inwardly convince himself that it wasn't over yet. After this whole incident is over, he would track his dear cousin down and retrieve her back to his side. That was all that mattered.
"We're leaving, Hinata." Gaara spoke to her indifferently as he called the sand back to his gourd and began to stand up.
Noticing her cousin still conscious—barely—Hinata turned to the now standing Gaara and placed herself at his feet once again. "C-Can I at least…say goodbye?"
Gaara stopped from his position near the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest, and turned halfway around to glare at her coldly. "What would be the point? We're leaving now, so get up."
Hinata would not have it. She slowly stood and stared defiantly at the red-haired man. "I am w-willing…to do anything for you…for the rest of my life…Couldn't you at least grant me this one wish? Just let me say goodbye…please…?"
Gaara surveyed her body with his cold, calculating eyes before turning back towards the door and stepped outside of it. "Make it quick." Was all he murmured before the door was shut, separating the Hyugas from the sand Kage.
As soon as the door shut, Hinata practically ran over to her elder cousin and turned him over onto his back. She heard his low grunt before she placed her hands over different parts of his body and healed as much as she could of his injuries.
Neji watched her with saddened eyes full of defeat. "Just run, Hinata…Get away from here…Get away from him."
Hinata didn't look at him, and her expression seemed empty as she shook her head. "It's no use, Neji. I've made my choice. I would rather be at his mercy, knowing that my family was alive, then running and knowing you were killed. I couldn't live with that."
Neji closed his eyes in remorse at hearing her delicate, soft voice sounding so dead and hopeless. "I will come for you." He promised.
Hinata had finished healing what she could and gazed into his eyes with a begging he had never seen before. "Don't, Neji. Please, don't. Just stay far away. If you stay away, you'll be alive—that's all that matters, so please…"
His eyes narrowed. "You know I can't do that."
Her face neared his, and she whispered pleadingly. "Please try…please, Neji…"
"Hinata," Gaara called to her from outside the door with a warning tone to his voice.
Shivering for a quick moment, she closed her eyes and pressed her lips against Neji's. Pulling away a second later, she touched her forehead to his. "I'm sorry…" With that, she left him and trailed after Gaara, master of his new slave.
--
It wasn't until they reached Suna with Gaara holding a sleeping Hinata in his arms—blood caking on her clothes and skin—that both countries learned the news. Rampant murders had occurred in Konoha, and Gaara had no use for denying them once it was found out that he was the killer. Tsunade declared war on his home, and he indifferently obliged.
His brother and sister gave him sad looks, but wouldn't do anything against their brother.
Upon meeting Hinata, she, too, received pitying looks, but nothing more. In fact, it wasn't just Kankuro and Temari who looked at her with pity, but anyone else she came across. It wasn't like she knew why, though. She pitied herself as well.
And Gaara…
Gaara was never more content than he was with Hinata by his side, proclaimed as his wife, and sleeping in his bed. He had finally gained his prize, so he wouldn't let any other feelings of regret overcome him.
He had murdered his allies…comrades…friends…Naruto, the one who understood him better than anyone else…
Gaara told himself over and over that the only reason the blonde had to die was because Hinata wouldn't look at him if Naruto was present. Naruto had died quietly and painlessly, which was all Gaara could offer to his longtime friend. The others he killed didn't impact him as much, though. They were just unnecessary in his eyes.
Shaking his head once and inhaling deeply, Gaara opened the door to his bedroom suite, closing it silently soon after. Removing his gourd and placing in a corner of the room, he slowly began to remove his kazekage robes, revealing his light clothing underneath. From across the room, his eyes didn't stray from the feminine silhouette standing on the balcony.
At hearing the rustle of his clothes being removed, Hinata tensed and turned around, keeping her eyes trained on her bare feet. "Gaara…"
He relished in the whisper of her voice and moved to stand at the foot of his large bed with only his pants on. "Come here." He demanded calmly.
She didn't nod, and only walked slowly over to him until she was standing directly in front of him. It happened to her many times before, so she wasn't as surprised when he lifted her into his arms and laid her gently back onto the bed as if she would break if he handled her too roughly.
She lay there silently as he took off her nightgown and panties, throwing the articles across the room without a care. Her solemn eyes watched as he worked on the clasps of his pants, knowing what was going to occur in only a minute or so. "Why did this happen?" She questioned quietly.
His eyes flashed to hers before returning to watching his deft fingers remove his pants until he was just as nude as she was. "What are you talking about…"
She waited until his eyes met hers with his arms caging her in and the rest of his body positioned between her legs, but not moving yet. "I thought…I thought we were…friends…Were you just…playing with me?"
His expression didn't change, and the only movement was his eyebrows knotting together. "I did what I had to so as to get close to you…I did what I had to so I could make you mine…" He leaned over and brushed his smirking lips against hers. "And you are mine…forever…"
She mumbled as he continued to kiss every part of her mouth while he slowly pushed his way inside her warmth. "But why…Why me?"
He reveled in the way her breath hitched and increased to a heavy pant as he moved inside her at familiar speeds and motions. His wild red hair swayed against his forehead with every movement as she moaned in whispers to match his husky groans.
Stopping for one quick moment, he licked her bottom lip and smirked sardonically at hearing her whimper. "Why you?" He chuckled deeply. "Because I couldn't forget the way your blood excited me. Only your blood had that kind of impact on me, so really…this is all your doing…"
Her eyes widened in astonishment for a brief moment before she was brought back to reality by his hard thrusts and searching hands.
Her eyes closed again in realization that this was her life now…this man above her…
Perhaps…it wouldn't be so bad…
After all, it wasn't like she was treated "badly" so far. Not to mention…her hunger for human affection was steadily climbing towards his own.
And suddenly, it wasn't such a scary prospect anymore…
"You know that when I hate you, it is because I love you to a point of passion that unhinges my soul."
-Julie de Lespinasse
Thanks for reading, and this is only a one-shot, so don't expect anything else. But, please, tell me what you think!
It's my first GaaHina, so give me an honest review! Thanks!