AN: Apologies. In accordance to my profile I had claimed I would increase updates to twice a week instead of once, yet I forgot to upload a new chapter on Friday. So you will have this update and then another one Monday (Tokyo time). Also, I am trying to make it so that The Debut and this story finish at the same time, so if you are currently reading that as well I have uploaded a few chapters over the weekend. Sorry about the delay!

Chapter Four

There had been a few minor sandstorms when the Hyuuga had first arrived, as Temari had warned. Around the beginning of her third month in Suna, two major things happened. One was a terrible rockslide that had injured many Suna shinobi. The second was a massive sandstorm that lasted for three entire weeks.

Rockslides weren't as common anymore thanks to Gaara, who had helped reinforce prior hazardous areas using the hardest minerals from the earth and his sand. Before that, it had been much more difficult to manage as there hadn't been many skilled earth users in the village, surprisingly enough. This particular rockslide was actually due to shinobi error. Two young chunin had been horsing around during watch with the end result almost killing three others. The Kazekage arrived personally to help dig out the victims and restore the wall to its original strength. With Gaara no longer being a holder of the sand demon, helping to remove all of the massive boulders and restoring the ridiculously large chunk of the wall had been draining. In the end, Gaara had delegated the two responsible to their commander. He retired to his chambers early to get a bit of rest.

Temari took over for the remainder of the day with Baki, although the two of them seemed to agree that he needed the rest anyway – it was only a shame he had to be forced to do so.

Only a few hours had passed since the rockslide yet the Kazekage found himself restless. He was exhausted, that was true, but there was something off, something that was tingling in the back of his mind. He lay on his bed staring at the ceiling, another tingling sensation forming at the pit of his stomach. It began to spread all over his body, ending at his fingers and toes. He knew this sensation, what was it?

A high pitched alarm sounded off in the distance and the Kazekage was out and on his feet, heading to his door. It opened before he could reach the doorknob, Temari's face entering his field of vision.

"Sandstorm," Temari said, confirming his suspicions "They must think it's serious if they've set off the alarms."

It was serious, he could feel it. Minor sandstorms were like a tickle in the back of his mind, easy to ignore. Major sandstorms were completely different and there was a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. Something was still off.

"Let me know within the hour if there is anyone missing in the compound," he leaned against the door frame, still drained from his earlier ordeal.

Gaara then went out to one of the balconies, his eyes narrowing as a burst of wind hit him. He could see the dark mass of sand and wind in the distance, heading straight for the village with incredible force. There wasn't too much to worry about, everyone in Suna knew exactly what to do when a sandstorm of this magnitude emerged. Within the hour every citizen would be secured and the entire village on lockdown. Nothing in, nothing out, all courtesy of Mother Nature.

He was still staring out at the approaching storm when Temari appeared beside him forty five minutes later. Her hair looked a bit windswept, face pale with a slightly panicked expression on her face. Suddenly that feeling of dread moved from his stomach to his throat.

"Gaara, I can't find Hinata anywhere," his sister panted "the hospital staff said she had already left for the day, no one has seen her in the compound. I didn't…I mean I didn't think we'd get a sandstorm like this so I think I forgot to tell her about the alarms. If she's out there she might not even realize something's going on."

Externally, the redhead looked completely neutral save for the slight widening of the eyes at her initial announcement. Internally, he could feel his heart beginning to pound and fear gripped him. Fortunately, he was a master of self-control and self-discipline, so he pushed down the negative feelings and forced himself to think. If Hinata wasn't at the hospital and she wasn't in the compound that, thankfully, didn't leave many options left. The Hyuuga was also intelligent, if she could hear the alarms, she would have been at the very least curious and noticed how everyone was rushing to secure their homes. There was only one location he could think of where she would be holed up, and it was definitely secluded from the residential areas.

"She's at the greenhouse," he was sure of it. She had mentioned that she enjoyed being around the plants and how comfortable the place made her feel. "Sometimes she even naps there."

