Siderite

Summary: One shot series. Each chapter will have a new pairing and stands independantly, hence the 'complete' status of this. Ratings down below with pairing.

Also: This chapter is dedicated to the ever brilliant diff-r-ent-1. I hope you like it! I really liked writing it which I'm sure you can tell by the larger than average word count...

Disclaimer: No, *sigh* Naruto is not mine. You'd think that by now that fact wouldn't depress me but it does. *sigh*

Dreams

Gaara x Hinata (T)

I waked
She fled
And day brought back my night

- On His Deceased Wife, John Milton

The dark clothed man knocked on his brother's bedroom door. He wasn't sure why he knocked, he never got a response lately, but he did it anyway. Without waiting for a response, which would never have come, he pushed open the door and entered the room. Standing in the entranceway with a plate full of food, he could see his brother perfectly. He sat by the window, in the same position he'd been in for several weeks now, his eyes were dimmed and staring at the village outside his large window without seeing it. His clothes were hardly rumpled, his hair tossed into a few careless sweeps and, the dark clothed young man knew, his skin clean from a recent wash, but it still lacked a healthy light, it was slowly becoming sallow and marked by sorrow.

Kankurou silently watched his brother and remembered that his sister would have come in and harassed the man before him until he was finally washed and changed before he had come, but he would hardly have eaten, though not from a lack of trying on everyone else's behalf - a few of the plates in the room touched only by little pieces taken were token of this - and he would never move from his silent vigil by the window. The only other activity he did besides watching was sleeping. Kankurou kept watching while his brother sat.

He wants to sleep, Kankurou could see it in his brother's eyes, he wants to sleep so that he can reclaim that short amount of time when he hardly did. Reliving the time when her laughter could be heard through the house, when her eyes were bright with joy and when her soft presence brought a comfort that the three siblings hadn't ever really known.

Kankurou dropped the plate of food he was carrying in a clear spot on the desk table and looked back up to see if the noise had moved his brother. Nothing happened and Kankurou's gaze swept past his brother and went outside to see what his brother always looked at.

This was where Gaara had last seen her and the face painted young man wondered if his brother could see a mirage, could see her ghost there, still crying, still silently begging for him to run out and take her away from what she must do. But he never did and he's left now with horrible regret and impossible wishes.

Kankurou can see it in his eyes, his bearing and his hung head. His red headed brother wishes that he had never slept those few hours that he had, never closed his eyes for those few moments when he had her so he could have taken in everything about her while he still could.

But he didn't and the only thing he can think of is to sleep.

Because if he sleeps he might see her and everything would be right where it was supposed to be.

Him with her, never to part.

He just needed to sleep.

The puppet master turned his back quickly as he felt his anger grow in him as he saw his younger brother's eyes drift closed.

He didn't understand why Gaara didn't just ride his sand to Konoha, destroy anything that got in his way, kill anyone stupid enough to bar his way to her, and bring her back to Suna, back home.

Oh, he understood technically why he didn't and why he couldn't do all those things that Kankurou would have done in a heartbeat. Gaara was the Kazekage and with that title came an unmeasurable amount of responsibility. The village was to always go ahead of what the leader himself wanted or needed but it just didn't seem right to the puppet master. Why must the man who has sacrificed so much already sacrifice his last attempt to find joy in life?

Kankurou walked out of Gaara's large bedroom, still touched with small hints of a lost femininity, and stalked down the hallway almost bumping into his older sister.

"Still no change?" she asked, her voice low and furtive.

Kankurou shook his head, "He only ever sleeps, and when he doesn't sleep he's trying to get there."

Temari hung her head, "There's got to be something we can do," she whispered, "Something we're not seeing."

The face painted young man folded his arms as he whispered back angrily, "We've tried everything Temari, and nothing seems to work with him."

"Shhh," she whispered her finger to her lips as she looked around, "We've managed to keep his condition secret this far, don't be an idiot and ruin it now."

"Well I'm sorry," spoke a wholly un-sorry Kankurou, "But I'm getting sick of this, why don't we just bring her back home?"

"You know we can't do that"

"Why not?"

"Because, this was her choi-"

Kankurou cut in angrily, his voice rising steadily leaving Temari thanking Kami that there was no one in the hallway, "You know she had no choice! They came here – against my wishes, I'll have you know – and took her the next day. I don't care that her father died, I don't care that they changed their minds, she had a sister and a more than qualified cousin that could have been the next leader. When she came here to marry our brother they told her that she wasn't ever going to be head of the Hyuugas. Why did they have to take her?!"

