Chapter 11: Time

I'm back . Did you miss me? Or at least the new chapter lol.

(Start chapter)

Days had gone by and nothing. I was starting to lose my patients with this whole ordeal for the ninja never showed up not once. All my fears and tensions were rising inside me and the 12 to 15 hour shifts were only making them worse. I was blaming my lose of energy on the stress of not seeing Gaara in nearly a week and a half and the fact that Matsuri was with him almost all of that time being the one who gets to comfort him while I stand on a wall watching and waiting. I had even heard rumours that the Kazekage-sama had been dating a tan haired girl who was quite the beauty and that's when I got really angry for there was nothing I could do. I kept thinking that I was slowly losing Gaara too her but what could I do? I was working all the time now. The first three days I got by without as much as being out of breath but now after working those shifts I get dizzy and fatigued. The stress must have been building inside of me for I could hardly concentrate anymore on the task at hand. It was as if my body was shutting down on me slowly but surely. I was to afraid to tell Gaara this for I wanted to help him as much as possible but how could I when I was just so weak at the moment?

"Hinata are you alright?" Tenten said holding me up with her arm.

"I just lost a bit too much energy in the beginning is all," I said panting heavily.

"Are you sick or something?" Tenten asked worriedly. "If you are then we should get you to a hospital as soon as possible…"

"I'm fine Tenten," I said breathing in heavily, but I didn't know how wrong I was for at that very moment I lost consciousness.

(Hospital)

I blinked my eyes open lightly and noticed I was in a very white hospital room. I breathed in lightly when I heard voices outside the door.

"You must not go in there Kazekage-sama," said a very frantic woman's voice which I guessed was a nurse. "She is in a very critical stage right now and must rest!"

"You will let me in that room," Gaara's voice said coldly. "That is an order." The nurse did exactly what he said and Gaara walked into the room his nose scrunched worriedly.

"Hi Gaara…" I said lightly and before I knew it Gaara had put his arms around me in a tight embrace.

"I am sorry Hinata," Gaara said. "I did not know that this was hurting you so much."

"It is alright Gaara," I said lightly hugging him back. I looked over Gaara's shoulder at the nurse who had gone bright red at the fact that the Kazekage himself was showing affection to some random Konoha shinobi no doubt. "I just let my energy go to quickly is all."

"Actually it is much different then that Miss Hyuuga-sama," a doctor said walking in the room with a folder in hand. "Kazekage-sama I would ask you to please step out of the room for a minute. This information is confidential to Miss Hyuuga alone."

Gaara looked down at me not wanting to leave my side but I needed to know what was wrong with me.

"Gaara you can come back as soon as they are done," I said lightly. "I promise you that."

Gaara looked up at the doctor his eyes fierce but he stood up and walked out professionally as always. I could tell the nurse was ready to faint at that point when the Kazekage passed by her.

"Miss Hyuuga, we ran some tests that all came back negative," The doctor said handing me the folder. "All except one. You have a developing embryo that has just exited your left fallopian tube."

I looked up at the doctor my eyes wide. This couldn't be…

"Miss Hyuuga," The doctor said. "We tested if you were pregnant and the test ran positive."

"I can't be…" I said lightly. I didn't know what to do…how was I supposed to tell Neji? Tenten? Even Gaara? It made sense why I was losing all that energy so quickly but I couldn't be pregnant. Not now at least…

"This must be unexpected," The doctor said. "But for the next 8 and a half months you will need to calm your body down more. Working to hard will ultimately hurt the embryo."

I felt tears running down my cheeks. I couldn't deal with this now. Nobody would understand if I told them. I had to keep this secret at least for a little while.

"I can't exactly take it easy at the moment," I said.

"I understand your position Miss Hyuuga but it is best that you tell the Kazekage-sama so he may shorten your hours of duty," The doctor said.

"How can I tell him?" I said tears falling down my cheeks. "When he's the father?"

The doctor looked down surprised at the statement that was just said. That's when he realized the position I was in but there was nothing he could do about it to help me.

"I must attend to some pressing matters," The doctor said opening the door and walking out. Gaara walked in worriedly as ever and became even more worried at the sight of tears running down my pale cheeks.

"Hinata…" Gaara said walking over to me.

"Gaara you must get back to work," I said my voice shaky and my body trembling. "Please go now."

"Hinata?" Gaara asked surprised as he stopped in the middle of the room.