"Meaning that she probably hasn't even heard the alarms," Temari shook her head "Damnit, I knew I should have told her, there's no way we can get over there and get her back before the sandstorm hits…" Startled, Temari took a startled step forward "Gaara!"

With one fluid movement he had jumped on the balcony's ledge. Reaching out his arm, he grabbed his gourd as it floated to him and strapped it on his back. He wasn't wearing much, his turtleneck shirt and pants, but he really didn't have the time or luxury to get fully dressed.

"Gaara, you can't go out there," his sister hesitated, unsure if she wanted to physically stop him or not. The wind was blowing harder, kicking up the sand in the area. "You've already used up a lot of chakra as it is, if you go out there now and the brunt of the storm hits you two…"

Her cry was swallowed by the wind as he jumped.

------

"Hinata-san, you need to wake up."

Something was shaking her lightly. It was a weird feeling because it affected her dream which had involved her flying in the air with Tonton, Pakkun, and Akamaru to her feeling as if she were drowning in the ocean. The waves kept rocking her back and forth and she was trying to swim but she was slowly being engulfed as a voice from the heavens kept calling her name.

"Hinata-san, you need to get up immediately."

Her first reaction once she snapped out of her dream was to bolt from her chair, hands glowing, Byakugan activated. It was a defense mechanism; no one usually touched her while she was sleeping. Strong hands snapped around each of her wrists, holding her in place. Startled, her eyes shot up and she realized that the chakra pattern was familiar. Fully awake, her natural vision came into play and she blinked up at the Kazekage.

Oh crap.

"G-Gaara-sama!" she looked panicked "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to…"

Instead of looking offended he looked distracted. It was so unusual to see such an open expression on his normally calm face. Without saying another word he let go of one of her wrists only to pull her along by the other. His steps were hurried, causing the Hyuuga heir to begin to feel alarmed.

"We must leave immediately," he explained softly "There is a powerful sandstorm about to hit very soon and I don't know how long it will last. We need to get you back to the compound."

The wind chose that moment to howl, causing Hinata to look up at the clear ceiling. Where the sky had been clear before now it was an unnaturally dark color. The plants that were outside of the greenhouse were blowing around furiously. In the distance she could hear a high pitched alarm, although it sounded muffled with the high winds outside.

When they reached the door she felt something warm grip her hand. Cheeks instantly heating she looked down at his larger hand engulfing hers. Something hot began to form in her stomach even with the danger outside.

"Whatever happens, do not let go of my hand." It was a soft warning, holding no emotion. It cooled the warmth in her stomach a bit leaving her unsure of whether or not it was a good thing.

Then the door was thrust open and the wind hit them full force. Dirt immediately stung her eyes and she cried out, gripping his hand tightly. Blinded, she followed his lead while trying to clear her eyes with her free hand. When she was somewhat successful she looked up at him. If the wind or the sand was bothering him, he certainly wasn't showing it. The Kazekage walked briskly although his gaze was off in the distance. It was already becoming harder to see as it grew darker. The wind was deafening, she was sure he had probably said something to her within the past five minutes but it never reached her ears.

He abruptly stopped. When she looked up at him again he was staring directly off to the left, his eyes narrowing. She couldn't hear him but she was able to read his lips.

"We won't make it."

Pale eyes widened as she realized what he was referring to. There, coming up on them fast, was a massive dark…cloud. No, it wasn't a cloud, it was sand. It was as if darkness were engulfing the buildings, rolling towards them at incredible speed.

Just before it hit them, Gaara jerked her and she found herself colliding into his chest. Bringing her down to a kneeling position his arms wrapped around her shoulders tightly. With a cry she closed her eyes and waited for the brunt of the storm to hit them full force.

There was a crashing sound, although it sounded more like heavy rain slamming on a window. The wind abruptly stopped and she could now hear her own breathing. When she opened her eyes, however, there was only darkness.

