Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

Special Thanks: goes out to rao hyuga 18, QueenP19, and ssspooky for all your great reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this story to their favorite and alert lists. You all are amazing!

Author's Note: Finally, we reach the first of Gaara's POVs throughout the story! Hopefully it will explain a few things, though I can promise it will also raise more questions... (Sorry.) But I'll be quiet now and let you get on to the chapter - thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

*~Chapter V~*

~Aftermath~

He had known when she showed no signs of recognizing him this would not be easy.

He had not known she would be terrified of him.

Leaning his head back against the door separating him from his wife, Sabaku Gaara let out a long, tired sigh and closed his eyes. This is harder than I'd ever thought it'd be. How in the world am I supposed to be her husband if she jumps and cringes every time I get near her?

Gaara ran a hand through his hair and pushed away from the door. It wasn't even like he'd been planning to do anything with her tonight. When he'd walked through the door and seen her standing there dressed like that, looking like that, he'd lost his head for a moment. But her terrified reaction to him had quickly brought him back down to earth with a very painful, abrupt thump. After that, he knew he'd have to leave so she'd understand he had absolutely no intentions of hurting her. He'd even locked the door behind him to support his intentions.

He'd just been intending to talk, but perhaps a small part of him wouldn't have minded if she'd been open... No, stop it. Slow and easy. She's plenty terrified of you already. No sense in making it worse. He shook his head hard to rid his mind of the images flooding it and began to pace.

For the past two weeks, ever since Hyuuga Hiashi sent word his daughter would be arriving, Gaara had been thinking about what he could say. His mind had been working things out while he should have been concentrating on reports, meetings, and one of a hundred other duties. He even spent the majority of his mostly sleepless nights trying to come up with the right words to set her at ease. He couldn't tell her everything, not yet, but he'd planned to tell her enough to make her feel safe and comfortable in Suna. Safe and comfortable with him.

Even in his most insecure moments, he hadn't dreamed she wouldn't recognize him. But when she'd appeared in the dining hall, he'd seen absolutely no familiarity in her eyes. Curiosity, yes. Fear, yes. Admiration - well, maybe. He hoped she at least found him agreeable, at most attractive.

He had known the moment he saw her she was Hinata. Her hair was longer, her features and body more mature, but it was her eyes which sparked the most recognition in him. Those kind white eyes, windows to her very soul, which had studied him as if he were a complete stranger.

Bracing his hands against the wall on either side of the one small mirror in his room, Gaara studied his reflection. Perhaps, he mused as he forced himself to meet his own eyes, he really was a stranger. He'd changed so much since he last saw her. Done a lot of things, terrible things, of which he certainly wasn't proud.

But Hinata... Well, she hadn't changed at all, really. She was still kind, and gentle, and polite, and beautiful. An angel. Someone whom he could never deserve, but still hoped could find some sort of happiness with.

Romantic sap doesn't become you. You're stronger than this, so act like it.

Scowling at the voice in his head, which sounded horribly like his father, Gaara pushed away from the wall and spun from the mirror. For three years he'd worked and sweated and pushed himself into a tenuous balance within his own society, which had shunned him even years after his father's death. Sometimes in his nightmares, sometimes when he looked in the mirror, he could still see his father's influence upon him, in the very shaping of his own psyche as well as the features of his face.

He'd worked hard over the past few years to encourage himself, to convince himself he wasn't cursed with his father's insane ambitions and desires. Sometimes, though, he had a hard time believing it. Tonight was one of those times, the hardest he'd had in a while.

Some members of the council and people in the village still didn't trust him. Gaara couldn't blame them. And he could see the dislike and distrust in the eyes of those from Konoha, particularly Hinata's cousin. Hyuuga Neji knew the situation just as well as Gaara, even though he didn't like it. The one conversation the two men had suffered through just last night, after Hinata had retired, proved that if nothing else. But still, Neji had finally admitted he knew this was the best way to handle the situation. Even if he didn't trust Gaara, he would give him the benefit of the doubt. For now.

I hope I can live up to the ideal. Gaara finally slumped down in his desk chair, feeling exhausted beyond belief. He wished he could go up to his office and do something constructive to occupy his mind, but there were certain expectations the councilmembers wanted him and Hinata to meet. At least at this point in time, he had no interest in informing them otherwise. Let them think tonight was going exactly as they were anticipating.

But if they tried to interfere, or bully Hinata... Well, perhaps his reputation would finally come in handy for something.

