Gaara was out for a walk in the Konoha marketplace. He liked that nobody in the village threw him dirty looks or pay him any attention. In Konoha, he was invisible and calm at mind.

"Gaara Sabaku"

Gaara recognized the voice that spoke to him and turned around, "Hyuuga"

Gaara was in his ninja clothes but Hinata wasn't. Hinata was dressed in a long sleeved, navy blue striped white top and jean shorts. She wore navy blue sandals on her feet and she tied her long hair into a side ponytail at the right-side of her head.

She looked pretty but Gaara was more focused on the fact that the girl was looking him with a steely gaze and a frown on her pink lips.

"What do you want Hyuuga?" Gaara finally says.

"I wanted to warn you"

Gaara, if he had any eyebrows, he would have probably raised one. Warn him?

"I wanted to warn you that if you get overboard in your match with Naru and try to kill her, I will not hesitate to step in. Naru is my childhood friend and I will protect her."

To Hinata's surprise, the sides of Gaara's mouth were twitching as if he was going to laugh which irritated Hinata greatly.

"Are you looking down on me Sand-nin?" she asked, her eyes narrowing at the redhead.

Gaara couldn't help it, he mocked her with a smirk on her face, "Childhood friend? Really? You have no idea what she feels for you do you?"

Hinata blinked at him, unsure of what he was implying, "What do you-"

"HINA-CHAN!"

Hinata found herself with a hug from behind from Konoha's infamous blonde.

"Naru"

Naru let go and moved to stand next to the lavender-eyed girl, "What were you and Gaara talking about?"

"Nothing to concern yourself with Naru-chan" Hinata assured her.

Naru turned to look at Gaara for confirmation but his expression was blank.

"Well...if you really say so-"

"Of course. Now Naru, I'm sorry but I need to leave now"

Naru's big blue eyes widened, "What? Why?!"

"Because it's going to be lunchtime soon and I need to pick up Hanabi?"

"Oh…"

"I'm sorry Naru" Hinata apologised.

"It's fine!" Naru says, waving her off.

"You can come along if you want" Hinata told her, feeling bad because Naru only just came.

"No no! You and Hanabi should have your sister time!"

"But Naru-"

"It's fine!"

Without saying anything else, Naru gave her friend a light push to leave. Hinata gave her a reluctant look but complied with blonde's wishes and turned to walk away, forgetting the fact that she was leaving her friend with Gaara.

"So Gaara, what were you and Hina-chan talking about?"

Gaara was about to answer her but a memory flashed vividly in his mind.

FLASHBACK

Gaara was on another one of his walks when he saw someone familiar to him. He came in closer and frowned when he recognized that the pigtailed blonde, Naru was hiding behind a huge, oak tree to watch her friend, Hinata train. The redhead moved closer to find that Naru was smiling softly and her big, ocean-blue eyes were sparkling.

"You're in love with her aren't you?"

Naru jumped and turned around.

"Gaara! Don't scare me like that!"

Gaara deadpanned, "Why are you even hiding? Those eyes of hers allows her a 360º field of vision and the ability to to see through solid objects correct? Can't she see you?"

Naru shook her head, "Hina-chan won't activate her Byagukan in her training with Kurenai-sensei so she won't see me; she has no reason to use her Byagukan in her training with her sensei."

Gaara nodded his head in understanding.

"W-what makes you think I'm in love with her?" Naru asked, timidly.

"It's ridiculously obvious" the sand ninja replied plainly.

"I-it is?!"

"Well to anyone who bothers to notice."

Naru stared at him, gaping.

"So why are you in love her? You two are both girls. Wouldn't it be more normal to like a guy? Like that guy you were with?" he asked seriously.

Naru blinked at him several times before she finally realized who her fellow jinchuuriki was talking about.

"Sasuke?! Ewww Gaara! He's like a brother!"

Gaara frowned but Naru interrupted him before he could say anything else.

"I'll only like Hinata and Hinata alone" she told him firmly and confidently.

"But why?" Gaara asked, surprisingly curious.

"She-she was the only one that noticed me, that liked me, tolerated me and cared for me…even though she knew the truth about me from the start."

Gaara blinked at her in surprise, "You mean, she knows about-?"

"Y-yeah"

Gaara couldn't believe it, someone that wasn't even Naru's own blood accepted her so easily even though she was a demon container?

Inside, Gaara felt a strong feeling of jealousy bubbling inside him; his own siblings didn't even show him any sign of affection growing up. They feared him and avoided him whenever possible.

"Gaara? Are you okay?"

Gaara didn't hear her.

Your own family doesn't even care for you! That's the life of a demon container!

Gaara opened his eyes suddenly, surprised that he wasn't even aware that he had even closed them in the first place when he realized that unknown, warm, gentle hands had cupped his cheeks.

It was Naru.

Her brow was furrowed in concern as she looked at him.

"Does he disturb you a lot? The Ichibi?" she asked, quietly.

Gaara nonchalantly picked up Naru's hands, prying them from his face, "Why would it matter to you?"

Realizing that she taken aback by the question and was not going to say anything else, Gaara dropped her hands, turned and walked away to return to his hotel.

Naru did not run after him or call him back.

END OF FLASHBACK

"GAARA!"

The redhead opened his eyes to see Naru looking at him with a look of worry on her face, "Are you-"

She was interrupted by the loud growl of her stomach.

Naru blushed, her face a beetroot red, "Uhmm…sorry I-"

"I'm free, you want to go eat somewhere?"

Naru blinked at him, "W-wha-?"

Gaara's face was impassive as he spoke, "I don't feel like going back to my hotel and I'm hungry as well."

Naru blinked at him again in shock.

"I'll pay"

Naru deadpanned, deep in thought.

Well, he is a jinchuuriki like me and I am curious about getting to know him more…

"Okay but I choose the place!" the blonde grins widely.

"Fine" replied the stoic ninja.