Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto and probably Shonen Jump, with license to Viz Media

To Change the Hyuuga

Chapter Six: A Day with Hyuuga Hinata Part II

"Kazekage-sama, I have the scroll for you. Unfortunately my father is not here to review it and discuss the Sabaku no Hyuuga proposal." Hinata said into the tension filled room.

"I have met Hyuuga Hiashi–sama before." Gaara glanced that Neji and Hanabi. " I believe your cousin and sister have represented the views of your clan well enough."

"Ah-h," Hinata looked mildly at her little sister's guilty expression.

As Hinata began to sit next to Gaara, Hanabi spoke abruptly, "Hinata-neesan, I believe the tea has cooled. Perhaps it would be best if we allow the Kazekage returned to his duties."

Hinata and Neji were shocked for a moment. Hanabi spoke as if Gaara was a common shinobi with a routine job to get return to. It was quite rude behavior toward the leader of Konoha's most powerful ally.

Hinata responded slowly, "Yes Hanabi-chan, the Kazekage and I still have much to discuss." Hinata did not sit down as she originally intended. Instead she extended her hand to Gaara. "Kazekage-sama, if you will allow me. Please, I have one more place I would like to show you in the Hyuuga home. I can also review the scroll with you and answer any questions."

Gaara regarded Hinata's extended hand. It was strange. She wanted to hold hands again, in front of her disapproving sister.

Just to make the point?

He stood and took Hyuuga Hinata's hand. "Hyuuga Neji, Hyuuga Hanabi, I will remember your words, you should remember mine." He spoke graciously as a powerful and experienced leader, with no warmth and no threat. With that, Gaara turned to leave with Hinata.

Hanabi scowled again.

Neji remained impassive.

"Neji-nisan, Hanabi-chan, thank you for your efforts today. I know you have the best interested of the Hyuuga clan and myself in your minds and actions." Hinata said quietly as they exited the room.

Gaara marveled slightly at the subtly of her praise and rebuke. It contained enough emphasis on the positive intentions to acknowledge appreciation of their efforts. But it also held a mild scolding for not keeping those goals clearly in mind for all spoken words. It was no wonder that they were so concerned for their soft-hearted Hinata. She was so kind even when she scolded someone.

Gaara wondered if Hyuuga Hinata had "the iron fist within the velvet glove" required of the most effective leaders and diplomats.

As Hinata led Gaara through the Hyuuga household toward the back, he noticed that she was carrying a very large bundle. It contained more then just a scroll. She was carrying it haphazardly in one hand as she held his hand with her other. So it was unlikely that is held a weapon.

Hinata led him to the back gardens of the Hyuuga home. In the middle of the garden there appeared to be a small house made of glass.

"This is my greenhouse. My mother had it built to grow herbs and special plants and trees. It stays warm year round and there are some devices used to keep the humidity high." She explained.

"We have something similar in Suna." Gaara replied. There were no private greenhouses in Suna to his knowledge. But the village had greenhouses for the herbs ad plants needed by the medic nins and the hospital. The dry air and extreme temperatures of the desert required it.

As they entered the glass building, Gaara sent his chakra infused sand out to detect any traps or possible assassins. It was a habit. He detected nothing out of the ordinary. It was just a ... garden.

"I know it seems like just an indoor garden. But this is a special place to me." Hinata explained as she led him to a small cramped area that had a low table and a few mats to sit on. "We can sit here and talk." she said as she gestured for him to sit.

Gaara removed his gourd and sat comfortably on a mat. Hinata knelt in front of the table and placed the bundle on it. It was quite warm in the green house compared to the cool outdoor air of late fall. Gaara disliked the daytime cold of the Konoha. He was used to the chill of a desert night. But sun and cold at the same time was counter-intuitive to him. Here it was bright and warm. So Gaara found himself more comfortable in the humid greenhouse then he had been in days.

Gaara waited to see what was in the large bundle. Hinata quickly opened it and removed a small scroll. She handed the scroll to him wordlessly. She then removed a single large box. It was a simple traditional black-lacquered bento box. Inside she revealed a simple meal of rice, beef and tomatoes and pickled vegetables. Everything had slid slightly to one side from Hinata's casual handling.

Gaara glanced up from the scroll as Hinata lean down over the simple dinner she prepared. Her long bluish-black hair fell forward as she leaned down to pull the chopsticks out of the box. Hinata wore her lavender and gray overcoat while her Konoha headband hung loosely around her neck.

She wore her headband on her arm the previous night. It was a good thing too; otherwise it might have gotten in the way.

Flashback

Gaara kissed her. Hinata was still dazed from the fainting. She responded a little uncertainly at first to him. But when he pulled at the high collar of her dress so he could kiss and taste her neck, her heartbeat quickened and her face became flush with something other then embarrassment.

Hinata gave a small moan. She reached between them pulled the top few buttons of her qipao open. Gaara was rewarded with much better access to her neck and a glimpse of her cleavage.