Once again, his eyes slid to the door separating his and Hinata's rooms. What was she thinking of him now? He knew it could be nothing complimentary.

Which brought him back around to his original question. What in the world could he do to make her feel more comfortable around him, to get her to trust him?

It was not an easy answer.

So began yet another torturous, sleepless night.

Hinata jolted out of her light, extremely unsettled sleep when she heard her bedroom door creak open. At first she thought it was Gaara coming back in, causing her to sit up in a panic, but when she saw Ino's blonde hair and blue eyes peeking around the doorframe leading to the main room of her suite, her heart settled into a more normal rhythm.

"Come in." Hinata tugged at her bed-head hair, making a face at the tangles which greeted her gaze. Dropping the snarled midnight strands, she tiredly met her maid's curious gaze. "I'm alone. As I have been most of the night." From the scratchy feel of her eyes, she hadn't been asleep for too long. Even once she'd finally succumbed to her own exhaustion, she hadn't been able to sleep deeply for fear of hearing the door open again.

Ino's eyes darted toward the door between rooms, understanding what her mistress was not saying. "Most of the night? You mean, he-?"

"Didn't stay." She refrained from mentioning how she'd chased him off, albeit unintentionally. "What time is it?"

"A couple hours after sunrise," Ino replied. In Konoha, she would have started sliding open doors to let in sunshine and fresh air, but in Suna all she could do was throw a sour look at the high, narrow windows. "A servant just delivered breakfast. Think you can eat something?"

Unable to stand the thought of facing anyone, let alone her husband, Hinata found herself extremely thankful breakfast was going to be a private affair, like yesterday morning. Feeling slightly better about the world in general, Hinata threw back her blankets and slid out of bed before reaching for her robe. "Surprisingly, I am hungry." It had finally gotten to the point where her hunger was overpowering every other emotion and sensation battering down her defenses, and after her mostly-sleepless night she just didn't have the energy to keep fighting. "What is it?"

"Light things," Ino mentioned, following Hinata into the main room. "Fruit, mostly. And tea. And some rice."

Hinata nodded. It was quite similar to breakfasts she ate in Konoha, something familiar she desperately needed in her new, unfamiliar surroundings. She wondered if Neji and Tenten had anything to do with it, then made a mental note to ask and thank them later. Kneeling on the mat next to the low table toward the center of the room, Hinata reached for the lid covering her breakfast and lifted it.

The most wonderful smell wafted to her nose. Hinata had to stop, blink, and sniff again, cautiously but hopefully, before she finally believed it. "Cinnamon rolls!"

Ino grinned as she took the tray cover from Hinata and set it aside. "I could hardly believe it when I saw them."

Immediately reaching for one of the warm, gooey rolls, Hinata took a bite and rolled her eyes in ecstacy, last night briefly forgotten. As soon as she swallowed, she looked up at her maid. "D-Did you tell someone c-cinnamon rolls are my favorite?" she asked. She was still positively mortified about last night, but she had to admit the rolls were making her feel slightly better about the light of day. If only she could hang on to this feeling when she met Gaara later, which undoubtedly she would...

"No," Ino admitted. "Which is what really surprised me when they showed up this morning. I thought you had mentioned it to someone."

After savoring another bite, Hinata shook her head. "Perhaps Neji or Tenten mentioned it, b-but I d-didn't. My mind has b-been on other things." The rolls were perfect: just the right amount of cinnamon, beautifully shaped, dripping with icing and just warm enough to eat without having to blow first. It was like someone had somehow brought the kitchen from her home in Konoha to Suna. Wonderful.

She finished off the first roll, then shot a quick glance at Ino to make sure the blonde was looking away - her maid was focused on her own breakfast tray - before she swiftly licked her fingers. After pausing just long enough to take a sip of tea, she reached for another roll. Granted, the fruit was healthier, but now she'd seen those cinnamon rolls, there was no hope she'd eat anything else.

A knock on the door drew her attention away from her breakfast. Hinata turned as Shikamaru seemed to materialize from the shadows, as always her silent, unobtrusive protector.

Hinata felt the roll she'd just eaten turn to cement in her stomach. Swallowing hard, she stared at the door as she wondered whether or not to let Shikamaru open it. The rhythm of the knock had been unfamiliar, so it was definitely not Neji or Tenten. It had to be Gaara, or perhaps one of his siblings. Hinata didn't want to see any of them right now. She was too mortified. Also, she knew Gaara would be furious, and if he'd shared last night's chain of events with his brother and sister, they'd be furious too.

