Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, Gaara and Hinata would end up together and life would be unicorns and rainbows.

The next chapter will be the last chapter of 'Poor Girl' and don't worry, I won't end it on a tragic note. OR WILL I?¿? (I won't) I can't believe I'm already at the second to last chapter. The next chapter is going to be really long and this chapter's semi-long. I'm still debating over whether I should make a sequel or not. But enjoy this second to last chapter! It's only funny at the end but enjoy anyways :)

Now that she was dating a semi-psychologically disturbed gang leader, Hinata probably won't have a normal day for several years or so, and that's only if she's lucky.

It was only eleven o'clock in the morning and it was a Sunday. Why was there so much racket now? Hinata rubbed her light lavender eyes with her knuckles. She sat up and gently threw the blanket off herself. She began to walk towards the door until she heard the muffled voices clarify.

"What is she doing here? I was told she was going to be gone for two months at the least."

"I'm just as surprised as you are. What are we going to do with Hinata? You know how you-know-who gets...if she finds out..."

"Who?"

Temari and Gaara's snapped their heads towards Hinata's room door. Hinata stood there with her head slightly tilted in confusion, "What has happened?"

"Gaara, as soon as I'm done doing this, I'll start breakfast," said an unfamiliar voice from within the same hall.

The two siblings exchanged cautious glances. Hinata's eyes knitted together as she turned her head to the right. Hinata's eyes widened with concerned jealousy as she witnessed a brunette enter Gaara's room with a sleeping bag. Hinata looked up to meet Gaara's stoic eyes, "Who's that?"

"It's a long story," Temari spoke for her baby brother.

"I think I have time."

Temari gulped and stayed silent until Gaara spoke up, "She's one of the Shinobi."

"If you don't mind me asking, why is she taking a sleeping bag inside your room?"

The unfamiliar voice replied to her instead, "And if you don't mind me asking, who the hell are you?"

Hinata politely nodded, "I'm Hinata Hyuga, Gaara's g-g-girlfriend. Who are you?"

The unnamed brunette stayed stoic for several seconds until she broke out in hysterical laughter. She clutched her stomach in laughter, "You?! His girlfriend? Are we talking about the same Gaara here?"

The girl even had the audacity to raise her knee and playfully slap it, "That was hilarious; joke of the year."

Her laughing ceased as she realized they were being serious, "Why am I the only one laughing?"

"Sari, she truly is my significant other."

Sari's eyes quickly widened but her eyes quickly shut closed as she fell unconscious. Hinata gaped at her motionless body as Temari walked over to her and began fanning her. Gaara turned his head back to Hinata.

He pressed his lips to her cheek, "Get ready. We'll talk about this at the breakfast table."

Damn right they will.

Gaara indifferently walked past Sari's unconscious body and left for Kiba's room. Hinata vigorously shook her head deciding it'd best if she didn't over analyze things and went to take a shower.

When Hinata was stepped out into the hall from the bathroom, Sari's body was no longer laying motionless on the floor. Hinata breathed out a sigh of relief and proceeded to return to her room. Hinata heard a dragging sound and she stopped her footsteps.

She looked back to see Sari nonchalantly in tow dragging her sleeping bag on the hardwood floor. Hinata turned her head forward and continued to her room with Sari tailgating her. Hinata opened her room door, stepped inside and tried to close the door but a certain somebody's foot was preventing her from doing so.

Hinata merely gave up and let her firm hold on the door loosen. Hinata walked over to the middle of the room, clad in only her undergarments.

Sari walked in and closed the door with her foot. She dragged her sleeping bag to the far wall, opposite of the door. She then walked up to Hinata, "I've been kicked out of Gaara's room therefore I will be sleeping here."

"I-I-I'm pretty sure there's other unoccupied guest rooms," muttered Hinata as politely as she could.

"What are you trying to say? You don't want me here?"

Hinata vigorously shook her head, "I just meant that-"

Hinata was quickly cut off by the last member of the Shinobi, "Can I ask you a question?"

Hinata slightly nodded and Sari nonchalantly ripped off Hinata's towel off her body. Hinata let out a small shriek and her hands flew to her upper waist in surprise. Sari plainly planted her hands on Hinata's breast for several seconds.

Squeeze.

Sari's hands quickly retreated to her sides and clenched into fists of false disbelief, "Damn it! They are real."

Hinata's eyes knitted together, "What? Why'd you do that?"

"How did she get such big melons while I'm stuck with these strawberries?," she muttered as she left the room staring at her palms that were previously being preoccupied by Hinata's large breasts.

The door slammed shut and Hinata shook her head. How'd she get involved with such hoodlums in the first place? She quickly got dressed and went to the kitchen.