Temari nodded her head, "I know, I know, Kankurou, but it's Hyuuga business," the blonde haired kunoichi looked pointedly at her brother, "There is nothing you can say that will change that." She placed a hand on his shoulder and sighed, hating the words as she said them, "There is nothing we can do."

~~~*~~~

Gaara heard the harsh voices in the corridor near his bedroom but he blocked them out effortlessly as he sat by the window staring at where he had last seen her, as if his vivid last recollection of her could bring her back.

Closing his eyes his disposition brightened considerably as he felt himself at last fall asleep.

And he finally dreamed.

She was waiting, as she always was, by a small creek. Her hand was running through the water as she knelt by the edge and her other hand was holding the skirt of her white dress up and out of the way of the stream. Flowers surrounded her on the ground and birds chirped overhead in this idyllic setting he had created in his mind for them. The sun gave its dappled light through the branches of the trees and fell on her creating an ethereal sensation to the whole image. His lips curved upwards in a smile as he walked forward to greet her.

Hearing him walk towards her, the dark haired woman looked over her shoulder and beamed beatifically at him. Standing up she giggled as she threw her arms open and ran towards him.

Catching her, he spun her around in the air, completely revelling in the intoxicating emotions she filled him up with. Spinning her softly till she landed on the ground before him, Gaara tilted his head downwards, touching their foreheads together, and couldn't keep the smile off his face as she sighed and leant against him. The young man moved his arms from her waist untill one stopped at the small of her back, pushing her into him more and the other rested at the back of her neck, trying to immerse himself into her as much as he could. In response, he could feel her smaller hands come and rest on his chest as her head dropped to his collar bone. He laid his head on top of hers, breathing in her scent before this bittersweet dream ended.

The two needed no words as they seemed to intake each other's presence and remained in that position for as long as they could. Suddenly, Gaara felt his wife start to fade away and could only watch in horror, though this scene had been acted out many times before, as her eyes grew wide and fearful. She tried to grab hold of him and keep him and her in this peaceful land that he had created but as he looked down he realised that he too, like all the other times, was fading.

How he wished they could stay, but it wasn't meant to be.

He fisted his right hand to his chest and then unfurled it as he extended his arm to her, their place and her face fading into nothingness as he knew he was.

I am yours, always.

He woke up again, and cursed his body's natural functioning. He didn't understand why he had to wake up. As soon as he woke she was gone and he was left wishing that he could just sleep forever.

'Why did you leave me,' he thought to himself, his gaze once again travelling to the outside world, to the entrance of his city, where she had looked back that last time with tears falling down her face, 'Why, Hinata?'

~~~*~~~

The puppet master had left his older sister in the hallway after their half whispered, half shouted conversation and was now outside in the marketplace. It was afternoon and the stalls were just being set up while the sun started to fall - as it was now deemed safe to set out as the sun's devastating and harsh rays had rescinded for the day – and it was a bustle of activity.

It was a welcome change for the young man as the Kazekage tower had started to take on a funereal atmosphere as soon as the lovely Hyuuga had left. Kankurou walked along the streets, ignoring the calls of the vendors and concerned residents who asked about the Kazekage – and which he always replied "Fine, fine, he's fine, just a little heartbroken is all" – and started to reminisce about his sister-in-law. When she had first come to Suna, the first thing that he had noticed was how well she had dressed for the climate. The next thing he noticed was the small amount of baggage that she had brought with her. Kankurou had been led to believe that women brought bags upon bags of clothing, shoes and jewellery but all the shy young woman had brought with her were the essentials.

When he had asked why she had brought so little, sneering as he did and implying by his tone that she didn't think she'd last long, she had shocked him and replied in a soft but unfaltering voice that if she was going to start a new life here in Suna, why should she bring meaningless trinkets and inappropriate clothes from her old life in Konoha?

He had no answer for her and escorted her the rest of the way to the Kage tower in silence.

Kicking a stone out of his way, the face painted man remembered the look in Gaara's eyes when she had presented herself to him at the front steps of the tower. His eyes had lighted up and his whole face had lost the sulking expression that he had adopted while he had been waiting for his new bride to arrive.

"I'm home," she had said, her voice cracking through the uptight and formal exterior of the 'Kazekage'. Gaara got off his seat with arms wide open and an unabashed smile, lifted her into his arms and laughing with her as he carried her into her new residence, with all the attendants, all the shinobi, all the servants and all the civilians cheering and applauding as they welcomed their newest kunoichi into their lands.

She was a model citizen and had become one of them instantaneously, her shyness endearing to the young men and women, her manners and proper etiquette winning favour with the older generations, her cooking and warm smiles gained the love of the children and her grace and unique fighting ability, which she had become a master at, brought the respect and appreciation from the shinobi community.