She closed her eyes and drew in a deep, steadying breath. Even though she wanted to hide out in her room forever, it was impractical if nothing else. Hinata just needed to gather up her courage and face the consequences of her actions.

Shikamaru stood staring at her, brows raised as he awaited her orders. At her affirmative nod, he nodded in response and opened the door.

"Is Hinata awake yet?"

Her half-eaten roll nearly escaped her grip. In her panic, she'd quite forgotten she was holding it. Gaara! Hinata felt her eyes widen, her instincts shouting at her to bolt for cover. Granted, she'd thought it might be him, but she'd halfway convinced herself it was someone else, making his voice a very startling, unwelcome surprise.

Maybe she should have just asked Shikamaru to send him away. She'd only been fooling herself when she'd told herself she should face him head-on. Her fingers and lips were sticky, she was still dressed for bed, and her hair was a wreck. Not to mention the fact she'd basically rejected Gaara the night before...

No, she was far from ready to face him. Surely he was angry at her, and had come to tell her their marriage was void and she was being sent back to Konoha. At this point, she wasn't even sure if that was a good thing or not.

Another thought occurred to her. What in the world was he doing at the doorway of her quarters now, when he could have unlocked the door between their rooms and strolled right in?

Shikamaru looked over his shoulder, one eyebrow arched in question. His dark eyes drooped sleepily, but Hinata saw the protective gleam in them. He was ready to turn away the leader of Suna if she wished it.

Swallowing hard, Hinata set down her cinnamon roll and reached for her napkin. No finger-licking this time. She needed to act her ladylike best, even if she didn't look it. Licking her lips to make sure they weren't too sticky, she cleared her throat and raised her voice just enough to be heard across the room as she scrambled to her feet. "I-I'm awake. Please c-come in."

Gaara came through the door as soon as Shikamaru stepped out of the way. His cool green eyes swept over her quickly, from the top of her rumpled head to the tips of her bare toes, which curled under his scrutiny. Then he released her from his intense gaze, instead turning to look toward the table. "I see the kitchens received my message. You like your cinnamon rolls?"

Hinata blinked. "It was you who t-told them I like c-cinnamon rolls?" Immediately, she wished she could clap her hand over her mouth, or better yet, take back the words. Before she had a chance, Gaara spoke.

"Was I incorrect?" His bright red head tilted ever so slightly to the right. A flicker of concern briefly passed through his eyes, then was gone.

"N-No!" Hinata smiled shyly as her fingers, still slightly sticky, twined together in front of her stomach. "I like them v-very much. Thank you."

The slight wrinkle between Gaara's nonexistent eyebrows eased instantly at her reassurance.

How did you know, though? She lightly nipped the tip of her tongue to keep from voicing the question. "Would you like to join me?" Untangling her fingers, she motioned toward the mat across the table from hers. Please don't say yes. Please don't say yes.

Gaara quickly shook his head. "I've already had breakfast." His eyes darted to the window above her head, then bounced back down to her face. "I just came to make sure you know about the festivities."

Hinata's stomach knotted further. "F-Festivities?" she inquired weakly.

This time it was Gaara's turn to blink. "Temari was supposed to tell you. The village is holding a celebration today in honor of our wedding. It's for those who did not get to attend the ceremony and reception last night."

Of course. So much for her hoping the torture she'd endured the night before was the end of things. Hinata had hoped her marriage would somehow fade into obscurity; maybe not quickly, but relatively so. At least for now, she wanted to be Gaara's wife in rumor, some storybook princess hiding out in her tower so she didn't have to face the crowd.

Or her own husband.

"We don't have to do much," Gaara continued. Either he'd read her mind, or her expression reflected every shred of panic she felt inside. She had a feeling it was the latter. "We merely must make an appearance at the festivities, perhaps give a short speech, then return here."

Speech? A grey veil began to creep across the edges of her vision. "I s-see," she said weakly.

"Even though the actual festivities will not begin until closer to sundown, the heat will still be quite intense until dark. It will only be around an hour between the beginning of the festivities and complete sundown, but since you are unaccustomed to the heat, I want to spend only a little while outdoors before we return here."

Hinata nodded weakly in agreement, but before she could say anything, Gaara nodded curtly in response and left.

Shikamaru closed the door behind him and turned to look at Hinata again. "Thoughtful guy." He sounded like he wasn't sure whether to sound genuine or sarcastic.