The strong smell of freshly made pancakes hit her hard like Juugo's slap to her face.

(Too soon?)

Hinata quietly sat down between a stoic Gaara and a semi-nervous Kankuro. Everyone except Sari was already seated down as Sari passed out breakfast drinks. There was a plate of steaming hot pancakes and a cup of orange juice placed in front of her.

Hinata gulped and lifted her fork for it only to be gently slapped out of her hand. Hinata looked at the fork on the table and then at Gaara, "What is it?"

"Naruto, switch your plate with Hinata."

"W-why?"

"Just do it."

Naruto obliviously outstretched his plate towards her as they made the exchange while Sari's head was buried in the refrigerator.

Gaara stared at Hinata's new plate and added, "Exchange your drinks too; just to be sure."

Hinata quickly changed her drink and set it down on the overly extravagant table, "Just to be sure of what, Gaara?"

He just closed his eyes and began to eat. Hinata sighed and looked at Kankuro for an answer. He merely continued to eat as he viciously shook his head, "Don't you dare ask me. That's all on Gaara."

"Okay, so I came back this morning," inquired Sari as she scraped her chair against the floor, "from my two week vacation and everything has changed. Who's going to enlighten me?"

"He got a girlfriend, so what? You should be happy for him," remarked a full-cheeked slightly jealous Kiba.

Sari switched her glare from Hinata to Kiba to Chouji, "Choji, I told you to make sure he stayed single. You had one job, damn it, one job!"

Choji just continued to eat his food in shame. Sari sighed and rubbed her temples, "I'm surprised she's even still alive. I'd expect Matsuri to try and bully her out of it."

The whole table dropped in a pregnant silence, "What happened to her anyway?"

The whole table stayed in a quiet atmosphere until Sai finally had the guts to belt out, "She's dead."

The table drew into a dreary atmosphere, "Oh my god," Sari's eyes widened, "you finally killed her, didn't you? That's a load off my back. I knew it was going to happen one way or another. Gaara is a cold blooded son of a-"

"It wasn't him," Sasuke interrupted her with a grin.

"Then who..."

Sari's words dropped as her eyes drifted to a guilt stricken Hinata, "Eh, but else did I expect from Gaara's woman? Of course she killed her. There's an inner thug in there, somewhere."

The table lightened up and chuckles broke out. Hinata set down her fork and butter knife, "Can I get filled in too please?"

Sari scoffed, "She even said the word 'please', she must a bigger sociopath than I had originally thought. Kidding!"

Hinata gulped, "I'm Sari. I'm one year above Gaara's grade level and the second best female Shinobi here. Matsuri thought of me as competition, smart girl, and she knew it'd be pretty hard to get rid of me so she wrote me a couple checks and a ticket to go on a cruise."

Hinata's eyebrows knitted, "You were bribed?"

Sari shook her head, "Bribes, friendly gifts; same difference. Anyways Hinata's your name, right?"

Hinata slightly nodded , "How'd you bag him? Did you put something in his drink?"

Gaara let out a heavy sigh, "Sari."

Sari threw her hands up in defense, "I'm just asking. I'm still so surprised that you actually have a girlfriend. To be honest, I was starting to think you were gay. At one point of another, I could've sworn I saw him wink at Sasuke."

The table erupted into laughter from everyone but a poker faced Gaara and a stoic Sasuke. Hinata giggled and took a sip of her juice. Gaara merely closed his eyes and hissed, "That surely must have been your imagination."

Sari's face broke out into a large grin, "So has she met Karura and that lovely butcher knife of hers?"

Hinata smiled at Sari, "Yeah, she's really nice."

Sari coughed out her orange juice that had went down the wrong pipe, "Nice?! The psychotic woman once put a butcher knife to my throat for asking a simple question."

Kiba rose his eyebrow, "What question did you ask her exactly?"

Sari shrugged her shoulders, "If I remember correctly, I simply asked 'Hey, Karura, how big is Gaara's p-"

Gaara took his butter knife and threw it at Sari, purposely missing, "Stop attempting to make her feel uncomfortable."

Sari stuck her tongue out and took out the missed butter knife out of the wall and back onto the table, "You got me. But hey, Hinata, do you feel well?"

Sari eyed Hinata's breakfast plate as Gaara narrowed his eyes at Naruto, "Yes, why?"

"Never mind," Sari whispered as she stared at Hinata's leftovers on her plate.

"We received the call this morning," remarked a now stoic Temari.

The table fell in dead silence and Hinata tilted her head in confusion. She looked up at the much taller redhead, "What call?"

