A/N: WOW! Thanks for all of the amazing support you guys! Sorry it takes so long to write these chapters but really you guys are awesome! I'm changing the format of the story a little bit in this chapter and changing perspectives, so let me know what yall think! As always I'm always open to any comments or suggestions so feel free to contact me!
Prologue:
It was almost dawn, but Gaara didn't dare disturb the sleeping girl before him. She looked so peaceful, so… pure. The life of a ninja did not allow one to be innocent, but somehow this girl had managed to remain above all of the darkness in this world. Gaara did not want to touch her less she become tainted by his own darkness, however being the selfish creature he was he could not help but to gently caress her sleeping face.
Hinata. Sabaku no Hinata. His wife.
The thought to marry never appealed to Gaara. He never desired it. Well, more specifically, he never thought to desire such a thing. He wanted friendship, love even, but he never dreamed to seek such a thing from anyone outside his village or family. Aside from his few close friends, Matsuri and Naruto being two as well as his siblings, Gaara wasn't especially close to anyone. He was admired, and maybe even loved, by his people, but that love was no more than that of one who loves their leader. Impersonal.
So when the proposal for him to marry was presented to him by his elders, Gaara barely blinked. Sunagakure was different from other nations in that the kage was typically a member of their family. It had been this way for generations, and with Temari and Shikamaru's relationship continuing to get more serious ergo the threat of the Leaf gaining more power—the pressure for a Suna heir to be born was placed on Gaara's shoulders by the elders. Kankuro had been suggested at first, but Gaara couldn't bear the thought of forcing his brother into something so serious for his own sake. It wasn't like Gaara intended to find love on his own in the first place.
Several suitors had been considered, but it was ultimately decided that if the Leaf would gain more power by Temari were she and Shikamaru to marry, then Suna would need to gain an equally powerful or influential nin. The Hyuuga family was the obvious choice.
Long hours were spent debating the terms of the marriage, but none of them involved his bride to be. He had spoken with her father to ensure that his eldest daughter would be in capable hands, however Hiashi seemed all too eager at the proposal. He had assured that she was still a virgin—Gaara wondered why that was even brought into discussion.
Hinata had absolutely no say in her future, and for that Gaara hated himself. As he looked at the said woman who slept so soundly beside him, curled in a loose ball with her ebony hair sprawled about her face, he couldn't help but think how much happier she would have been were she to live the life she wanted. She was a bird that had been caged all her life only to be sold to another cage. Gaara truly was a monster.
In the very short time he had known her, Gaara had become quite fond of Hinata. He wasn't one who lied to himself. He liked her. It surprised even him that he liked her so. He hadn't anticipated it. She was strong, and kind, and beautiful. She was honest. Gaara knew that she would love him in the same manner that she loved everything—with trusting eyes and an open heart. He wanted to cry at the thought, not only because of the gentle way that she touched his heart, but for the fact that he could not return her love. He wasn't capable, he couldn't be. He didn't know how to love a woman the way that Hinata deserved to be loved.
Gaara thought that she would have been a good match for Naruto, that he would be better for her. But, surprisingly, Gaara couldn't stand the thought. It made bile rise up in his throat at the thought of even his best friend being with Hinata. He was a possessive man. He always had been. I really am selfish, Gaara thought as he gently extended an arm over his wife so that he could pull her close and bury his face into her hair. He inhaled softly, careful not to wake her.
Just a few more minutes. Let me be selfish for just a few more minutes.
Chapter 4:
Hinata and Gaara made their way hand in hand towards the exit of the village. They had left the estate early that morning and were just leaving the Hokage's office where they were to check in before their departure. Tsunade had been a bit crude, Hinata thought, as she insinuated the "events" that must have taken place over their honeymoon once she saw Hinata and Gaara holding hands. She had given Hinata a wink that made her flush.
