Chapter 4

"Gaara-Ue," Rin knocked on the Kazekage's open door. "Oh, I apologize, I did not know you had company." Rin said when she saw a short haired, white-eyed kunoichi sitting opposite Gaara. The Kunoichi seemed strong, confident, and was definitely beautiful. She seemed to radiate beauty like an angel of the heavens above. Her appearance was so radiant that Rin could not help but smile.

"What is it Rin-chan?" Garra asked from under his hands which were folded just above his lips. His crimson red hair was falling in his eyes, and Rin could tell, from the bags under his eyes, that he had not rested in many days.

It tortured Rin to no end to see Gaara like that. He doesn't even seem alive! Rin thought to herself drinking in his disheveled appearance. His sea-foam green eyes that normally sparkled were now dull and deserted, as though someone had stolen the light they once held. His hair, usually in a spiky style, was frayed and erratic, as though he had just stood in front of a giant fan that just blew his hair all over the place. They may not be related in any way, but Rin still felt as though Gaara were her older brother.

"Gaara-Ue," Rin resumed, "Temari-sama and Kankuro-kun have come, shall I tell them to come in?"

Gaara's eyes ghosted over as though he were deep in thought. Should Rin send in Temari and Kankuro? He had hoped to keep this problem as secret as possible. He stared over his knuckles at the white-eyed Kunoichi sitting directly across from him. He slowly tapped his index finger against the top of his hand. Kankuro deserved to know, but Temari should be the one to tell him, for it was not Gaara's place, but this was hardly the sort of information you would bring up in a casual conversation.

"Rin-chan allow me a few spare moments with my guest, if you will, and inform my siblings I shall collect them when I am ready. I will not be long." Gaara stated almost hesitantly.

"Yes, sir," Rin stated then exited the room shutting the door.

"Ms. Hyuuga-chan, what are we to do?" Gaara asked boring his eyes into the short haired Kunoichi. "I shall not endanger my people, however, I believe you and Temari-chan, while not entirely innocent, were justified in what you did. Up until the destruction of the Hyuuga Clan compound."

"Lord Kazekage…" the raven haired Kunoichi could barely form a sentence let alone defend herself.

"This is a very troubling situation, for you and my sister are now on Konohagakure's most wanted list. An ANBU Black Ops Unit was already dispatched to Sunagakure, and if they discover I am harboring a couple of fugitives, it could end the peace treaty. It would lead to war, Ms. Hyuuga. Mind you, I do not blame you, for my sister is the one who demolished the compound. She had no right, no matter how upset or angry she may have been, but since she is my sister, I fear I cannot punish her. As for you, I do not know what to say. I would be thrilled to welcome you to my family. I would like you and my sister to get married and live happily ever after," Gaara took a deep breath, "but sadly, we must first deal with this business. I will retrieve my siblings now, do you object?"

Hinata stared at Gaara, soaking in every single word he spoke. He did not seem mad, but he was not happy either. He seemed to be handling the situation pretty well, despite things. She brushed some bangs from in front of her eyes, and nodded slowly.

Gaara opened the door and stepped in the hallway outside it. "Temari-chan, Kankuro-kun, we are prepared for you now." The way Gaara spoke was not demeaning, but it was commanding. He may love his siblings, and he may have wished this were not truly happening, but he was the Kazekage. He needed to be stern and get his point across.

Soon Hinata saw Kankuro entering the large, near empty room, save a couch, few chairs, and a couple of pictures and law books. It wasn't until now that Hinata realized exactly how empty the large room was. Even a whisper would have an echo in this room.

Temari entered the room next and froze in her place upon laying eyes over the new, short-haired, hoodie-covered Hinata Hyuuga. Her lips curled into one of the brightest smiles Hinata had ever seen on anyone. She clearly enjoyed Hinata's old new image.

"What are you doing here, Hinata-chan?" Temari asked curiously. "You should be in the room resting."

Gaara did not have time for romanticisms. The future of the Village Hidden in the Sand was at stake, and he was not going to allow his people fall into a war they had no reason dying over, let alone fighting for. "Temari-chan, it has come to my attention that on your trip to the Village Hidden in the Leaves, you encountered a certain Ninja that did not deserve the air he breathed."

"What? How did you find out?" Temari demanded, anger causing her blood to boil. She hadn't wanted Gaara to discover her horrible, horrible deed.

"Ms. Hyuuga informed me, and I am glad she did. Do you understand the crime you committed is punishable by endless torture, to the point where you're a single step away from death?" Gaara scolded her.

Temari was not going to take that, who was the older one again? "It was not necessary for you to know, my brother." Temari snapped, the words shooting from her mouth like venom from a cobra's lips. "I am fully capable of taking care of myself. I do not need your protection!"

"Temari-chan!" Kankuro exclaimed astounded by his sister's outburst. "What the hell is going on?" Kankuro, being the only one uninformed, was confused and he wanted some goddamned answers, now.

"Temari-chan and I were together at my house when Neji-sama saw us, and he got the wrong idea. Either way he threatened Temari-chan telling her to leave. She did, however when he was to hurt me, Temari-chan interviened and they fought. Neji-sama had overpowered Temari-chan and whilst he was not looking, I stabbed him with my Kunai knife. We escaped the Hyuuga compound unscathed, and Temari-chan destroyed the compound. That's when we fought my father, barely managing to escape." Hinata rambled as fast as she could. She knew Kankuro would find out sooner or later, so she figured she'd tell him. Quicker the truth, quicker the solution.

"Damn!" Kankuro exclaimed before returning to seriousness. "Then the answer is simple. Temari-chan and Hinata-chan shall go to Lady Tsunade-sama and simply explain what happened. Tsunade-sama wouldn't arrest you for self defence."

"If it were self defence. Once Hinata-chan killed Neji-san, the treat was gone, henceforth the 'I feared my life' defense will not work. We need another stratagy. That does not involve anymore fighting or killing." Gaara calculated the possible outcomes of this situation, not liking any of them.

"We'll run." Temari stated boldly. She cared not of herself, but Hinata had to be protected. "We'll travel as far away from the Land of Fire we can get. We'll get outta the country, and we'll hide."

"No," Gaara said coldly. "No one is running, I shall converse with Tsunade-chan, we will come to a peaceful agreement, I assure you."

"Goddamnit Gaara! You will lead them straight to us! They will catch us and kill us!" Temari screamed shrilly. That was it. Fury was blazing through her like a wild fire. How dare he doubt her! She stormed out of Kazekage mansion and into the woods with Hinata giving chase.

"Temari-chan, wait love!" Hinata called out catching up with her grabbing her arm forcing her to spin around. Hinata's glossy white eyes bore into Temari's dark ones. "Please, calm down, Gaara-kun will figure everything out."

"No, Hinata-chan! There is no way we are going to get away with this. If the ANBU find us, we are done for!" Temari exclaimed. "We cannot fight the ANBU, who the fuck do you think we are?"

"I think," Hinata whispered catching Temari's lips in the softest kiss they'd ever had. "I think that if our time is limited, we should live life to the fullest, and have no regrets Temari-chan." Hinata wrapped her arms around the Sand Ninja's neck as Temari wrapped her arms around Hinata's waist.

"You are right, love." Temari whispered back. "As long as we are together nothing could ever stop us."

The couple began a deep, passionate kiss that sent electric shock waves through their bodies starting at their spines, and radiating outward. They fell in to the forest's sound in their own dance of unrivaled passion.