"Hinata-san, are you alright?" His voice sounded strained as one arm dropped from her shoulders, the other holding her close to him. Her hands and face were pressed against his chest; she could hear the steady beat of his heart. Not erratic or fast, calm and tranquil, as if they weren't caught in the middle of a massive sandstorm.

"I-I'm fine but…I can't see." She was a little proud of herself for sounding more steady than she felt.

"I created a sand barrier around us," he explained, "however, we cannot stay here long; we must find a way back to the compound." A soft sigh and Hinata thought she saw something drop – his hand? - as her eyes adjusted to the darkness "There is zero visibility outside, even I can't guide us through a sandstorm of this magnitude."

"This is my fault…I'm so sorry." Her heart dropped to her stomach. She should have known better, instead she allowed herself to get caught in a difficult situation and now even the Kazekage was paying the price.

"It's not your fault but that doesn't matter right now." There was silence for a moment before he spoke again "Hinata-san your Byakugan, it can see through most objects correct? How long is your range?"

"Oh…oh!" Since she had made it a point to not use her bloodline limit while in a foreign country – sans the accidental activation minutes ago – the thought hadn't crossed her mind. "Y-yes, and I can see a little over ten kilometers."

"Look for the highest concentration of chakra signatures; that will be where the compound is."

"Yes," immediately she activated her bloodline limit, her vision expanding exponentially. The sandstorm outside was somewhat of a hindrance but it took her no time at all to find what she was looking for. "I see it!" She exclaimed happily. The look immediately changed when she took note of his chakra levels and the amount of chakra he was using to keep the sand barrier strong against the wind.

"Gaara-sama…your chakra…"

He stood, pulling her up with him. His arm dropped from her shoulder slowly, almost lingering, before she felt his fingertips slide down her arm to grab her hand once more. Hinata was grateful for the darkness, otherwise he would have seen just how that had affected her.

What is this?

"We must hurry," he said, cutting her off "you will need to guide me. I can keep the barrier around us."

She didn't argue, instead moving forward in the direction of the compound. In all honesty, she had absolutely no idea how Gaara was currently capable of what he was doing. His chakra levels were incredibly low and quickly depleting as he poured more into the barrier protecting them from the elements.

Because she could clearly see him due to her vision she did not turn but her voice sounded worried. "Gaara-sama you…"

"I'm fine." There was finality to his words; he didn't want to argue it.

Her tiny hand squeezed his larger one, a frown on her face. Something had happened to him earlier, something that had drained his chakra. Despite that, he had still come out here, knowing that he was weakened.

He had come out here for her.

They didn't speak much as she continued to guide them back. He had staggered once but refused her help, insisting that they keep pushing forward. Whenever he did speak, his voice sounded more strained each time.

"We're almost there," she said encouragingly when she could see the chakra levels and the outline of the building.

"Take us to the side entrance; the front entrance's doors are too massive and would only be a burden."

"O-okay."

There were several chakra signatures coming from the side entrance as they neared, one of them she recognized as Temari's. Were they aware that they were arriving or were they simply waiting because they knew the Kazekage would return from that direction? They increased their steps until the barrier seemed to hit something solid. There was the sound of shifting sand and a bright light as the door opened, revealing his sister and a small team of shinobi behind her.

"Gaara! Hinata!" Temari quickly reached out and pulled them in. Just before Gaara could enter, however, the sand barrier dropped as he fell forward and on top of Hinata. The rest of the shinobi pulled them in a slammed the door closed, barricading it. The Hyuuga had been saved by Temari, while the remaining shinobi kept Gaara from completely falling over. Immediately Hinata rushed to his side as he was gently placed on the floor, unconscious.

-----

When he finally opened his eyes he found himself back in his room on his bed. Disoriented, dizzy, and confused, he slowly sat up, his hand moving to his throbbing head. It was dark inside of his room although the howling wind outside kept it from being quiet. His entire body felt weak and a little shaky, it took him longer than normal for his eyes to adjust to the dark. Shifting, he turned on his bedside lamp.

Cutting on the light didn't help. Wincing, he placed a hand over his eyes and tried to fight back his discomfort.

