Hello all, time for chapter 25! I just got home from school, that'd how I update so fast. I come home, finish my homework –If any- check my email, and then get right on here to type! Yay me!!!

Gaara: -sighs-

He's depressed…

"Kankuro, can you pass me that document?" Asked Gaara, extending his hand without looking up from his papers.

"Sure," The sand jounin replied fro his seat on the couch. He grabbed the blue folder Gaara motioned to, and set it down on his desk.

"Thanks."

The two brothers looked up as rushed muttering came from outside the door. There was an angry snap, a muttered apology, then silence. The door was pushed open and Temari peeked in.

"Hi Gaara!" She said cheerfully, "You have a visitor!"

Gaara blinked, and looked down at one of his papers. He frowned, "I don't have any appointments set," he muttered crossly. He glanced at Kankuro who just shrugged.

"This one just came up!"

"But-…" Gaara cut himself of at the deadly glare Temari gave him. He sighed, and rested his chin on his fist. He looked at the bunch of roses and finally muttered, "Oh, alright then."

Temari jerked her head at Kankuro. He leapt to his feet and stood beside her, looking a little worried. Gaara eyed them both suspiciously.

His elder siblings turned and exited through the door, and Gaara almost fell over in shock, as Hinata walked into the office. Temari shut the door quickly ad rushed her brother away from the office.

Hinata was wearing a long sleeved black shirt, with a black skirt going down to about her knees. She wore books that stopped just an inch below the knees. Her hair was brushed back neatly, and shimmered in the lights of the office. She wore a serious frown on her rosy lips.

A high tension settled through the small office. They stared at each other, neither saying a word nor moving an inch.

Gaara made the first move. He turned his chairs back to her, and looked out of the window, "What are you doing here?" he asked quietly, his voice blank.

"I thought that'd be obvious," Hinata said in an oddly calm voice, "I came to talk to you."

Gaara shifted in his seat slightly, and stared at his own reflection in the window, his bright eyes narrowed slightly. "I canceled the wedding," He said factually, "Just drop it already."

Hinata clenched her fists, but didn't say anything.

Gaara gave her the smallest glance.

A breeze flew in through the window at the very end of the office which Kankuro had opened earlier this morning. It ruffled Gaara's hair, making his bangs fall into his eyes.

Hinata's shoulders stiffened, "I…." She bit her bottom lip, trying to figure out how to start, "I…"

"Listen, if you just came here to stutter and waist my time, then you should lave," Gaara growled.

Hinata winced. Temari had warned her about how Gaara might act. According to the blonde, this was how Gaara treated everyone. It was his cruel demeanor that made people not want to talk to him much. It was also his cold cruel logic. Gaara could say something hurtful, and not even realize it, or really care about it. She sighed.

"I told you…t-that I loved you…" She whispered.

He glanced around at her, frowning.

"And you still left…" She shook her head. She couldn't cry here not in front of him at a time like this, "You still…" She looked up, "Everything would have been fine! Naruto and Neji stopped being stupid! Everyone would be happy!" She tried desperately to reason with him.

Gaara remained silent.

"You always do that…" She murmured, "Even after all that stuff we went through together, after how much we opened up to each other…you still act like that…" She closed her eyes.

"Tch, it's not like I don't have a reason…" he muttered.

"Then tell me!" She practically shouted at him.

Gaara examined her for a moment, his eyes blank. He looked away, closing his eyes as he did so.

"So that's it?" Asked Hinata, crossing her arms, "You're just not going to say anything?!" She whipped her eyes to prevent the tears from flooding out.

His hand twitched slightly, but no other reaction.

Hinata sniffed and turned away from him, "Must be for your own…selfish reasons then…" She muttered,

"That's not true!"

She turned to see that Gaara had stood, slamming his hands down on his desk as he did so, sending some papers stacked up in neat piles falling over. The vase full of roses shuttered.

"Then what is it then?" She asked icily.

"I wouldn't expect a person like you to understand…" he growled.

"A person like me!?" She glared at him, "Then what kind of person am I, Gaara?" She asked.

He frowned, but didn't say anything.

Hinata could feel his chakra leaking out in odd proportions, flooding around the office. She knew that this was a sign that he was angry, or tense, or upset. She couldn't tell which.

"You're…" he started to reply, but stopped. He shook his head and glared at his own hands on the desk, eyes narrowed. He looked up again, opened his mouth, shut it, and opened it again. No words came out.

He jerked his head to the side, as if flicking away an annoying fly.

