Hinata was wandering the streets of Konoha, trying to calm down. It never occured to her that her children would cause pain to anyone, even hypothetically. In her mind, there was no option- she couldn't risk war. As she was trying to wrap her head around the idea that she might not be able to raise her own children, she suddenly realized she had lead herself to the Ramen shop. She blushed, remembering all the times she had come here in hopes that he might be there.

Naruto. So many hours were spent trying to improve herself with him in mind, so many days were spent worrying if he would ever accept her. Well, I guess it's not important now... she thought as she approached the shop. She had grown hungry and decided that while she was here, she might as well eat.

As she was about to duck under the noren curtains, she froze. She heard Naruto's voice coming from inside; it sounded like he was saying goodbye to the owners. But she heard another voice too. A female voice.

She looked up as Naruto and Sakura left the shop, talking and laughing. Sakura was hanging on to Naruto's arm, and they were both smiling so happily. Naruto glanced down and his smile fell from surprise when he saw Hinata. He quickly regained it, but it was more polite than cheerful. "Oh. Hinata. I didn't know you were back in town."

"U-um, yeah. Gaara had business with the Hokage, s-so I tagged along..." she said, so quietly it was almost a whisper.

Naruto nodded. "That sounds nice." He sounded a bit bored and rushed, like talking to her was almost an embarassment for him. Sakura was gently tugging at his arm. He glanced at her, then looked back up at Hinata. "Um, it was good seeing you again. We should be going though... See you around!" Sakura added a goodbye of her own, and then they were gone.

Hinata stared at the ground before her, where Naruto had been standing. She had visualized seeing Naruto again so many times since she got married, yet this was completely different than anything she had imagined.

She walked in and ordered a bowl of ramen, and just sat there, thinking and eating.

Naruto was on a date with Sakura. He wasn't particularly happy to see her, as Tenten and Neji were. He wasn't hostile, but he certainly wasn't his usual friendly self. And yet, Hinata felt nothing. She wasn't sad, or angry, or even embarrassed as she normally would be. Why am I not jealous of Sakura...?


Gaara ran through the dark streets, looking for Hinata. She hadn't returned to the hotel room, and it was past midnight. Shit...

He had covered most of the village looking for her, so he started searching through the forested areas. He jumped from tree to tree, hopelessly scouring the area. He was about to give up and check the village again, when he heard the faint sound of running water. There! He had heard of her training in a waterfall before, so he followed the sound. It grew louder as he got closer, and soon enough the trees stopped; there was a small waterfall leading into a lake, and a river running from the lake to deep into the forest. Hinata was sitting by the edge of the lake, arms wrapped around her legs. He paused, taking in the breathtaking sight. The moon and stars were refected in the lake, and the reflected light illuminated his wife's face in such a way that for a moment, he forgot how to breathe. She is so beautiful...

He slowly approached her. She didn't move to acknowledge his presence, but she said, "I saw him, you know. Naruto."
Gaara started. Everyone knew about her old crush, even if they never mentioned it. He silently sat down beside her and let her continue.

"I've always wanted to raise a family, for as long as I can remember. The first day I saw Naruto, I thought... that he would be the one. Everyone always picked on him, the entire village shunned him, but... he stayed strong. He always thought the best of everyone, he kept smiling and going for his dreams. Compared to him..." she smiled sadly, "I'm nothing."

"Hinata..." Gaara began in protest, but she continued. "Because of him, I was able to improve myself. I thought that this must be an amazing man, to make me act as such. I must love him. Eventually, I gained more confidence and became a better ninja." She chuckled at this point. "It wasn't good enough for my father. He still thought I was weak, so he married me off to improve family connections." She glanced at him, "But you know that."

She stared at the water. "Before now, I could never let Naruto go. He's always been an idol to me, but really, that's all he ever was. Someone to be admired from afar, but I know now it never would have worked between us. And now, suddenly... I am over him." She was staring ahead now, smiling, yet tears were streaming down her face.

Gaara placed a hand on her shoulder, making her look up at him. He reached over with his other hand to brush away her tears. "Hinata..."

She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them her eyes were filled with such a mixture of emotions (sadness, happiness, determination and... nervousness?), Gaara didn't know what she was thinking. He quickly took his hand away from her face- did he do something wrong? She smiled slightly.

"I think... I think this is because of you, Gaara. I was able to realize I didn't love Naruto because... because..." She took a deep breath.

"Because I fell in love with you."

Hinata glanced up at Gaara's shocked expression, her face completely red. He was staring at her with a look of such disbelief on his face, she felt her face become hotter and she started babbling, "I mean, I know we're married already but I don't expect you to return my feelings, it's ok if you don't. A-anyways, I think it's enough for me just to be near you and I--"

But Hinata couldn't finish her sentence, because Gaara's lips were pressing softly against hers.


A/N: Sorry this update is so long overdue, but I hope you enjoyed it!