Gaara let out a burdened sigh, "The rivaling gangs invited us to the duel to end all duels."

Kankuro picked up a cancer stick and put it in between his lips. He took out his lighter and lit the cigarette, "It's called a gun war. We have one every year but we've managed just to get out barely alive last year."

Sasuke slammed his fist on the table, "We have to accept the challenge."

Tenten knitted her eyebrows together at the younger of the two Uchiha brothers, "Are you fucking mental?! Every single gang member in the nine hundred mile radius will be there! We can't take them all at once."

Kiba shot her a glare, "But we can try."

Kankuro let out a puff of lethal smoke, "Sorry, I have to side with Tenten on this one. Besides, it's tomorrow night, we don't have enough time to prepare."

Sai pointed his fork at Kankuro, "We have more than plenty time to get ready. We've managed under much lesser time before. I'm completely up for it."

"Says the temporary cripple with a bullet wound," said Tenten with a roll of her eyes.

Kiba scoffed, "Has your bottom lip ever met even met your top lip?"

"Fine! Let's take a majority vote. My vote goes to us not getting killed, " spoke an aggravated Kankuro.

"Put another vote for that from me," rejoiced a bun headed girl.

"We're the Shinobi, we can do anything. I'm in," beamed Kiba.

"So am I," inquired a stoic-for-once-well-except-that-one-time-Gaara-threw-out-all-his-ramen-cause-he-thought-he-had-a-date-with-his-Hinata Naruto, "Whoever's the last gang standing will dominate over Konoha."

"Fucking troublesome," Shikamaru mumbled as his newly estranged teammates argued.

"We won't be 'standing' much when we're being repeatedly stabbed from every direction," Shikamaru interrupted.

Temari slammed her hands on the table, "Stop! It's up to Gaara to make the decision. Gaara, what do you have to say about this?"

Gaara looked down at a fidgeting Hinata, "Hinata, what's your perspective?"

An obviously struggling Hinata merely shrugged, "I haven't been here for long. I don't even think of myself as a 'Shinobi' therefore I don't really have a say in this. I personally think it's up to you to d-decide."

Gaara threw her a nod of acknowledgment and stood up, "I need some time to debate this over with myself. I'll be back in several minutes."

The room stood in a pregnant silence as Gaara walked out of the large room. Once his footsteps had faded away, everyone snapped their heads towards Hinata.

Hinata gulped, "What?"

Kiba walked over to her and sat down in Gaara's previous seat. He put his elbow atop of her left shoulder, "Hinata, go convince him to go through with it."

Kankuro took his cigarette and crushed it into his ash tray. He then placed his hand on Hinata's right shoulder, "Don't listen to that mutt! Do you have a death wish?!"

Hinata let out a heavy sigh and vigorously shook her head. Sasuke clicked his tongue and Shino awkwardly coughed. Sari threw her hands up in aspiration, "Are we actually arguing over this? We're the Shinobi! Come on guys, if we don't show up tomorrow, they're going to bring the party over here."

Lee ruffled his hair, "She's right. If we don't go to them, they'll come to us. We're the best damn youthful gang in Konoha and we need to-"

Kankuro grit his teeth, "We can't be the best gang in Konoha if we're lying seven feet under the ground, dead!"

Shikamaru frivolously shook his head, "Stab me if I'm wrong but isn't it Gaara who gets the final say in this?"

Hinata quickly stood up, "I...I'm going to talk to Gaara."

The room stood in silence once again as she quickly walked away, heading towards his room. As soon as her small frame passed through the door frame, the room erupted in more arguments.

Hinata knocked on the door several times until Gaara's voice broke through, "Come in."

Hinata opened the door to find Gaara sitting in his large office chair with his green cerulean eyes closed. She closed the door and walked up to him. He opened his eyes and his lips slightly curved upwards, "Hinata."

He stood up and heavily breathed out as he wrapped his arms around her waist, "I don't know what to do."

Hinata pressed her hands to her toned back and clutched his black shirt, "How come?"

Gaara stared into her big eyes, "Because the last gun war we were involved in, as Kankuro previously stated, we barely left alive. This year I actually have something to live for."

Hinata gulped, "Are you trying to say that I'm the reason why you don't want to go tomorrow?"

Gaara placed his smooth chin on top of her head, "To be honest, yes. I finally made you mine and I don't want to take the risk of dying anymore. Dying means I'll never see you again."

Hinata moved her head back so she could make eye-contact with him once again, "Gaara, you're the strongest person I know. Are you having a moment of weakness?"

"I lost you one too many times. I strongly doubt that my heart or sanity can take another blow," whispered Gaara as he gently rubbed his nose against Hinata's nose, "I don't know what will happen tomorrow."