"Gaara just go!" I said angrily then turned over so I couldn't see him anymore. I hated talking to him like this but I couldn't get the courage to tell him now and him being near me was making me cry harder for secretly inside I was in a way joyous that I was to have his child…

Gaara turned and left without another word which made me start crying even harder. Nothing was ever going to be the same. I squeezed my pillow tight against my chest and fell asleep.

(Later that afternoon)

"She's hurting," Gaara said worriedly walking back and forth along his living room floor with Matsuri watching him. She knew he was vulnerable at the moment so it would be easy to take advantage of the moment.

"I don't know," Matsuri said. She knew that Gaara didn't know much about women and she could use that to her advantage. "Normally when a woman blows you off like that and tells you to just go then there's a good reason behind it. She's probably just getting bored for she can't even see you anymore. I'm thinking that she'll break up with you the next chance she gets."

"Break-up with me?" Gaara asked. "No, if Hinata meant what she said to me so many times then she stills loves me. There is something else. She is scared to tell me something. Maybe she is sick?"

"I know much more about women then you do," Matsuri said a little stunned for that was probably the reason why Hinata send him away so abruptly. "Trust me, I don't think she is in love with you anymore. She probably just wanted you for the power of being the Kazekage's girlfriend and not so much a long term thing. It puts her higher up on the want scale. When she is done with you men with great power will swarm to be with her…"

"No that isn't right," Gaara said looking shocked at the girl sitting on the couch at the other side of the room. "Hinata isn't like that."

"Are you so sure?" Matsuri asked standing and walking slowly closer to him. "You've known her for only such a little time. She could have been lying to you all along. I had been with you for 3 whole years and never did I leave because I thought myself better then you. I left because I thought I didn't belong here in Suna and that I wasn't lucky enough to have such a great life with the man I loved but when I left nothing was ever as good as it was with you Gaara and that's why I came back. You know my intentions are pure and true but do you know if Hinata's are?"

Gaara stepped back away for Matsuri when she got to close to him.

"What are you doing?" Gaara asked as Matsuri walked forward towards him even more putting her deeply tanned arms around his neck.

"Taking my fiancé back," She said with a smile as she leaned in to kiss him when the door squeaked open.

(With Hinata)

That afternoon I was let out of the hospital. The thought of telling Gaara that I was bearing his child within me was making me cringe. What would he do when I would tell him that I was pregnant? I had finally convinced myself that I needed to talk to him and started walking up the stairs towards his room. My mind was racing with ways to tell him as I approached his door when I heard voices. I listened in carefully but I couldn't hear much so I pressed my fingers in the marks and applied chakra to open the door for Gaara had taught me how to do it. The door swung open and my heart nearly stopped beating at the sight before me. Why had I been so stupid?

"Hinata," Gaara said pushing Matsuri off of him. "It isn't what it looks like."

"And what is this supposed to be Gaara?" I asked angrily. "I didn't think that you of all people would do this to me but it seems that I judged your kindness too quickly. It was all fake just to get me into bed."

"Hinata please listen to me," Gaara said his nose scrunched worriedly as he put his hands on my shoulders.

"Why should I listen to you Gaara," I said shrugging him off and turning away from him all the sudden depressed. "Damn I never should have left with you Gaara. You are like every other guy. Wanting one thing. So how long has this been going on anyways? Since you saw her back in the park? If you were still in love with her then you should have broken it off with me like a true gentlemen but what you did to me was just cruel Gaara."

"If that's what you think then just leave," Gaara said coldly. "You were just going to end it with me anyways…"

I looked at Gaara surprised. What put this idea into his head?

"What do you mean I was going to end it anyways?" I asked confused.

"You know exactly what I mean," Gaara said angrily.

"No actually I don't," I retorted. "Do you think I was going to break up with you?"

"Well your actions speak louder then words," Gaara said turning away from me. "Why did you push me away so quickly back there?"

"There is a long story to that Gaara," I said suddenly realising something. "But you were pretty quick to judge my actions. Looks like you had a rebound as well already in store. Could have at least waited till I ended it which I wasn't going to do or was that your plan? Giving me no choice but to end it? Pretty cunning plan on your part Gaara it's just I thought you would at least be honourable to break it off if you wanted to be with her again…"

"Now you're beseeching my honour," Gaara snapped even more angrily. "I did nothing wrong here but you wont even listen to any reason."

"You can leave now," Matsuri said getting close to Gaara with her hands pressed against his side. "I think it's pretty clear that you aren't wanted here anymore."

"Your turn," Gaara said turning to the girl beside him. "I thought you said your intentions were pure and that you just wanted to be friends."

