Title : Guests.
Hinata had not been able to sleep a wink the night before. She had been preoccupied with thoughts regarding her husband – how abruptly he disregarded her and left her alone on their wedding night. It was not something the woman had expected, despite Gaara's unpredictability. He was not the romantic type, it was known to her, but to behave so erratically? Hinata would not have been able to fathom the coming of this in her wildest dreams. Was it something about her that he found repulsive? Was she too drab for him? Maybe, she was not interesting enough to retain his attention on her?
Whatever the notion maybe, the wife of the Kage was determined not to allow the events of the previous night to falter her. She would keep on trying to be a good wife, even if it humiliated her countless times. She would try to get close with her husband for a second time, whenever opportunity favored it. She would have to give it a second chance. After all, life was all about failures and second chances.
That morning, Hinata had hid herself in the comforts of her bedroom whilst everyone else enjoyed a hearty breakfast in the dining hall downstairs. The woman with indigo hair wrapped up in a different silken robe could hear the faint revelry of breakfast from her bedroom, but she did not pay much attention to it. She had called for Matsuri, to bring the meal to the bedroom itself, who had humbly obliged.
However, when the maid had brought the breakfast in a trolley especially made for such events, Hinata caught sight of a small sized card that stood rather tastefully beside a single red rose. The flower had looked vibrant and a faint fragrance cleared the air. However, the stem was covered in prickly thorns. Holding the flower in bare hands would injure the holder tremendously. Such was the beauty of the rose.
Matsuri had with humble eyes, noticed her mistress glancing down at the most recent items in the trolley. She was rather eager to notify Hinata of the encounter she had downstairs, but her servile attitude kept her at bay. She was not to grow bubbly and interrupt her mistress – not unless the mistress herself asked Matsuri. She kept her head bowed while skillfully pulling out dainty china plates and serving some of the contents on the breakfast menu, when she heard a throat clear. Glancing up at Hinata who wore a questioning expression, Matsuri blushed lightly.
"It is from Lord Gaara," she started quietly, her voice muffled to nearly a whisper. However, she watched Hinata's expression change from authority to fear, and finally bashfulness within seconds whilst carefully taking up the tiny card. The woman with indigo hair, slowly opened the card and gasped. Not at the contents, but at the beautiful handwriting. She could never write in such a lovely handwriting if life depended on it.
~xo~I am sorry for last night.
And I do hope you are alright.
Gaara.~xo~
"He was wondering why you were absent from breakfast this morning, milady." Matsuri added, rather slyly. She was aware that saying something like that was not her place, but she could not contain herself. She was simply eager to tell her mistress about the Lord.
She was happy for them.
Hinata stared up from the letter and to her maid, and instantly started blushing. Slowly pushing some of the hair behind her ear, the woman placed the card down on the trolley. She did not know what to say or how to react at the remark, for she was too dumbfounded. He was concerned about me?
"T-Thank you Matsuri, y-you may leave." She finally responded, in a low voice. At once, the maid in question laid a large tray filled with food on the bed, and bowed once again before taking her leave from the bedroom, leaving Hinata alone once again.
The wife of the Kage, had not eaten more than a single cinnamon roll and a small cup of honey and lemon tea that morning, for she was rather content. Her mind was on something completely different which satisfied her hunger far more effectively than food itself.
*Later, That Morning*
Gaara Sabaku had confined himself into solitude the entire morning, in his office. True, his paperwork was building up in huge piles, and this could not be a better excuse to flee from the bubbling atmosphere of the dining hall. Everyone had seemed far too busy in their personal business, and laughter was an inevitable scene of the morning.
The Kage had eaten in silence, whilst observing all the other members of the house enjoying their hearty meal – Temari had been chattering away with Shikamaru, while Neji and Tenten were arguing about some mindless topic. Kankuro was the loudest, as always; he was the attention-grabber and no one could help but be attracted to his bubbly personality.
Amidst all the jokes, and laughter, Gaara could not help but sense a feeling of hollowness. Emptiness. Everyone was present in the hall, yet he felt that something significant was absent.
He was aware that Hinata had not attended breakfast, and he was faintly concerned about her health. It was only one morning, after all. But, he did not have the heart to walk upstairs to her room personally. It was not that he did not want to, but the fact that he was rather nervous to. She might have found him too repulsive, or was suddenly so afraid of him that she would simply turn him out? What sort of humiliation would that be?
And so, he deemed it safe to send a complimentary card, with a single red rose that had been plucked by the florist earlier that morning.
no one really seemed to notice it. Content with this reaction, the Kage locked himself in the office. And so he was confined into solitude in his office.
He had not been able to forget the events of the previous night – everything had been playing in his mind effortlessly and he could not forget how quickly their intimate moments were interrupted. How quickly, his mind had drifted away from Hinata's radiant face to visuals of the same woman drenched in her own blood. The Shukaku had been calling out to its host, demanding for the woman's blood and the thought of her being choked to death was disturbing. He was afraid and he fled away from his wife on their wedding night.
Coward.