Where is Hinata?

The last thing he remembered was Temari's face as he had felt himself pitch forward and then nothing. His room was empty save for a small tray on his nightstand with a covered bowl. Relief spread through him when he realized the bowl contained a rather delicious smelling soup, still hot, so Hinata must have stopped by only minutes ago.

Eating helped, he found himself feeling much better. He wondered at how much time had passed since returning from outside. The sandstorm was going strong but he had no intentions of remaining idle.

Despite protests from Baki and his sister, Gaara returned to his office and went right to work the moment he could. He looked over the reports claiming that everyone had been present and accounted for in the village which was a relief for him. There were a few other lingering reports from a few days ago that needed his review, mostly on completed missions.

Meetings were postponed until the next day at Temari's insistence and he didn't really feel like fighting her on it. He understood that she was very concerned with his health and while he did enjoy working and feeling as if he were doing something for the village, keeping his family – reasonably – happy was also important to him.

Instead of going to dinner he chose that time to take a small nap which helped in making him feel more recharged. After that he worked through the rest of the night and well into morning. This had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he could be possibly avoiding Hinata, or that he didn't want to remain idle because when he was he couldn't stop thinking about her. Not at all.

His inability to fully understand what was going on with him was growing frustrating. When he should have been focusing on nothing beyond getting Hinata to safety from the storm he instead had kept thinking about how nice she had felt against him. Soft. Feminine. His concentration had faltered numerous times because he would drift off on thoughts of how he enjoyed the feel of her hand. The small squeezes of encouragement she had given him had felt like small treasures.

I do not think this is as simple as a 'crush' any longer.

It wasn't as if he had never regarded another female as attractive or pretty, it had simply never mattered to him. As a man, he also understood desire and lust; he wasn't immune to such things. What he was beginning to feel for this woman was to a point of distraction and that was what was bothering him. He did think that Hinata was pretty, beautiful even, with her pale skin, lavender eyes, and long dark hair. The redhead also agreed with Kankuro that she was desirable. It was hard not to think of that when he thought about how good and right she had felt against him. If that were all there was to it, he felt that he could have controlled those emotions as he had in the past.

There was more to Hinata than her looks, however, it was everything about her that seemed to stand out to him in a way no other female had. The way she laughed, her determination and dedication, how easily she cared and accepted others exactly as they were. Hinata never complained about anyone or anything, no one was a burden or an annoyance. Sometimes, when he looked at her, he felt at times that she was looking into him with those pale eyes of hers. Naruto had once told him of a girl who had fallen in love with him and had been since childhood. She had loved him even though his village had been afraid of him and hated him.

"Even when she found out, it didn't change a thing," his friend had told him "It was like none of that mattered, that I was me, just me. It was an amazing feeling. If you ever find a girl like that Gaara, don't ever let her go."

At the time, Gaara had found it strange because Naruto had ended up with Haruno anyway, not with the girl who had claimed she had loved him. When he mentioned it his friend's expression had shifted to sadness and a bit of guilt.

"She's an awesome person and I love her…just not 'that' kind of love. It's kinda like,it just feels like I'm not the right guy for her you know? I dunno; stuff like this is weird man. Wanna go get some ramen?"

That had been the end of the conversation although Gaara had thought about it for a long time after. It wasn't as if females like that didn't exist in Suna, Matsuri had ended up developing some sort of hero-type crush on him. It hadn't mattered to her that he held Shukaku, but he had never felt anything beyond the student/teacher relationship. Women close to Matsuri's age and slightly older had also expressed an interest, but they were…people he was supposed to protect. It was difficult for him to explain, as the Kazekage he viewed all of the villagers as people precious to him but any romantic aspect to that felt weird and inappropriate.

Drifting in thought, he wondered if that girl Naruto had mentioned had been Hinata. Gaara wasn't really sure why he felt that way, simply a feeling.

Or perhaps hope. If she could love him, she could love you, right? Genuine love right from the start, not just because you eventually became a figure for people to love and respect.