Despite being up so early, Hinata was wide awake and feeling anxious about the journey. She couldn't deny that she was excited, especially after the events of this weekend. However, she felt an overwhelming sense of nostalgia wash over her as she tried to take in all of her home village one last time.
"Hinata! Gaara!" Hinata looked up at the familiar voice. There, at the exit, was Naruto, Kiba, Shino, and her sister all waiting to see them off. Naruto had been the one to call out to her and he was waving broadly to her. Hinata smiled at the sight of all of her friends. Gaara's brother was there as well, his sister was already back in Suna and leading in Gaara's stead. He had a mischievous look about him that was directed at Gaara.
Gaara remained stone faced as they approached their send off though Hinata couldn't help but shed a few tears at the kindness of her friends.
"You didn't think you were going anywhere without saying goodbye, did you?" Kiba grinned at Hinata though he did not move to touch her. She internally sighed, knowing that she could never be as close to her male comrads as she once was.
"Yeah, what gives Gaara? You guys were just going to disappear!" Naruto exclaimed and jumped to go between the two, throwing an arm over each of their shoulder and causing their hands to let go of each other.
"It is a long journey," Hinata said and moved out of his embrace. She moved to where her sister was. Hanabi smiled a sad smile and hugged Hinata.
"Neji and Father send their love," Hanabi said and Hinata laughed.
"I will write to you soon," Hinata stated and released her sister. She looked to Shino.
"I'll miss you, Shino," she stated and Shino refused to meet her gaze.
"I will miss you too, Hinata. If you ever need anything…" He turned away. He hated goodbyes.
"I'll see you soon," Hinata smiled and then turned to Kiba. Akamaru was standing beside him and Hinata lifted up to pat the giant dog on the head. He whined and gave her a lick.
"That reminds me. I got you something," Kiba grinned, his expression wild and mischevious. Hinata smiled at how easy going he managed to look. She would miss him so. Kiba moved next to Akamaru and reached into a satchel that was tied around his body. Hinata almost laughed at the thought of a saddle put on Akamaru though what Kiba pulled out the bag demanded her full attention.
In Kiba's arms was a small, grey lump of fur. A... dog. He looked at Hinata with pale, intelligent eyes and she stared dumbfounded back.
"His name is Zephyr," Kiba grinned and plopped the dog into Hinata's arms. The small dog panted at Hinata and began licking her face. Hinata giggled despite her confusion.
"I thought," Hinata said between licks, "That only members of the Inuzuka clan were allowed nin-dogs?"
"He isn't nin-dog. Just a dog. Very smart though and, maybe with the right training he could become one but… He wasn't a purebred, just a stray one of the mother dogs adopted in her litter. I'm not really sure what he is, might even have some wolf in him, but he's still just a pup. He'll get big, but probably not as big as Akamaru here. As soon as we found him and I heard you were leaving I knew I had to give him to you. He'll keep you safe, I've trained him that much." Kiba scratched his head looking a bit sheepish.
Hinata was stunned as she looked at the pup. He was ash grey with pointy ears and a long black muzzle that led to a tiny black noise. His long furry tail wagged at her and he licked her again. She loved him already. She turned to Gaara who was staring at her intently, and she felt a wave of nervousness.
"Can I… Can we keep him?" She asked, hesitantly. Gaara thought for a moment before he sighed and began walking towards the exit once more.
"No sleeping on the bed," he stated as he walked past her.
Hinata grinned at her husband and then to Kiba. She mouthed thank you before waving to all of her friends once before turning to catch up with Gaara with Zephyr in her arms.
./././
Three days later, Gaara, Kankuro, and Hinata arrived in Suna. When the skyline of the village came into view, Hinata couldn't help but want to sprint towards it despite it still being a full day away. She was tired of running. She felt dirty and gritty from when the greenery turned into sand, and eventually to desert. The wind was harsh against her skin, though she knew she would need to get used to it.