And she had loved it here, Kankurou knew, she had gone for walks by herself to explore her new home and had made friends along the way. The climate and the lack of vegetation at first bothering her, she soon adapted to it and found a different beauty in the land around her. She spoke of her family and friends back in Konoha fondly but with no regret of her decision to come here.

The puppet master suddenly, unwilling to control his temper any longer kicked the stone that was on the path in front of him again as hard as he could. They had taken his sister – because sister is what she had become to him – and he was sure that he would never forgive them.

His anger stopped abruptly as he felt a keening sense of worry go through him, if he felt like this, what must Gaara be feeling? The one woman who had seen through his controlled barrier and had loved him in spite of all his faults was gone. The woman who had gradually become a part of his heart over time had left him.

Their romance had been slow and not completely romantic but they had had love and it was stronger than anything Kankurou had ever seen.

He shook his head and walked up to where the stone had landed a little off the path and kicked it again and again and again till he lifted his eyes from the ground and the beaten stone to what lay ahead of him. He found himself at the entrance to his village and looked out at the distant horizon, watching as the sun's rays created an almost ripple like effect across the sand, obscuring his vision from looking too far out.

What was that?

He thought he had seen something and called up to one of the guards on duty.

"Did you see that?" He yelled, his voice carrying to a couple of the other shinobi who glanced down to the Kazekage's brother, "Is there something out there?"

"No sir," was the response as Kankurou lifted his hand to shade his eyes from the last dying embers of the sun.

"Look harder, I swear I saw something."

The guards grumbled under their breath, this was not the first time that someone had 'seen' something that they hadn't- a few of them insisting that the Lady Hyuuga was coming back. It was worse though, when the children came up to them, which they did almost every day, asking if 'Hina-chan' had come back yet and they had to answer in the negative every single time.