"She was going to hurt you anyways," Matsuri said reasoning with him. "I just thought that maybe you might want me again and I might be able to have my fiancé back…"

"Fiancé?" I asked confused.

"You didn't know?" Matsuri asked. "Gaara and I were engaged before I left."

"Then I guess I shouldn't get in your way," I said feeling a tear fall down my cheek as I turned towards the door. "Oh and please don't send me invitations to your wedding for I would much rather die."

"Hinata?" Gaara asked all the sudden worried forgetting his anger for some reason my tear had set off something within him telling him instantly to comfort me.

"Don't even bother Gaara," I said opening the door and walking out. Why did I have to fall in love with him? Why did my heart want him when he was just another con artist thinking he would never get caught and I was the stripper that he just wanted to toy with? I was always the one to get hurt and I should have known by now that things were always like that. Now it was too late and his very child was in me. I walked down stairs to see Neji and Tenten talking to each other happily. They were so lucky.

"Hinata?" Tenten said totally surprised as I walked by them the tears now pouring down my cheeks. Before I knew it I felt a strong hand around my wrist and I was spun right into comforting arms my face buried in Neji's shoulder. I remembered a time when Neji had been everything to me for he was like the father I truly never had but those times were long over or so I thought.

"Calm your tears Hinata," Neji's low voice said soothingly. "You are safe now."

Tenten watched this scene with a smile. Neji was so protective over his younger cousin watching out for her from afar even when she didn't know it.

"Now let's go to my apartment and I will make you some tea," Neji said. "Tenten and I are off duty till tomorrow so you can tell us everything."

We entered his apartment, Tenten's arm over my shoulders comfortingly and I sat down on one of the chairs by the coffee table. Tenten sat beside me as Neji went into the kitchen and turned the kettle on.

"I'm making mint tea for you," Neji said walking out. "You used to love mint."

"That was a long time ago," I said wiping the tears away. "When I left I wanted to change as much about me as possible and gave up everything that was mint for it reminded me of home."

"But you came home," Neji said sitting down.

"Just to break myself more then ever," I said trembling lightly.

"You can tell us Hinata," Tenten said grabbing my hand in hers.

"It's over between me and Gaara," I said lightly. Tenten hugged me tightly.

"I have never seen you cry so hard so I knew something was wrong," Tenten said. "But what happened to make you break it off with him?"

"Apparently there is this girl…" I said and that's when the pain really hit in.

"Matsuri I believe her name was," Neji said thinking back to my surprise. "Is she the reason Hinata?"

"Yes…" I said still surprised.

"Who's this Matsuri?" Tenten asked.

"Do you remember when Gaara had first turned Kazekage?" Neji asked.

"Oh yes," Tenten said.

"Well Gaara had taken on an apprentice named Matsuri," Neji said. "They started dating after awhile and then when Gaara turned 19 he asked her to marry him."

"Huh?" Tenten asked surprised. "That is really young don't you think?"

"If you think that's bad," Neji said. "Matsuri is 3 years younger then him. She was 16 when he had proposed and she had accepted."

"Wow," Tenten said. I was even surprised for I didn't even know that. Could that girl really be only 20 years now?

"Well she stayed with him after that for over a month then one night she left a note on his counter," Neji said. "It read that she was leaving to go to the village hidden in the mist and she would never came back after that or so I thought till I saw her not even a few hours ago following Gaara. I knew something was up."

"How do you know all this?" I asked for that was information that Gaara himself wouldn't even have told me.

"You left for quite sometime Hinata," Neji said. "Most higher chunin and head shinobi knew about this for I personally had been sent on a mission to protect Gaara. A lot like this circumstance but the shinobi that threatened him was powerless to my 64 palm. Gaara didn't even have to fight although Suna did suffer a few casualties. I had noticed the girl standing with him and she had looked at me quite fondly after I defeated the shinobi."

"Fondly?" Tenten said. "Like what do you mean by 'fondly'?"

"She is no woman for Gaara," Neji said more seriously. "He needs someone who will love him for who he is and she most certainly doesn't."

"What do you mean?" Tenten asked confused. "Did you have an encounter with her or something?"

"You really want to know?" Neji said. "She came onto me."

I nearly fell out of my seat surprised. Matsuri kept acting like Gaara was the only one in her world and then she turns around and hits on my cousin? Did Gaara really love her more then me?"

"Can I wring her pretty little neck yet?" Tenten said turning to me.

"You might want to hide her kunai when you get back to Tenten's apartment," Neji said. "Tenten it was nothing that couldn't be handled."

"I don't like this girl at all," Tenten said nearly jumping out of her seat. "Who does she think she is?"