Sinking down onto her mat again, Hinata stared at her unfinished cinnamon roll and now-cool tea. "Yes, he is," she replied distantly. Had he merely been stating fact when he mentioned the heat, or was he truly thinking about her safety? Frustrating as it was, she couldn't be sure.

Only time would tell, she supposed as she and Ino returned to her bedroom to prepare for the day.

It was incredible to think the walls of Suna, high and intimidating and full to bursting with tightly packed buildings, could hold so many people.

Hinata had been to several street fairs in Konoha with Neji, Tenten, Hanabi, and her other friends, but not a single one of them had been anything like what she saw in Suna. Even though the fairs in Konoha had been so full of people she'd felt almost smothered in the crowd, she was relatively certain her home village didn't hold nearly as many people as Suna.

Or, the more rational part of her mind whispered, it's not that there are more people, just less room in which they have to gather.

The moment they entered the streets, Kankuro took off on his own, seeming uninterested in sharing the experience with his family. Neji, Tenten, Itachi, and Temari, however, kept close as Gaara and Hinata met their fellow villagers for the first time as husband and wife.

Hinata tried not to tense up as she felt thousands of pairs of eyes staring at her, judging her. She wondered what they saw, and if they approved of her. Ino had outdone herself, making the traditional Suna outfit of robe, scarf, and head covering look, "Almost fashionable." Once the sun completely set, Hinata would be able to remove her head covering; beneath it, her dark hair was pinned up in an elaborately braided coil atop her head with two curled locks hanging down on either side of her face. She found herself holding her head gingerly still in hopes she wouldn't destroy her maid's delicate work.

No one mentioned why, but several guards surrounded the group from the Sabaku estate. Though they allowed people to approach and speak to both Gaara and Hinata, no one was allowed to come close enough actually to touch either of them, or their family members. She wondered if guards would follow her every time she left the estate, which then led her to being curious if their inevitable presence was for her protection, or to keep her from running.

How uncharitable of you! Hinata bit her lip at the thought, wishing it hadn't occurred to her. She'd seen absolutely no signs of Gaara or any other Suna villager feeling mistrustful of her, so she had no reason to believe they would try to restrict her movements. I am the wife of the village leader, she told herself. Naturally that puts me in a position of danger by proxy. Any guards surrounding me are there for my own protection. Stop being so suspicious, Hinata! She was only important because of her husband. There was no point in getting overexcited, or entertaining thoughts about how valuable she was - or, in this case, wasn't.

As they approached a number of stalls from which the smell of food wafted, Gaara looked down at her and indicated one of them. "Are you hungry?" he asked. "Besides chefs and bakers from right here in Suna, some from other countries have set up stalls as well."

Thus far, Hinata hadn't seen or tasted that much difference between Suna and Konoha food. She wondered if dishes from other villages varied, as well. "I'm n-not that hungry, b-but if you are, I might eat a little something." She was too nervous to eat, for several reasons, but if she had to, she'd make a concentrated effort.

Gaara's hand swept across his torso to rest briefly on hers, where it lay in the crook of his elbow. "If you do get hungry, or see something you like, let me know and we'll stop."

She nodded in agreement, taking his response to mean her husband wasn't hungry. As they continued on, however, Itachi and Temari split off from the group, stopping at a booth which advertised a variety of sweets. Hinata was surprised when only one guard followed them, but kept the thought to herself.

As darkness finally settled over the village, artificial lights began to brighten the streets. From beautiful paper lanterns to strings of tiny, multi-colored bulbs, Hinata's rough surroundings became softer somehow, managing to capture the essence of celebration often present in Konoha. After Tenten helped her remove her head covering, and vice-versa, Hinata felt herself begin to relax. She was better able to concentrate on the stalls and their various wares instead of the people watching her and whispering to each other.

For now, she would not concern herself with what they thought of her, or even what Gaara or his siblings thought of her. She had found something in her new home similar to her old, and she clung to it with both hands. Gaara had mentioned they wouldn't stay long, so she was determined to enjoy what she had a chance to experience as much as she could. When things got tough later - and she had no doubt they would - she would pull out her memories of this time and relive them to help ease her worries.

Tenten became distracted talking to a master weapons craftsman, and three guards split from the group to stay with her and Neji, who stood with a tolerant but amused smile on his face as he watched his wife. Hinata listened for a little while, but when unfamiliar terms began to come up (which happened rather quickly), she lost interest.

Gaara cleared his throat as the two of them walked away, their group of remaining guards taking up positions around them at the compass points. "Your cousin's wife is interested in weapons, then?"