Which brought him back to his current frustration: being unable to properly understand and control these thoughts and feelings. No matter how many times he tried to think of something else, eventually his thoughts would drift to her. Did he even want something like love from her? He enjoyed her company, he thought she was an interesting person, but there were realities he needed to face. She was one, a Konoha shinobi. Secondly, she was heir to one of Konoha's most powerful clans, the Hyuuga. Doing the 'dating scene' as Kankuro called it was virtually impossible and as a Kage, he really shouldn't be thinking about her in that sort of light anyway. The woman was on a mission to help his village, not to get involved with its leader.

I've been staring at this document for twenty minutes.

Resisting the urge to show his obvious frustration, he once again forced himself to focus back on his work. As the hours went by, however, he realized he had made a severe mistake. Since the sandstorm had the village on lockdown, his steady stream of reports and documents had ceased. Since he had been basically working non-stop for the past twenty four hours he was now completely caught up. In short, he had worked himself out of work to do.

If Temari were here, she'd laugh at this…

Calling for his aide, he learned that the only thing he had on his agenda were two meetings, both with Konoha shinobi. Gaara had frowned at him in confusion.

"Nara Shikamaru is here sir," he explained "He arrived a few hours before the storm hit and has been with Temari-sama."

That made sense then. Gaara remembered something about Naruto sending someone to discuss some diplomatic and 'top secret' – aka Uchiha Sasuke – business. The fact that he was with Temari was also not a surprise, the two of them had some sort of strange off and on relationship Gaara decided would be better he remain ignorant on. In his opinion, he believed that the Uchiha deserved a second chance, but not at the expense of his friends. He would remain loyal to Naruto on this issue even if his personal feelings were on the fence.

"Have both of them come at the same time," the Kazekage instructed. Perhaps if someone else was there he would be able to concentrate more on what was important and not on Hinata. With the Nara's personality, it seemed logical enough.

He busied himself by looking over the mission requests that were supposed to be categorized and arranged by others. Gaara knew he'd get scolded for it later, his subordinates hated it when he delegated work to them only to go and do it himself later. A proper excuse would need to be given, telling them 'it was that or I go insane' probably wouldn't go over well. Giving death threats – something he hadn't done since he was twelve – would probably get him laughed at.

Hn. Does that make me a pushover…?

A knock interrupted him from his thoughts. Looking up from his scrolls his body tensed for just a moment as the object of his affections entered the room.

"You are ten minutes early." Had that sounded panicked? He mentally sighed and tried once again to reign in his emotions.

She gave him a small and slightly nervous smile "I'm always ten minutes early, Gaara-sama."

Oh. Right. He had forgotten that. This 'distraction' is becoming ridiculous. "I hope you don't mind if we wait for Nara before we begin."

Standing at her usual respectful distance from him she nodded, her smile widening "I don't mind, it'll be good to see Shikamaru-kun again."

Gaara blinked at her. Those two were on a first name basis? She also spoke of him as if they were familiar, which for Hinata was different. She was always utterly polite, still addressing him as 'sama' and his siblings as 'san'. This new bit of information…bothered him for some reason.

He was surprised once again when she actually began to walk toward him, a worried expression on her face. Gaara was barely able to keep his eyes from widening as she walked around his desk.

"Temari-san told me that you haven't been resting properly and you didn't come for dinner last night," without even asking, she placed her hand on his forehead and placed one on her own "You don't have a fever…how are you feeling?"

----

Her thoughts were mostly on making sure that her 'patient' was feeling well – Gaara had a rather nasty habit of taking care of everyone but himself - so she completely missed the emotion that flashed in the Kazekage's eyes when she had touched him. He certainly looked better, he wasn't as pale and he didn't seem fatigued or weak. Hinata had been happy when she found he had eaten the soup, she had put quite a bit of helpful herbs inside. The chakra she had given him shortly after his collapse seemed to have helped as well. She still felt horrible about the entire episode, if she had been more careful it never would have happened and the Kazekage never would have had to put himself at risk.