Zephyr walked beside her though Hinata had carried him for much of the journey. He was small enough to ride in the hood of her jacket. Gaara had been, mostly, indifferent to the dog. Once when they walked side by side, Zephyr crawled out of Hinata's arms and leapt onto Gaara. He only picked the pup up by his scruff and put it back in Hinata's hood. That had made Hinata giggled though not as much as when nighttime fell and Zephyr felt the urge to howl adorably at the moon.
"Shut that mutt the fuck up!" Kankuro groaned and Gaara looked sternly at his brother though Hinata could tell he shared his thoughts. She hushed the pup who, to her surprise, listened and curled up in between her and Gaara to sleep. Hinata laughed at her husband's expression as he scruffed the pup as he did before to place him on the other side of Hinata. Zephyr growled softly at Gaara though stayed put where he was placed and Gaara took Hinata's hand in his. Hinata thought the gesture was… cute. If one could call Gaara cute and she slept with a small smile on her lips.
Now, Zephyr bounded ahead of them, tail wagging as they entered Suna's gates. There was quite the welcoming party. Many citizens had all lined up to greet their Kazekage and his new bride home. The children scampered to play with Zephyr while other citizens bowed slightly to their leader and called out their welcomes.
"Welcome back, lord Kazekage!"
"Your bride is lovely!"
"Welcome to our village!"
"I hope you had safe travels!"
Hinata flushed at all of the attention and looked to Gaara. He looked much more relaxed now that he was home. She knew he had been worried about his beloved village in his absence. He looked almost lovingly towards all of his people and even waved to some. Occasionally he would speak to someone who asked him something directly but other than that she saw he tried to acknowledge as many as he could. How can you not see how loved you are? How kind you are? Hinata thought.
She smiled as best she could at all the citizens. Everyone seemed nice despite their hard facial features. They made their way to her new home—the Kazekage tower. It was in the center of the village and was the tallest building. The architecture of Suna amazed Hinata. Everything seemed to be made of sand and all buildings were practical for the desert.
When they arrived inside, the first thing Hinata noticed was how delightfully cool it was in contrast to the scalding desert heat. She breathed a sigh of relief at being indoors and she could hear the rest of her party do the same. Temari had come down to greet them.
"It's about time you showed up! I don't know how you do this Gaara, it's exhausting running a city!"
Hinata had met Temari on numerous occasions when she was in the company of Shikamaru. She was a strong, fierce woman. She was no lady, like Hinata was raised to be, and Hinata was in truth a bit jealous of that. Hinata noticed how warmly she looked at her brothers and how that warmth remained when she looked at her. Temari eyed Zephyr in Hinata's arms though she didn't acknowledge him aside from a pat on his head.
"Hey Hinata, welcome to Suna." She extended a hand towards Hinata which she gratefully accepted to shake.
"Thank you," Hinata said and smiled at her new sister-in-law.
"I'm sure Gaara would be happy to show you around. That is unless you're tired of him already," she joked and Gaara looked sternly at her.
"N-no!" Hinata gasped, "I mean… I would be happy to get settled in."
"Yeah Temari, after last weekend I bet Hinata can't wait for Gaara to show her the bedroom," Kankuro wriggled his eyebrows at Hinata and she turned scarlet. It had been non-stop sex jokes from Kankuro since they had left. Gaara told her to ignore him, but some of the things he said made Hinata blush at the thought of it.
"Don't be an ass, Kankuro," Temari whacked him on his head which made Hinata giggled.
"Hey!" Kankuro yelled at Temari before being smacked again by Gaara.
"What was that for!?"
"This entire trip," Gaara glared, though it turned into a small smile. His smile was different now from what Hinata had ever seen it. It was… calm. She knew that that smile was reserved just for his family, and she hoped that one day he would smile like that at her.
The normalcy of it all, the closeness of the siblings made Hinata smile. This home, though it may not have always been, was warm. She could feel it already. So much different from her own, formal one. At the thought of her former one, Hinata felt a pang of sadness as well as guilt for enjoying her new one so easily.