"If you don't believe me…" Hinata whispered, making the redhead's gaze snap back onto her, "If you don't believe that I love you…then ask yourself this…" She sighed, "Why would I of risked my life to save you? Why would I come all this way just to talk to you, if I didn't love you?" She stared him down, waiting for an answer.

The Kazekage stared at her for a moment, before looking away briefly, then back at her.

"You won't answer it, will you?" She asked, frowning.

Still, he said nothing.

Hinata closed her eyes, thinking. Her eyes suddenly snapped open, and formed into a Gaara-like glare, "I don't give a damn what happened in your past…" She hissed, "but that shouldn't mess with what's going on in your life now…you shouldn't-,"

"You just don't get it!" Gaara shouted, shaking his head angrily.

Hinata jumped at his sudden outburst.

"You idiot," he growled dangerously. He walked around his desk and took a step towards her, "You're making up all these crazy theories, like I didn't believe you loved me, well you need to stop!" his voice was harsh as he spoke, "You don't know the real truth, the real reason why I…" he took a few shallow breaths, shaking his head.

Hinata stared at him, her eyes wide. She was scared, scared that the Gaara she had seen in the park that one night was about to break loose again, and kill her, like it almost killed Neji and Naruto.

"How can you be so naïve?" Gaara whispered, his hands clenching and unclenching themselves. "You're making all these stupid guesses, well you…you…" The gourd in the corner of the room rattled slightly.

In her whole life, Hinata had never met anyone like Gaara. He could change moods so quickly, from a gentle caring person, to an angry murderous being. It made her wonder…what was his true personality?

"Oy, Hinata!"

Hinata looked up and blushed immediately to see Naruto running towards her, dragging along an annoyed looking red haired boy. He looked oddly familiar, with those cold green eyes. She gave a small smile, "H-hello N-Naruto-kun…" She whispered.

The redhead eyes her curiously, his eyes narrowed.

"Hinata, this is Gaara!" declared Naruto, releasing the annoyed ninja's writs. He grinned, "You know, from the chunnin exams!"

Hinata's eyes widened as she remembered, in the forest of death, a red haired boy who killed three rain village ninja without even a blink of the eye. He had had crimson red hair, and cold green blue eyes.

"Hinata, you ok?" Asked Naruto, looking at her with concern.

"O-oh! Y-yes!" She said, blushing. She eyed Gaara nervously.

"Well, we're going to go get some ramen!" said Naruto, punching the air with his fist, "right Gaara?"

The pale skinned boy remained silent, and looked at the blonde with a blank look on his face. Finally, he spoke, in a voice that sounded like sand paper, "Whatever Naruto. Just remember I-,"

"You have to meet Granny Tsunada by this afternoon, I know, I know!" Muttered Naruto, waving his hand dismissively.

Gaara frowned when the hyperactive ninja interrupted him.

"So, see yah later Hinata!" said Naruto. "Let's go Gaara!"

Hinata herd him let out an exasperated sigh before Naruto grabbed him by the wrist and rushed of towards the ramen shop.

Hinata frowned. The real Gaara…the real Gaara was quiet and serious…right? He was just a very temperamental person, that was all. Sadly right now, Gaara looked angrier then she'd ever seen before, and she was frightened.

"You seriously think…" Gaara snapped suddenly, "That I would cancel something that important to my village just because I felt like it!?"

"I-,"

"I mean, what kind of Kage would I be if I did that!?" he looked around at her, "Answer that for me Hinata!" he growled.

She remained silent.

He took a few steps toward her, and Hinata took a few hurried steps back. She felt her back bump into the wall of the office, and she was glad to have it for support. She let out a small breath.

Gaara had crossed his arms and was muttering to himself quickly, his wide eyes focused on the red carpet below his feet.

Hinata watched him nervously, her eyes following every movement he made. He finally looked up, and she flinched.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" He asked coldly.

"N-no…" She stammered.

"Do you think I'm heartless?"

"No."

"Do you think I'm cruel?"

"No!"

He narrowed his eyes, "Then…what do you think?"

Hinata stared at him, her lips and throat dry and cracked, like the desert itself. She felt as though she had just swallowed a handful of sand, without taking a drink afterwards for that matter.

Gaara's hand slammed onto the wall above her left shoulder, and Hinata looked up to find his face only an inch or so from her own.

"Answer me damn it!" he shouted.

Hinata bit her lip, and stared up at him. Her heart was beating faster then it ever had before in her life, "I….I…"

"Well?" he hissed.

Hinata shut her eyes tight, "I…I think you are the most kind and caring person I have ever met in my entire life!" She cried, "And I've never thought badly of you, never!"

Silence.

She opened her eyes slowly.