Hinata closed her eyes, "No one knows what will happen tomorrow. Fate maybe? Everything will turn out fine, I'm sure of it. Whatever happens, happens but if something does happen, just know that you'll always have my heart."

"And you, mine," whispered Gaara as he attempted to close the distance between them.

Word of the day? Attempted.

A harsh sneeze coming from outside the door had stopped Gaara in his tracks. Hinata giggled as she dissembled her limbs from his body. Gaara opened the door only for five eavesdropping Shinobi to fall through.

Sari, Shikamaru, Choji, Naruto and Sasuke lay in a bundle on the floor. Sari rolled her eyes, "Who wants to strangle Naruto to death in his sleep? Say I."

A couple 'I's were exclaimed as Hinata giggled. Shikamaru helped Choji up, "So what did you decide on?"

Gaara closed his eyes for several seconds before re-opening them to carry out on his gang leader role, "Shikamaru and Choji prepare all the weapons in the basement inventory. Tell Sai, Kankuro, and Lee to load the readied weapons in the cars. Naruto and Shino will divide up the weapons amongst the number of Shinobi. Tell Kiba to get Hinata's cousin and any other willing help including Akamaru."

Gaara hesitated for several seconds as he stared at the expensive hardwood floor, "Hinata, I apologize if you don't want to be involved in this but I will have Sari train you for the remainder of the day. You might not end up going to the 'Forest of Death' tomorrow but they may come here, and you might have to fight your way out."

Either no one is out to kill her or approximately seven people are out to kill her at a time. There is no in-between.

Hinata enthusiastically nodded at Gaara as she outstretched her hand out towards Sari to help her stand, "Okay!"

Gaara clicked his tongue, "Sasuke, Temari and I will survey the area for any set up traps. Tell Tenten to call Ayame and to come with her strongest work as soon as possible. Understood?"

Everyone except Hinata and Sari dashed away from Gaara. Sari gestured her head towards the hallways and left. Hinata nodded as she proceeded to leave too. Gaara took a hold of Hinata's wrist and gently pulled back so she would collide with his inner-throbbing chest.

He slipped his hand under her chin, forcing her to look up to him. But she wasn't doing much of 'looking' seeing as her eyes were closed. Gaara pressed his lips to her plump ones for a couple seconds.

He smiled at her and let his hold on her wrist loosen, "Have I ever told you I think you're beautiful?"

A red crimson blush painted her face in embarrassment, "You may have mentioned it before."

The ends of Gaara's lips curved upwards, "How do I tell you I love you when you leave me so speechless?"

He pressed his soft lips to hers once more and smiled at his girl, "Go and don't let Sari intimidate you. I personally think she's warming up to you."

She shyly smiled back at him before leaving and following Sari down to the basement where Shikamaru and Choji were speedily running around.

Hinata gaped at the large basement full of potential murder weapons. There were numerous shelves holding lethal guns and knives of all sizes.

What else did she expect in the basement of a gang of serial killers? A Girl Scout tent and a Starbucks?

Pshh.

Sari quickly returned with two medium sized switchblades, three guns, and a pack of bullets, "Let's hurry. We don't have much time to teach you all that you need to know."

Sari led her to the backyard full of target practices and practice dummies. Sari passed her a switchblade and a gun, "Okay, I want you to charge at that practice dummy and stab it to death. Or at least pretend to. If you play your cards right, you might just make it out alive tomorrow."

Hinata stared at the switchblade in hand.

Was that... a dried blood stain?

It was.

Oh.

Hinata shook off the horrid realization and ran with all her might to the inhuman object. She plunged the switchblade into the hard to breach material repeatedly. Sari observed her and nodded as if she approved, "You know, I always thought that I'd feel a certain bitterness towards Gaara's first girlfriend..."

Hinata heavily breathed as she took a small break from the sudden soreness of her wrist. She courteously smiled, thinking Sari had something positive to say.

Stupid girl.

Hinata pressed her hands to her knees, "And?"

Sari rose a nonchalant eyebrow, "And I was right."

Oh.

"Go over by the human shaped targets. Aim for the head and for the chest, those are crucial points to remember," inquired Sari as she tapped her gun against her lips.

Hinata enthusiastically nodded and arranged herself to be ten feet away from the target practice. She took a big, nervous breath in for the cold gun in her her hand revived unforgotten memories of the night she had committed her first homicide.

She closed her eyes shut and pulled the trigger. She opened one lavender-colored eye and then the other.

She had completely missed.

She was aiming for the chest but instead had hit one of the legs. An anime sweat drop appeared on Sari's forehead, "Try again. Remember the head and the chest!