"Termari," Gaara's voice commanded, "Could you show her around? I have to get back to work." Hinata frowned at him and Gaara looked impassively back at her. She wanted to sigh, but suppressed it as she knew that this was what it meant to be the wife of the Kazekage. But still, she wanted to hold onto him for a little while longer. He was the only somewhat familiar thing that was even remotely close to her. But, being the wife of the Kazekage meant Hinata had to be an adult. She was a strong kunoichi, she needed to act like it. So, she put on a small smile and looked to Temari who shrugged back at her with a smile of her own.
"Sure, I'll give you a briefing on everything you've missed later. Now," she gestured to Hinata, "If you'll follow me."
"See you later?" Hinata shyly looked up to Gaara who nodded at her. His minimal response wasn't exactly what Hinata was hoping for, but Gaara gently squeezed her hand before letting go. She gave him a smile before following after her new sister-in-law.
"Alright," Temari started as they made their way down a rather large hallway, "The tower is ten stories high with Gaara's office being on the top floor. Your bedroom as well as all bedrooms for that matter is on the seventh. The eighth and ninth are all used for council meetings and administrative work. The ground floor is a general living and sitting area. Second floor is the kitchen, third and fourth are for guests. We eat on the fifth floor."
"Who all is we?" Hinata asked.
"Kankuro, Gaara, and I. And now you too, I suppose. Sometimes our old sensei Baki joins us for a meal. We host our big dinners—those for council men, diplomats, and all other guests are held in the grand dining room on the sixth floor."
Hinatat nodded. She was used to ostentatious homes, but the mere size of the tower was a bit overwhelming. The architecture was so foreign to what she had known. The Hyuuga estate was like a maze in comparison. The building itself was circular, which allowed each room to have access to a window—a detail Hinata delighted in. The circular design also made it almost impossible to get completely lost.
She followed Temari through each of the floors, trying to create a mental map in her mind of everything. After about an hour of touring, they had made their way to the seventh floor.
"This is my room here," Temari gestured to her right., "And Kankuro's is right beside it." Hinata nodded back and followed her to what she presumed was her and Gaara's room. It was much farther distanced than Temari and Kankuro's—almost on the other side of the building.
"Gaara likes his privacy," Temari answered Hinata's silent question.
"Ah," was all Hinata could manage as they had made their way to the door of her new bedroom. She felt a flutter in her stomach at the thought that this was the room she would occupy for the rest of her life… With Gaara. The thought itself wasn't necessarily unpleasant, however Hinata couldn't ignore the heaviness of her hand as she reached for the knob.
She slowly opened the door, and had to squint at first due to the glaring sunlight that was streaming in from the floor length windows. Zephyr, who had been following dutifully behind, bounded straight into the room. When Hinata's eyes adjusted, she took in the room in its entirety.
It was large. Twice no… Three times the size of her room back home. The first thing she noticed was the large bed off to her left. It had dark red sheets and numerous beige blankets at the foot of it. Zephyr had leaped onto the bed and was now asleep. So much for not sleeping on the bed, Hinata smiled slyly. Then, she noticed that within the bedroom there was a small living space equipped with two rather comfy chairs and a sofa. Each chair faced towards a great stone fireplace. There were various fur rugs that adorned the cool flooring and there were shelves and shelves of books lining the walls. A presumably large bathroom was near the bed which made Hinata entertain the idea of a nice hot bath.
"Nice, huh?" Temari interrupted HInata's train of thought.
"Mm," Hinata nodded as she stepped in to observe the room more closesly. She petted Zephyr absent mindedly and sat on the bed.
"You must be tired," Temari said, "You can rest if you wish. Or not. I am needed to debrief Gaara. So… make yourself at home I guess," she smiled. Hinata could see why she was the ambassador for the two villages—Temari was good at making one feel welcome. Though, Hinata thought as she remembers the bickering that occurred between Temari and Shikamaru, she probably wasn't normally this nice to everyone.