"I feel fine." Was the eventual answer, although she noted that it sounded a bit off. A worried frown emerged, even without a fever he could possibly still get sick, perhaps she should…

Gaara stood then, gently removing her hand from his forehead in the process. Instead of letting go, however, he held onto her wrist, looking down at her. She had never been a tall girl, coming at around five foot three, four if she wore heels. All of the boys she had known in her life had grown taller, much taller, and the Kazekage was no exception. A guess of him being around five foot ten or eleven seemed accurate which made him look very imposing when they were only inches apart.

He has really beautiful eyes.

Their gazes locked and Hinata felt her heart jump to her throat. His face seemed as blank as ever, it was his eyes that gave her pause. Pale green which normally looked kind or warm now seemed…heated. It was the best word she could come up with to describe it and she fought down the urge to gulp. Her heart began to pound loudly in her ears.

"Gaara-sama?" Her voice sounded small. Her face began to heat in a furious blush that was reaching for her ears.

He tugged on her wrist and she gave no resistance when their bodies met, in fact her other hand was now resting on his chest, just above his heart.

His heartbeat…it's so strong and fast, not like before…

Warmth filled her when his other hand found her waist. It felt good to her, warm and comforting. The entire time his gaze never left hers, searching. Confusion and longing began to mix and swirl in her stomach. Her breath caught when he dipped his head toward her.

Is he…is he…?

The thought of pushing him away never crossed her mind, she was too stunned. This had to be some sort of dream, the Kazekage, no Gaara would never do something this forward and besides that, he wasn't even attracted to her…right? His behavior towards her had always been professional during work, kind but distant outside. He treated her no differently than anyone else, so she had to be dreaming because oh gods his lips were inches away from hers and…

A pause. His eyes narrowed and shifted to the door. "Nara is here," he whispered, his lips so close she could almost feel them brushing against hers.

Was that his voice? That deep, slightly husky and incredibly sexy…could he really sound like that?

I think I'm going to pass out.

To her credit, she did not pass out, instead she had what probably looked like a dumbfounded expression as he pulled away from her, leaving her feeling cold and completely out of sorts. Her body moved automatically, hurrying over to stand at her usual spot, face burning and gaze to the floor.

What just happened? Did that really happen, did he really almost kiss her? Hinata struggled to school her expression to something close to normal as a knock came from behind her. A shaky breath escaped her lips; she could still feel the warmth of his hand on her hip, the way her body heated when he looked down at her like…like he had wanted to eat her.

Don't faint. Please don't faint.

When Shikamaru entered he was like a beacon of light and salvation to her. If there was anyone that was completely normal it was Nara Shikamaru and Hinata found herself in a desperate need of something normal then and there. She couldn't even help her sigh of relief and flashed him a bright smile.

"Shikamaru-kun," to her, her voice sounded relieved, to everyone else, it had sounded a little breathy and slightly husky.

"Yo, Hinata." He gave her a short wave although his small smile was mixed with a bit of confusion at her tone. He recovered quickly "I heard they had sent someone else besides Sakura to come to Suna, I didn't know it was you. I guess that's why I haven't seen you at Kurenai's."

"O-oh. They didn't tell you?" Her brows furrowed "I would have thought someone would have said something to you. How are Kurenai-sensei and Akari-chan?"

A small smirk "Fine. They miss you, of course. Akari has been asking where you've been for the past few months, she says when you come back you better have something 'really awesome' for her."

Hinata giggled, shaking her head lightly. Kurenai and Asuma's child could be a handful at times. Highly intelligent, very bossy when she wanted to be.

Still giggling, she took a step closer to her friend "I…"

"I am sorry to interrupt, but I believe we should begin the meeting soon."

It wasn't what he said so much as how he said it that caused a shiver to race through her spine. Shikamaru didn't seem to notice but when Hinata looked up, she saw it, swimming in his green eyes.

Gaara was pissed.