"Well what's done is done," Neji said as he walked back in the kitchen. A few minutes later he came out with a pot of tea and three small Asian style cups. He poured each of us a cup then handed me one. I sniffed it recognizing the smell almost instantly and my body seemed to relax. I took a sip and felt soothed. Mint had always been the one cure to sooth me no matter what.

"But it's not quite over yet," I said lightly finally feeling courage enough to tell them the rest of the story. "But I need to know that you will keep this strictly confidential."

Tenten and Neji nodded.

"I'm so in love with Gaara," I said feeling the tears start rolling down my cheeks. "And I thought he loved me back but really he only had eyes for Matsuri and now I am stuck carrying his child…"

Neji nearly fell out of his seat at the last part and Tenten tackled me in a tight embrace.

"Oh I knew something like this would happen," Tenten said hugging me tightly. "You kept getting weak when we were working and I should have looked at the signs."

"You don't mean your carrying his child?" Neji asked putting emphasis on 'his'.

"If I could rewrite time I would but I can't," I said as my tears spilled down on Tenten's shoulder. "I was so afraid to tell any of you for I was so afraid. So afraid and ashamed that I had fallen for his lies and now I was trapped with no way out."

"This is this worst thing for you at this time," Tenten said.

"And yet when I first found out about it today I was almost happy until I walked into Gaara's living room and saw Matsuri leaning in to kiss him," I said sorrow in my voice. "This child that grows inside me is now going to be my everything for I have nothing now."

"You have Neji and me," Tenten said. "You know that."

"When everything dies down and we can go back to Konoha you will stay with me," Neji said. "That way you can have the child in peace and not have to worry. I don't live in the Hyuuga compound anymore if you're wondering."

"Oh," I said letting go of Tenten. I thought that I had fallen but it seems that my two best-friends in the entire world are the ones who are holding me up and I could never thank them more.

"So is everything alright now?" Tenten asked with a smile.

"Yah," I said with a light smile back. "Onto more pressing matters. So are you two dating yet?" I knew this would make the room tense but I couldn't help it. It was just too hard to resist. "Just kidding." This seemed to break the tension a bit but not much. I finished my cup of tea then thanked Neji and Tenten and I went back to Tenten's room where we talked over names for the baby. We agreed that if the baby was a boy then his name would be Kira Hyuuga for I had always loved the name Kira (yah I know, total Gundam seed rip off but I love the name Kira ) but if she was to be a girl I had already known the name. She would be San.

(Gaara and Matsuri)

"I have to talk to her," Gaara said pacing the floor of his apartment. "When she cries there is reason behind it. I hurt her…I hurt her like I hurt everyone."

"What do you see in her Gaara?" Matsuri said annoyed. "I am the one always by your side. Why is it she can win your heart so easily?"

"There's a difference between you and Hinata," Gaara said angrily. "I chose you to love for you were someone I could tell anything at the time but Hinata…I didn't choose her."

"I don't understand," Matsuri said. "Then why are you picking her over me?"

"I didn't choose her," Gaara said suddenly angry at the tan haired girl sitting on the couch with her shirt half open most likely on purpose. Did she really think she could ever seduce him by showing off skin? "But my heart did. I think it's best that you leave me for good Matsuri. You have done nothing but break up my relationship with Hinata and your intentions are not to be just my friend like you said. I want you to leave now."

"You give me no choice do you Gaara?" Matsuri said standing up while pulling a kunai out that was hidden in her belt. "Looks like it's my turn to show you what I learned sensai."

"What do you mean?" Gaara asked watching the kunai spin around her fingers.

"You really were the trusting kind after that Shukaku was destroyed," Matsuri said with a chuckle. "At least with that beast contained within you I would have actually had a challenge but now it seems I have the upper hand. You are jus powerless. Good thing I left when I did or I would have been stuck with someone as weak as you for the rest of my life. Now that Neji Hyuuga was something to be desired. Quite the catch that one. His eyes give him more power then I ever thought possible. To bad that he pushed me off that time I saw him a few years back. He was 20 at the time. If you were wondering who sent that threatening letter is was me Gaara. I am the shinobi of 10,000 demons. Now it's time to die." She lunged forward with kunai in hand straight at Gaara.

(End chapter)

I'm so evil lol. At least I'm not like some people who like put up chapters so slowly so they leave you on like a good point and they have you waiting like three weeks lol. Look's like the battle is on. Please review! Maybe I should start a hate Matsuri fan club lol for that's what in every review I get lol. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!