Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…

Destinies Changed, Hearts Changed: Part VI

His panting ceased; his muscles loosened from their tense composure, and he retracted his hand from hers, but he still shook slightly.

Gaara had almost lost total control that time.

She sensed he was stable now and shifted his head onto her other shoulder so she could inspect his wound. The deep gash in his shoulder was still bleeding profoundly onto his shirt, and had somehow soaked into hers too.

They had to get out of there fast—Sasuke had started to recover from his shock and started to stir slightly, and tried to sit up. Hinata kept her eye on Sasuke, just to keep his movements in check and his distance from them far. She glanced at Gaara out of the corner of her eye.

His face was blank, it showed no emotion—not even pain from his injury. His eyes held a vacant, glazed over look.

"Gaara?"

She nudged him slightly and whispered softly, to keep Sasuke from overhearing them. Gaara had shifted a bit and moved his gaze up to her face.

"We have to go, come on."

Gaara continued to look at her, his gaze unwavering, as if he hadn't heard her.

"G-Gaara?"

He casted his eyes downward a moment and parted his lips slightly and tried to figure out words to say to her. It wasn't in his idea to hurt her, but after what had happened, he thought it would be better for her to stay away from him. Not like he wanted her far away either—he needed her, but it would be a sacrifice on her end to stay with him.

Gaara pulled away from her and sat up on his own. He knew that it would hurt her to know, but he couldn't live with himself if she somehow got injured…by him. He shook his head and spoke to her. His voice was low and coarse, as if he choked out each of the words.

"No…no…"

He pushed her arms away from around him, his eyes still fixed at a point on the ground, which refused to look at her bewildered expression.

"Huh?"

It would kill her to know, but he had to tell her. His hands curled up into a fist, the dried blood on his knuckles cracked and chipped off.

"It's best…if…you go…"

A simple gesture at Sasuke's direction summed it all up for her. The sand came alive and swirled around him. Hinata stood up shakily and stepped forward in his direction and reached out for him.

"W-Why?"

By that time, it was too late. His defenses were back up and her outstretched hand touched the sand wall tentatively.

"…stay…with them…"

Her eyes widened.

"N-No!"

She lunged forward, only to meet nothing. Even the sand was gone. Hinata bit her lip and raised her hand to feel the empty space in front of her, where he had stood.

He was gone.

He had left her. Just like that.

Did he get fed up with her?

It was her fault he had gotten himself into a fight and got injured. But that was no reason for him just to leave her like that. Not without giving her a reason why. It would have soothed her better if he had just told her he didn't want to be with her anymore, instead he disappeared out on her like that.

She dropped to the ground and slammed her fist against the grainy pavement.

All the time she had spent with him…she had denied herself of the little voice inside her head.

When she had left Konoha, she left everything back there. Her whole existence right then was empty, but he had filled that void.

He never criticized her to be what she wasn't. He had just let things go as it did.

She wasn't sure of how she felt, it had been all jumbled up. That's why she never told him. But he was gone now.

//Why…why now?//

She choked back a sob.

It was like her heart was torn out…for the second time, right after she had just patched it up. It was clear to her now. It hadn't been like this—she hadn't felt like this when she had left Naruto.

This was just her luck, wasn't it? Was fate playing a cynical game with her?

"What the hell?"

She spun around abruptly and gasped as a familiar blond boy came into view and landed between her and Sasuke.

Naruto scratched his head as his gaze went back and forth between the two as Sasuke supported himself with the wall and cradled his broken arm. Sasuke was covered with gashes and he looked worn out. Hinata, on the other hand, was spotless except for the giant bloodstain on the front of her shirt.

She whirled around quickly and proceeded to run out of the alley—but barely made it out when her body froze. Her legs were rendered useless as she stood there and stared at the opening of the alley but couldn't reach it. Everything was against her, wasn't it? She couldn't even turn around and look at the other two behind her.

"Dumbass, she could've gotten away." A new voice added to the other two. "You take Hinata, I'll take Sasuke."

The Kagamane no Jutsu released her, but at that instant, a hand grabbed her wrist.

She obliged and let her arms hang limply at her sides as Naruto lead her back to the other two. She dragged her feet and took the slowest pace possible to lengthen the time she would have before she had to explain.

But she decided herself—they weren't going to find out about Gaara. She shot a frown in Sasuke's direction.

Naruto, who was oblivious to her sour mood, laughed.

"Hinata-chan! You really gave Sasuke here a beating! Did he piss you off?"

Sasuke frowned.

"Baka! It wasn't her."

"Oh?"

"It was G—"

"None of your business!"

She glowered at the three of them and Naruto, who now sensed her displeasure, let go of her wrist and backed away slightly.

Shikamaru coughed slightly. To work with these two takes lots of patience. And a guy who doesn't take sides…since either way, he'd get beat up by them in their fights.

"Uh…I think…we should take Sasuke to the hospital."

The other boy shook his head.

"It's not that long of a trip back, I can make it."

Shikamaru shrugged, it wouldn't be his fault if Sasuke's arm got worse. Couldn't blame him for not trying. It was too troublesome for him to argue back.

"Suit yourself."


"Has she said anything else?"

Tsunade motioned for Kurenai to take a seat.

"No, I'm afraid not," Kurenai shook her head, "nothing new."

"Leaving because she wanted to be alone, is a pretty valid answer," Tsunade mused, "However, attacking Sasuke is something else."

"Hinata broke his arm…that's…"

"Impossible? True," Tsunade smiled.

"But we have Sasuke's word to back up on that," Kurenai frowned.

"He's lying."

"Tsunade-sama, what do you mean?"

Tsunade stood up and looked through the window, "He's not going to tell us without her consent."

"So…we'll just have to wait until she decides to…"


He slid the paper door open and slammed it to the side, which startled two of the room's inhabitants. He stumbled through the door clumsily and collapsed in a heap halfway through the doorway.

"What the h—"

A tall boy dressed in black and a blond girl stood up abruptly and ran towards him. The girl knelt down and turned him over onto his back and took his gourd off his back.

"Get the bandages!"

The boy ran off quickly into another room without any protest. Gaara had stained the carpet he laid on a dark red color. His wound had reopened when he fell and hit the ground.

Temari peered down at her brother's paled face and lifeless eyes. He looked worse than when he had left. He had left with anger and resentment against their village, and now returned with nothing. Gaara didn't even looked alive, except for his ragged breathing that assured her that her brother was still there with them.

He looked lost. Like he had lost all reasons to live.

//What…happened, Gaara?//

~End Part VI~

^^ It's my winter break, so I have time…maybe the next chapter will be out by the end of this week, or beginning of next. Depends on how long I procrastinate on my English homework. Procrastination is great! Until the last minute…and then you're screwed…haha, believe me, I would know.

Ame no Megami