Hinata gently bit her lower lip and pressed the trigger three times, after raising it a bit higher. Her bullet had pierced the human shaped's 'swimsuit area' thrice.

Hinata gaped at it as Sari shrugged, "That works too, I guess."

"Hinata. Sari."

Both girls snapped their heads towards the sound of Shino's raspy voice. Hinata knitted her eyebrows together in concern as she saw Naruto's arm slung over Shino's shoulder.

Both girls walked over to the boys. Shino outstretched a paper towards Sari, "Here's a list of rare ammunition that we are in need of. Please attain them and take Naruto with you. He's acting in a strange manner and perhaps a drive will snap him out of it."

Sari shrugged, "Sure, I know a guy."

Sari nodded as Hinata took a semi-unconscious Naruto from Shino, "Shino, you...you're the most beautiful piece of a ramen noodle I have ever seen. Can I-Can I take you out to brunch sometime?"

Shino shook his head as he handed Sari his car keys. Sari helped Hinata put Naruto in the backseat and they were soon on their way. The car was burdened with a pregnant silence until Hinata decided to speak up, "So are you and Gaara close?"

Sari didn't take her caramel colored eyes off the road, "Not at all. I admire him a lot, he's done so much for me."

Hinata's lips turned upwards, "Like what?"

Sari chuckled, "My mom died when I was fifteen so it was just me and the con man of a father I had. He was a terrible, selfish and greedy man. His name was Orochimaru and he constantly forced me to help him with his scams. I had nowhere else to go. Gaara opened up his home for me and let me into his gang styled family. I'd risk my life for him any day, you feel me?"

Hinata nodded, "I do. After all he saved me t-too. He always does. One day, I want to be the one d-doing the saving. What happened to your father?"

"My dad? Oh, yeah, I tied bricks to his legs and threw the bricks down a nearby lake," said an indifferent Sari as the conversation topic was obviously dropped.

Should she ask about Sari's feelings for Gaara and get it over with or should she tie an anchor to her waist and dive into the Atlantic Ocean in order to avoid having to ask?

She'd prefer the latter.

Hinata gulped as she merely nodded. She suppressed the tempting question that was at the tip of her tongue, "If you're worried about me stealing him, don't be. He's more of a brother to me than anything. I didn't like you in the beginning because of my protective instinct over him. To be honest, I was planning on driving you away."

Hinata couldn't say she was surprised about her dislike of Hinata as Sari kept speaking, "You're the first girl he's ever showed such interest before and just the way he looks at you..."

Hinata let out a heavy sigh, "So you're not into him?"

"His mother carries a butcher knife around with her. I want to be part of the Shinobi family but I'm certain that I don't want to be a part of THAT family. Besides, I'm into Kiba," she said with a wink and smirk plastered on her face.

Sari gripped the steering wheel tighter, "I don't want to sound like I'm favoring you over Gaara, but heed my warning, he alternates between being an intellectual sociopath who won't hesitate to slash open your skull and a seven year old introverted child with an Internet dependency. Just...be careful not to get on his bad side...the Shukaku side."

Hinata subconsciously began to fumble with her fingers, "Kiba has mentioned the 'Shukaku' before but-"

Naruto began to loudly mumble in the background once again, "Pork soup? But no noodles? Who the hell do you think you are?"

Hinata stopped talking mid-sentence and turned her head to look at him, "Are you alright, Naruto?"

"My throat...can't breathe. I feel kinda woozy."

Sari slammed her foot on the brake pedal in the middle of the empty road. She took off her seatbelt to be able to lean back. She repeatedly smacked his now pale cheek, "Naruto! Naruto, answer me, did you eat Hinata's breakfast this morning?"

He knit his eyebrows and pressed his chin to upper chest, "Mom, is that you?"

Sari clutched his shirt as rose her right hand and slapped him, "Listen here you little shit, get it together and answer me. Did you or did you not eat Hinata's breakfast?"

Hinata desperately looked between Naruto and Sari, "Y-yeah, Gaara told me to change plates with him. What's wrong?"

Sari face palmed her forehead and put on her seatbelt again. She started the car again and made an illegal u-turn, "Where are we going?!"

Sari let out a hefty laugh, "The emergency room."

Hinata's eyes widened. There were four things currently running through her mind at the moment as Sari nonchalantly drove to the hospital to get Naruto's stomach pumped.

One. She would have to practice on her aim.

Two. Gaara plus Matsuri equals Sari.

Three. If a biography was written about Naruto's life, it'd be called 'A series of unfortunate events'.

Four. What the hell was in those pancakes?