They didn't even really look as one of them answered back down to the young man, "There's nothing sir," and then as an afterthought, "Sorry sir."

~~~*~~~

Red hair swept into the young man's line of vision and he tried to push it back behind his ear as he stared out of his window.

If he couldn't sleep and couldn't dream then he tried to survive on good memories. He was in the midst of remembering when he had first met her, had first talked to her, had first kissed her, had first laid down with her – all of his memories being jumbled together from constant remembrance – when he spied something in the distance.

Unused to actual brain activity since she had left, it took a while for any physical reaction to occur but once his mind caught on to what his eyes were screaming at him to see and understand, he jumped up from the window seat.

Promptly falling back down into the cushions, - his legs untried in so many uneventful days and weeks and months, from the lack of movement - he gritted his teeth and leant on the window sill as he stood up again, this time slower. Leaning his upper body out of the window slightly, the Kazekage slitted his eyes against the sun's last rays and could barely see a blur of colour that seemed to swim in and out of his line of vision.

Walking to the door of his bedroom, he flung it open and ran down the hallway.

Upon hearing a great commotion in the tower, Temari opened her door and saw Gaara run past her. After she gotten over the fact that Gaara was out of his bedroom and running of all things, the blonde kunoichi ran after him and grabbed him by his sleeve. He almost lashed out at her but stopped himself as he panted and wheezed from exerting his body past what it was used to.

She saw the wild look in his eyes and phrased her question carefully, "Gaara, where are you going in such a rush?"

The sand shinobi twisted his arm out of her grip and fixed his suddenly lucid eyes on his sister, a grin spreading across his face in child like joy, "She's back," he whispered.

Temari couldn't believe her ears and called after her brother who sprinted away from her, his strength coming back in leaps and bounds at the thought of his wife back in his arms, "Gaara no," she called out, trying to get through to her brother that what he thought was true must be a lie because they wouldn't just let her go.

Instead he kept running and she started after him, trying to get to him before he ran out into the street.

Past door after door she ran, trying to get ahead of him, but for some reason he ran faster than he'd ever run before. She was surprised and chagrined by his sudden burst of speed that saw him out the front door and dodging shocked and concerned citizens who quickly got out of the way of their leader.

"Gaara!"

Unmindful of all the commotion that was happening around him, the man ran faster and finally saw the entrance to his village up ahead.

Gaara stopped there as he lost sight of the blur of colour that had been guiding him and stood very still as he tried to perceive past the ripples to what he knew was coming towards him. Hearing loud voices, he looked up to see his brother shouting at one of the guards and pulling the man roughly by the collar of his jacket with one hand, bellowing in his face, while his other hand was pointing energetically into the distance where Gaara had last seen the blur.

One of the guards, who were trying to get Kankurou off their comrade looked down and saw Gaara staring back at them. When Kankurou felt the man's hand slide off his back and heard a gasp he looked around and followed the man's eyes down to the ground.

"Gaara," he whispered, and then louder, "Gaara, I can see her!"

The puppet master, still holding onto the guard with one hand, kept his other hand pointing into the distance where Gaara now could see the blur become the distinct impression of a person. Without a second glance, he burst forward again, just as Temari was coming up behind him and had made a grab for the back of his shirt.

Leaving his sister in the sand and his brother on the rampart of the village he ran forward towards the only woman he had ever loved.

"Bring her back home little brother," he heard being called after him but he didn't respond and soon the image ahead of him became clearer and clearer to him.

Her hair had been cut and hacked off in an obvious fit of rage, the jagged pieces sticking to her head with sweat and dirt. Her face was red from the exertion of the days of walking that she had done by herself and from the looks of it, no food or water. Her eyes had sunken into her skull and her skin was white, not her usual pale skin but an unclean, sickly white. Her lips were chapped and bleeding and her clothes were torn, old, ragged and hanging on by single threads. But the harshest thing about her, the worst change that he could have ever have imagined was there on her forehead. The symbol of the branch house was imprinted, the black insignia had obviously been burned into her, the red welts obvious against her unsightly white skin.

He caught her as she fell, her eyes closing shut and her breath leaving her in a rush, and he lifted her up, not unlike the first time she had come to his village.

He walked softly back, his eyes never leaving her face, and finally came into his village where his people waited impatiently for their leader and whatever he was bringing back. His first steps into Suna brought a round of gasps from the people who first noticed and recognised the unconscious Hyuuga. Old and young women alike brought their hands to their mouths and widened their eyes in shock at what had been done to their Lady Hyuuga, to their Kazekage's wife. The men and shinobi that caught sight of the cursed seal upon her forehead spat on the ground and swore vengeance to the people who had done it. The children hid behind their mother's skirts and tried not to cry as they remembered the good young woman who told stories and cooked them cookies.

Silence reigned for a while as Gaara stood still, quietly contemplating her face and feeling anger build inside him. Kankurou finally made a move as he jumped down from the great height of the sand wall surrounding the village and walked up to his brother and sister-in-law.

"She's not...?"

He left the question hanging and everyone around the three shinobi stood still, waiting for the horrible answer that must be coming from their leader's lips. She certainly looked dead, and if not dead then almost there.

Gaara couldn't answer and continued to look at his beautiful wife whose eyes would not open.

A medic nin came up out of the crowd and looked apologetically at his Kazekage before putting a green glowing hand to her breast. Gaara didn't move and mother's hushed their children while they all waited for the medic's diagnosis.

"She fights Kazekage-sama," he said with a smile, relief covering his face, "Our lady is strong."

"I know," said Gaara, his voice coming out soft but clear as the anger was replaced by a sense of gratefulness, "I know."

Temari came up to her brother who held his precious burden and put her hand on his back, "Come on Gaara," she said her voice sounding gruff, trying to get across to him some sense of urgency, "Give her to the medic. She needs to be looked after now."

"I'm ok," a pathetically weak voice broke through the approaching argument, making everyone's eyes fall on the Hyuuga in Gaara's arms.

Opening her eyes Hinata looked up at her husband and a very faint red stained her cheeks bringing a chuckle from the people around her. If she could still blush, no matter how dimly, then she was going to be all right.

She sighed and leant up into him, bringing her arms around his neck and hugging her body close to his.

"You were what brought me back," she said, her voice tinged with fatigue. Her eyes fluttered closed again, sleep being the body's appropriate response to how much damage had been inflicted upon her, but she kept them open for a little while longer "Oh Kami, I'm finally home," she whispered and managed to weakly smile to the people around her and up to her husband.

He smiled and leant his head down to her, their foreheads touching for a moment before she rested her head on his collarbone and he rested his on her head, breathing in her scent, her essence.

Walking forwards again, he walked through the crowd and headed towards the hospital so she could be healed while Temari and Kankurou dispersed the people and told them that their Lady Hyuuga and 'Hina-chan' were going to be fine with a promise to visit them later on to tell them of her condition.

As Gaara walked he remembered his constant dream where he had held her in almost the same way and smiled again as he pressed her fragile and weak body closer into his.

Dreams were dreams but this he would keep and never let go, ever again.

A/N: Ok! So I've been wanting to do a gaahina for a while now and am happy with what came out of my convulted mind. Though I will try a bit later on to do a full on romantic story if not a one shot. I guess time will tell. Please feel free to comment, pollute, and loiter in my stories. I remain, always -

Yours,

Jaggarte x