Hinata hid a laugh behind the wide sleeve of her rusty red robe, the same color as her husband's. "She's b-been that way for as long as I've known her. She spent a lot of time in a forge b-before she married Neji, b-but now she d-doesn't spend as much time there." She tilted her head slightly to look up at a particularly beautiful lantern above them. "Though, as a surprise wedding gift, Neji had a forge b-built for her on the Hyuuga estate."

Before Gaara could reply, a group of children ran up, their flushed faces aglow with the excitement and innocence of youth. They all bowed, then presented two elaborately painted paper lanterns. "To honor Lord Gaara and Lady Hinata," they chorused, surprisingly solemn for a group of children.

One guard made to step forward, but Gaara waved him off. Moving his arm so Hinata's hand slid down until she reached his, he twined their fingers and brought them both closer to the children, angling his body so he was more on their eye level. "Thank you," he replied, taking the lantern they held out to him. Red ink, about the color of his hair, had been used to depict the village in minature, with the round dome of Gaara's seat of power, his office, the focal point.

The children's lantern for Hinata was painted with a winding pattern of vines, various flowers woven into the design. It was so beautiful, she regretted having to light it and send it afloat above their heads, but it seemed to make the children happy when she did. It didn't take long for her to lose sight of her and Gaara's lanterns among the others drifting their way up to join the stars in the clear sky above.

After the children continued on their way, Gaara kept hold of her hand as they resumed their own exploration. "It has been a long time since I lit a lantern and set it afloat." Gaara's voice, though still gravelly, held a softness she hadn't been sure could exist there.

Hinata felt the tight knot of anxiety in her chest, which she'd been hanging on to since the night before, ease a little. She still wasn't sure what was going to happen tonight, but Gaara didn't seem upset about last night, so she wasn't quite as worried (or, rather, terrified) about it as she had been for most of the day. In fact, now he seemed somehow more approachable, as if he were making a concentrated effort not to be cold and terrifying. "May I ask why?" She bit her lower lip, wondering if she'd overstepped her boundaries.

Gaara was quiet for so long she began to wonder if she had offended him. Hinata had just opened her mouth to take back her question when, to her surprise, he answered. "Lighting lanterns and releasing them is, at least in Suna, a practice usually reserved for children." Suddenly his face looked tired, and much older than his eighteen years as he stared straight ahead, not even glancing at her out of the corner of his eye as he continued. "I have been many things in my lifetime, Hinata, most of them bad. But the one thing I was never allowed to be was a child."

An incredible, almost crushing, sadness seized Hinata's heart. Without realizing it, she stopped, causing Gaara to jerk to a halt next to her and the guard following behind nearly to collide with them. "Gaara..." She trailed off, unsure of what to say. There were no words in her vocabulary - and, she suspected in any vocabulary - to help her sympathize or soothe him. Her childhood had not been the greatest in the world, with a mother who died in childbirth when Hinata was very young and a father who ignored her existence except when he wanted something (usually to critique something he thought she did wrong). But at least she'd been able to run and play and laugh like a child with her cousin and younger sister.

Though she still didn't completely understand Gaara, not even close, she was able at last to put a finger upon the cause for his awkwardness, his lack of emotion. She allowed her hand to drop from where it had unconsciously risen to press against her mouth. "Gaara, I-"

His fingertips - rough but at the same time surpisingly gentle - briefly brushed down her cheek before withdrawing. "Don't mourn for what can never be regained." He stared down into her face, his eyes as piercing and expectant as ever, as if searching for something. He looked away before she could decide whether he found what he was looking for or not. "The hour grows late, and I think if we go now neither of us will have to try to come up with a speech."

Hinata, speechless from Gaara's actions and her own realizations, followed him as he steered them back towards home. She felt disappointed they'd miss most of the rest of the festivities, which would continue on far into the night, but her sudden exhaustion made her grateful for the reprieve.

Despite his words, however, Gaara did stop once, just long enough to buy her a beautiful hair pin which he settled into her dark tresses himself. She fell asleep less than half an hour after returning to the house with it clutched in her hand, a soft smile on her face and the beginnings of genuine hope in her heart.

*~To Be Continued~*

Author's Ending Notes: My apologies if this chapter seemed kind of awkward, but I intended it to read that way. I really hope you all enjoyed Gaara's first POV - I think it was my favorite part of the chapter to write. Thank you all so much for reading this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope to see you again next week!