The moonlight shone on her pale skin. His fingers tangled in her hair. He inhaled and closed his eyes. Gaara held the back of her neck with one hand as he kissed and nipped at her collarbone. He ran his other hand along her back and down her side. It found the high slit of her qipao. Gaara swept his fingers under the fabric and felt the soft warm skin of Hinata's thigh. She inhaled deeply at the contact, pushing her breasts closer to him. If he just pulled her dress open a little more he could…

End Flashback

Gaara realized he was staring at her coat.

He wondered what she looks like without it.

It would be …fun… to continue his explorations from the previous evening. Hinata would have to remove more then just her coat.

Gaara noticed she was speaking again. He blinked once to clear his mind and paid attention.

"I prepared the bento myself, so it should be safe. That is, th-the rice was cooked, but I made the beef dish and assembled the rest. No one would know it was being prepared for you. I-I hope it's okay." Hinata said as she bit her lip to stop babbling.

Okay she wasn't a great cook, but she only had a few minutes to put something together. Anyone who might try to poison it would be poisoning her too. So it was unlikely to be dangerous.

"I thought we could share it..." She trailed off a little uncertainly.

She wanted him to feel it was safe enough to eat. But now she wondered if she was being too forward, suggesting they share a bento. Hinata resisted the urge to start poking her fingers together.

Gaara was pleasantly surprised at her thoughtfulness. He was used to working hard and not eating or sleeping for long periods of time. But that did not mean that he enjoyed it. It was nice to have this girl, Hyuuga Hinata, fuss over him. He found himself relaxing and ...smiling?

But Hinata did not notice Gaara's reaction. Rather then look at Gaara, Hinata pulled out the thermos with tea in it. "I have two sets of chopsticks." Hinata said as she realized she forgot to bring an extra cup for the tea. The thermos had only one cup.

Hinata fumbled the thermos and nearly dropped it on Gaara. "Uh...should we...I forgot an extra cup." She admitted and blushed.

Amused, Gaara reached over and took the thermos from Hinata. "Hinata-sama, this is fine." He said calmly. "We can share."

Hinata breathed a sigh of relief. This was their second meal together. Almost like a date. Was this their second date? She wanted private time with Gaara, but now she unsure what she should do. She had some experience with dates, but it was fairly limited. Hinata had never pursued or seduced someone. Well, not really. She blushed again.

She handed him a pair of chopsticks. Hinata gestured at the food and then quickly took a bite from each part of the meal to show Gaara that the food was safe. She took a sip of tea from their shared cup and watched as Gaara slowly began to eat.

Hinata took a moment to breathe and look at Gaara. She had been so confident and comfortable when she was showing him the Hyuuga training methods and explaining the clan to him. But now that they were alone, it was different. She wasn't the Hyuuga Heiress entertaining an important guest.

She was Hinata. Hinata, alone with a boy … an attractive man who she wanted to like her. A man she had kissed and touched last night.

A man she really wanted to kiss again.

Gaara was a good kisser.

And he was just the right height. When he was standing, she could stand on her toes and wrap her arms around his neck to look at him and pull him down to kiss her. If he bent over a little she could nibble on he ear.

She could tug a little on his short red hair with her fingers as pulled him into a warmer embrace…and he smelled so good. The clean smell of the wind. It was as though he bathed in sunlight and wind.

And now that he was sitting, she wondered if he would let her massage his shoulders.

Gaara was probably used to carry the heavy sand gourd. But he might get tired or sore, especially without the Sand demon to lend him strength and chakra. She would love an excuse to touch him again.

And it would be nice if she could get his shirt off too...

Hinata blushed at her own thoughts. "Stupid hormones." She muttered under her breath.

Gaara looked up from the bento box. The food was quite good. He found that Hinata had flushed an attractive pink. "Excuse me? Did you say something?" He asked politely. He took a sip of tea and continued to eat while he waited for her response.

Hinata flushed a little deeper. "N-No." She replied. She reached over and took the tea from him. Their fingers brushed and Hinata thought of how good those hands had felt when they touched her last night. She sipped some tea. The greenhouse felt very warm. She and Gaara were still dressed for outside winter weather.

"It's a little warm in here." She continued. "I don't usually have guests here. Umm...the greenhouse was built for my mother. She was a medic nin and experimented with various herbs and healing salves." She looked down at her hands. "She used to have me help her. After she died I took over the greenhouse."

Gaara nodded. It was a place where she felt close to her mother. A mother who cared for her.

Gaara spoke quietly. "I used to believe my mother's spirit was in the Sand and she protected me." He indicated the gourd sitting on the floor. He used to think the voice of Shukaku and his mother's was the same voice, begging him for blood. "I don't believe that anymore. But the Sand still protects me. And helps me protect my village."

Hinata wasn't sure what to say. He looked so …calm. But his words reminded her of how much he had never had.

Gaara was mildly surprised when Hinata said quietly. "I hope I can be a good mother one day."

An image of a red haired boy with pale eyes and a big grin flashed in his mind.

"hmmm" he said intelligently.