Hinata nodded gratefully at Temari and she took her leave. Hinata waited fifteen seconds after the door had shut before allowing herself to shed a few tears of self pitty. Zephyr looked to her and whined though Hinata shushed him softly. She was acting foolish, she knew. She had been treated kindly so far, but she missed her village terribly. She missed her sister. She had purposefully been ignoring the grief she felt since the wedding, and so now she allowed herself to cry alone. But, after today she promised she wouldn't let herself cry over being "sold" to this village. She would make the most of it. She had a chance to start over, with Gaara. She desperately hoped that she would be happy.
./././
Gaara POV:
Gaara worked steadily at his desk, going over all of the paperwork that Temari had done in his absence to assure that everything was right. Though the work was tedious, he didn't mind it. During his leave he was anxious about leaving the village vulnerable. He was relieved to be home, and if that meant paperwork he would take it. His door swung open without a knock, and he didn't need to look up to know who it was.
"Hinata is in your room resting," Temari stated as she stood before his desk.
"Hn," Gaara nodded without glancing up.
"There's a dog on your bed," she said to get his attention. He groaned aloud, letting her know she got what she wanted. He rubbed his temples and sighed. Temari noted how much better Gaara had gotten at controlling his temper though she knew he had his moments. However, she also noted how much more relaxed he seemed coming home from the trip than she expected—much more than he usually was.
"All went well while I was gone?" He asked, interrupting her thoughts.
"Yeah, nothing major happened. A few requests for more water from some farmers, a thief arrested, D and C rank missions completed. You weren't gone very long, Gaara."
Gaara said nothing as he scribbled on his paperwork. Termari feigned irritation, although she couldn't quite be mad. She had missed her brother. She had been worried about him. She knew this would be a hard time on him—the marriage. Gaara wasn't good with interpersonal relationships. Hell, none of them were really.
"How was your honeymoon?" she asked, as she sat on the edge of his desk.
"You know I did not touch her," He glared up at his sister. Temari put her hands up in defense.
"You know that's not what I meant. I'm not Kankuro. But… You also know that the elders aren't going to be happy about not consummating the marriage."
Gaara only glanced at her, giving her a look that basically translated as fuck the elders.
Temari sighed, "Hinata seems nice. A bit squeaky. She's very pretty," Temari pressed.
"She is beautiful," Gaara murmured, seemingly off-handed though Temari knew better.
"Did you have a nice time?" she rephrased the question she had asked earlier.
"It was fine,"
Temari nodded, knowing this was all she would get from Gaara today. He was busy with work and wasn't necessarily an open person. She thought back to when they entered the tower—hand in hand. That surprised Temari. More than the mutt. She doubted Gaara had ever held hands with anyone. She could see how calm he was around Hinata. He rarely looked so… relaxed. She wondered what his true feelings were towards the girl, though she knew that he would never tell her.
She remembered all the advice she had given him before the wedding. About what girls liked and didn't like. How he had to talk nicely to her, or even just talk for that matter, and not be so stoic all the time. Gaara had been adamant that he would not change due to being married—that this was all business. However, Termari's advice seemed to pay off, not just for Hinata's sake, but also Gaara's. She nodded to herself, smiling as she did so, and took her leave.
A/N: I know, it's getting a little cheesy and cliche but I can't help it I'm such a cheese ball. I had to give them a dog, I just HAD to! I've been around a lot of dogs lately-my brothers, my roommates... and I just want one so bad! My brothers is huge and just... agh I'm rambling. Hopefully I can steer from cliches/chedder in the future but if my readers are just as cheesy as I am let me know and I'll try to keep it coming ha. Also, I hope that changing perspectives doesn't take away from this being Hinata's thing and all but, I felt like it was necessary. Anyways, thanks for reading, yall are lovely!