"What do you mean I can't go inside? Do you know who I am?!" A shrill familiar voice quickly interrupted Gaara from his ponder. Blinking several times, the redhead got up from his seat and headed towards the enormous bay window that overlooked the dull scenery of the Sand Village. Glancing below, Gaara caught glimpse of a small group of people that he found familiar. The four guards that stood outside the gate had been grabbing onto the owner of the voice, and held him in a rather awkward position. With him, were four other people of whom one Gaara could not recognize.
"I am Naruto Uzumaki from the Leaf Village and we are all friends of the Kazekage!" the all too familiar man with blond hair had been calling out, as if he were prepared for a battle with the formidable guards downstairs. Nonetheless, a woman with short bubble-gum pink hair went forward to try her luck but all to no avail.
The Kage was about to turn away and make his way towards the gate when his gaze caught the fourth intruder whom he could not place in his memory. From above, Gaara could not make out much of this man's appearance besides his remarkable silver colored hair. Was it silver, or was it grey? The redhead could make out, but he simply watched on. He was rather curious to hear of this man's introduction.
"Please sirs, let us in as we know Hinata too!" His voice was soft, and respectable unlike Naruto's, whose voice was shrill and defiant. This man was not nervous to deal with the guards but he was not very keen on picking a fight with the four musclemen. It was obvious that the man preferred verbal to physical.
However, he mentioned that he knew Hinata. Gaara wondered why this man was not familiar to his own. He was familiar with Naruto, and the pink haired woman so named Sakura. If anything, he and Naruto were good acquaintances but he had never heard of the other man with silver hair.
And just then, the Kage watched in faint horror as he gazed at his wife emerge into the scene like a gliding swan. She looked effortless and graceful, unlike how she appeared in front of him the night before. Her hair was left loose and it followed her close behind like an indigo cascade, and she was clad in a white yukata from what Gaara could catch. She probably looked beautiful.
Just a little while longer before I bring them inside…
"Hinata! Thank kami you're here!" the woman with pink hair cried out, causing everyone's attention towards herself. The guards now stopped their struggle on holding down the blond ninja, and bowed slightly in presence of their Lady. Naruto took this opportunity and broke free from the grasp and ran towards the woman with indigo hair, quickly engulfing her into a painfully tight embrace.
Gaara could feel a faint uneasiness take over his being as he watched his wife get choked under the embrace of another male. Albeit his friend, but still another male. Turning away quickly, the redhead made out of the office and downstairs towards the gate. It was time to allow these intruders inside his tower.
"Let them in." he called out in a monotonous voice, causing his guards to instantly draw back to their position by the gates. The man with blond hair quickly ran towards him and attempted at embracing the Kage himself, and would have succeeded had Gaara not stopped him in the perfect moment.
"Who are these people with you?" the redhead questioned whilst slowly taking his place beside his wife, despite being aware of the answer. However, he was rather curious to know the identity of the fourth intruder. The silver haired man.
"How rude of me!" Naruto grinned, while scratching the back of his blond hair. He turned towards his group and started pointing conveniently, "Well you know Sakura right? She's my girlfriend!" he started rather loudly, and Gaara could not help but flinch. He was aware of Hinata's little crush on the blond haired ninja and had not minded it much. However, hearing of the latest news, the redhead could sense his wife stiffening just slightly beside him.
Slowly snaking a strong arm around her waist, Gaara held Hinata close to him while his gaze shifted from the pink haired medic ninja to the short dark haired woman standing beside Sakura. Looking on expectantly, he flinched a second time when Naruto's familiar shrill voice started again, "That is Haruhi Fujioka, and her boyfriend Hikaru Hitachin," Gaara nodded in understanding and then shifted his gaze towards the fourth intruder who had come along with Naruto. His gaze narrowed visibly at him.
"And finally, that's Shinomiya Hayato."
The Kage watched the man so called Shinomiya, as he came forward towards him. Gaara's non-existent brows furrowed slightly in confusion, but quickly changed to that of annoyance when he realized that Shinomiya was actually heading towards his wife, Hinata.
"It's been so long Hinata, I've really missed you." He smiled wide, and gazed down at the woman with pale eyes, who returned the gaze with warmth and affection. She smiled a radiant smile, and one could sense the feeling of warmth radiating from her petite form.
"I-I missed you too, S-Shinomiya" her voice was a note higher than usual, but she appeared to be extremely content. More content than she had ever been in the past few days in the Suna tower and it made Gaara wonder why this man could make her so happy.
His arm slowly dropped from her form, and hung limp to his side.
A/N : I'm sorry for not being able to update any sooner. I've had a slight fever and its kept me down and I know this chapter is not upto the mark but I'm slowly recovering… I'm sorry about it. I do hope I can write better in the next chapter!
Also, I know some of you might be thinking that Haruhi Fujioka and Hikaru Hitachin are from a different anime – but I did mention OC-ness! Plus it's a lot more exciting if theres someone else from a different anime c: PS. Shinomiya Hayato is from another anime and he's cute af.
Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter and once again sorry, for the grammatical mistakes or any other errors. I'm still recovering.
Thanks and much love to you all! Please review (positive ones are appreciated lols) and favorite/follow my story!