Hinata continued, "I think...when you know how much you have missed...you try harder."

Gaara nodded. She understood. If Gaara ever had children, he would protect them and love them and try to do everything a parent should do. He would never treat his child as a tool or a weapon.

They were almost finished eating. Hinata stood up. "I think there is some ripe fruit we can have as dessert." She looked around vaguely for a moment. "Yes, I think there might be a pear or two."

She paused and thought a moment. "Ah, actually I think we are entitled to a little more privacy first." Gaara looked at her strangely. It had not escaped him, that there was still a jonin level leaf nin following them and that they were in a house full of Byakugan eyes. He wondered what she intended to do about it. This was the life the shinobi. Privacy was a luxury at the cost of safety. Her safety. Gaara was Kazekage. No place safe for Sabaku no Gaara.

"Excuse me a moment please." Hinata said as she walked to the green house door. Gaara quickly formed his sand eye to follow her. It would only be a moment, but he was curious.

Hinata walked out into the outer garden. Hinata called out softly to the outer wall of the Hyuuga home. "Shino-kun."

Aburame Shino dropped down silently from the wall. His dark green, hooded jacket fluttered as he landed in front of Hinata. He stood and looked at his former teammate from behind his dark sunglasses. Shino had observed them together all day. Even when they were not holding hands, Gaara stood closely. They had looked comfortable together.

Shino waited for Hinata to speak.

"Shino-kun, I know you are supposed to track and protect the Kazekage." And observe and report too. "But I would like some private time with him." Hinata requested quietly.

It was a reasonable request and it was within his discretion. As a Jonin, he was allowed to interpret the situation and make his own judgment. Shino was confident that of the extremely low likelihood of assassination. There were no disgruntled Hyuugas who had attempted anything and Neji and Hanabi were close by in case of other threats. The value of espionage was limited. Shino and the Hokage could trust Hinata to report anything relevant.

But still…

"Hinata-chan…" Shino glanced at the hidden sand eye and then stepped forward to reach out to hold both of Hinata's hands in his own. Hinata blushed but did not object. "…are you sure?" He asked as his looked at his adorable friend, her small smile and red face.

Hinata looked back at him clearly and pulled one hand from his only to reach up and touch the side of his face. She whispered quietly to him "Thank you Shino-kun."

Hinata's eyes were clear and filled with gratitude. "I'm sure."

Shino saw the certainty of her decision and stepped back.

Gaara had appeared at the doorway of the greenhouse. His arms folded across his chest. Coolly observing the interaction between two in person.

Shino folded his arms across his chest and turned as he addressed Gaara, "Kazekage-sama. I will report back to the Hokage. Would you like me to deliver a message to Temari-sama as well?"

It was courtesy to Hinata that he offered. Shino did not typically play messenger boy.

Gaara nodded. "Tell her I am well and I will debrief with her later…" his gaze slid over to the still blushing Hinata "…much later"

Shino may have made a small gurgling sound in the back of his throat at Gaara's last comment. Or he may not have. It was hard to tell since Shino disappeared in a small puff almost as soon as Gaara finished speaking.

Hinata smiled at Gaara. "We are still not quite alone. Shino left a few Kikaichū bugs." She turned back to the greenhouse. "And this is a home full of Byakugan users." She looked back at the main house, activated her Byakugan for a moment and then shook her head.


In Hanabi's room, the young chunin, cursed and deactivated her Byakugan.


"I think this is about as much privacy as we will get in Konoha." Hinata continued.

They returned to the small table in the warm humid greenhouse. Gaara sat down, while Hinata began to clear their chopsticks and put away the thermos.

Gaara shifted a bit uncomfortably. "You are…very comfortable with that Jonin." He stated. He wasn't jealous. Was he? No. Just…curious.

"Shino-kun and I were teammates for years and I have know him for more then half my life. He has cared for me, trusted me and believed in me. I am very grateful that he is my friend." Hinata said. She said it sincerely and easily. But she did not look at Gaara as she packed away the empty bento box.

"Humm…now let's see about that pear." Hinata said half to herself and half to the handsome young Kazekage she finally had to herself.


Author's note: Oh…Ah…okay, sorry for the slow pacing. I couldn't even make it though the rest of the day in this chapter. But the good news is there is more Gaara/Hinata fluffiness next chapter. Probably the M-rated kind of fluff…

Thanks again for the reviews. It really helps to know that people like the story or have specific things they don't like. And that people want me to continue it. I wasn't sure about Shino appearance. But I really wanted to show Shino (and maybe Kiba later) the way they are portrayed in the manga and anime. They have a lot of affection for Hinata and are they have a special friendship that comes from being teammates.

Please Review and let me know your thoughts!

Misc. explanation: "the iron fist within the velvet glove" is an expression used in business and politics to describe someone who is very effective at negotiating and getting people to do what they want while making everyone feel good about it. It does not require a forceful nature. It requires a lot of people-sense, a clearly focus vision and the ability to communicate in a way that others will accept. In the manga and anime, Hinata demonstrates the first two of these three traits.