The expression on Gaara's face was one of pure shock. His eyes were wide. It seemed as though he was at a loss for words this time.

Finally, he made a sound somewhere in between and disbelieving scoff, and a sigh. He moved away from her, and walked over to the window, staring out over the sand village with his cold green eyes.

"The reason I canceled the wedding…" He muttered in a cracked voice, "was…was to…"

Hinata didn't dare move, but she stared at him none the less.

He closed his eyes, "was to protect you…" he said so quietly, that Hinata barely herd him.

"W-what do you mea-"

"I'm the Kazekage," He muttered, "if any of our enemies found out that I was in a strong relationship with someone, they would use that to their advantage. They'd hurt that person, and it would be my fault."

Hinata blinked. There was…surprising logic in what he said.

"All my life, I was never someone's precious person," he continued, "I thought I was once, but that was all just a lie. I don't want to become someone's precious person, if that just means putting them in danger because of me."

Hinata stared at the ground, her silver eyes soft.

"I don't want anyone close to me…any precious person of mine…to be hurt by the stupid choices I make," he added, opening his eyes and staring out of the window, "I don't want…"

His gaze fell upon the picture of his mother that Temari had insisted on putting in his office. He quickly looked away from it, frowning.

Hinata took a breath, and moved towards him cautiously. She still didn't know if his emotions were currently stable, but…but at the moment, that was a risk she was willing to take.

"If you become someone's precious person," She said gently, "Then they'd make it their life to protect you. They wouldn't worry about their own well being as long as you were safe."

Gaara fell silent. "How did you know you were in love with me?" he asked quietly. Hinata linked.

"I don't know. I...You know, I think I was attracted to you, and then in love with you, for a long time before I realized it. I felt so much towards you, it just got confusing. A-and I think all people are like that, deep inside. The thing is, the more you think about it, the less it will probably make sense. I-it's just not something you can reason out, you know, even for a genius such as yourself. In my case, it all came together when you were in danger; it's how I realized what you meant to me." She fell silent as she realized that Gaara was staring at her.

"So I might recognize this emotion the day I come close to losing it?" he interrupted coldly.

"…Yes?"

"So love is a very stupid emotion," Gaara said in a flat voice.

"Er…" Put like that.

Gaara turned back to stare at the desert as if it had personally annoyed him and he was contemplating a Requiem.

A faint breeze, hot and heavy with afternoon heat, danced in through the window, making Hinata smile with pleasure.

Gaara stirred and glanced back at her.

"You think it could happen one day?" he asked, and if it was anybody else, that might have sounded wistful. But being Gaara, it only sounded blunt. And that was fine by Lee, because that was his Gaara, and maybe that was what Love was about, in the end.

Hinata gave him a small smile, "I know it can…" She said gently.

Gaara looked at her in his inscrutable sphinx-like way, and then turned away with a snort.

They stood together in silence, neither looking at the other.

"Gaara?"

The Kazekage turned around to look at her.

Hinata quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him towards her, and kissed him on the lips.

Gaara's eyes were wide with surprise, but as certain emotions he didn't quiet understand overshadowed the shock, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

The door was slowly pushed open and Temari peeked in. She opened her mouth to speak, and then saw the sight before her. Her jaw dropped.

Kankuro looked into the room over his sister's head, and his eyes widened. He stared at the pair, stunned.

Temari pushed Kankuro out of the way and shut the door slowly, her green eyes still wide as she did so. Kankuro left rather reluctantly.

Gaara and Hinata broke apart, and stared at each other blankly.

The redhead noticed tears forming in the corners of Hinata's eyes. He lifted his hand and gently brushed them away.

Hinata reached up and grasped her hand in his own, placing it against the side of her face. She smiled at him. "As your precious person…" she whispered, "I'll protect you…"

Gaara stared at her, "I'll protect you as well…" he said quietly.

Hinata looked over at the vase of roses. She removed her arms from his neck, and picked up one red rose, and the violet rose. "Hold out your hand," She instructed.

He did so.

She held out her own hand. She tied both the roses together by the stems, and then tied the conjoined stems to both of their pinkie fingers.

"Promise?" she asked, "Promise on these roses?"

Gaara stared at the roses, then looked back at Hinata. He nodded, as he wrapped his pinkie finger around hers. The roses glistened in the light from the window.

"Promise."

-SQUEELS- I almost cried then I almost screamed aloud while writing this chapter! It was so kawaii and dramatic all at the same time!

Gaara and Hinata: -Are making out-

….ok….So don't worry. This is not the last chapter. There will be a few more, then an epilogue. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!!!!