One-Shot

Weakling

---sinceritea---

Weakling

I didn't know how it came to this. I don't even think I know myself anymore. Like I ever did in the first place....but now, the way my mind worked, the way my heart worked was a mystery to me.

Everyday, every moment I thought about him. I didn't wake up without seeing his face in my mind....nor did I go to sleep without finding his face imprinted in my memory.

I used to be a little silly about it. I tried convincing myself that I still had a crush on Naruto, that he was the person I was destined to love forever....hell, I even came close to telling Naruto. Now that was uncomfortable. All I did was stumble a lot and Naruto just stared at me and then began to talk about Ramen and then Sakura, and then Ramen again-

So there was no point.

It began (or maybe it was when I realized it...) while I was walking to meet up wit my group for another training session. He was there, sitting in a tree and I didn't even notice him until I felt someone staring at me.

I had instantly tensed, and turned on my Bakyuugan, searching-and I found him, up in the tree. Then, my fear enveloped me once again, a stifling cape that I fought so hard to get over. I never could however. My fear was like a noose, and everyday I was hung.

" W-W-What are y-y-ou doing o-out here?" I managed to tremble out. I really didn't know how sentences I spoke in my mind would come out like I this.
His black ringed eyes stared at me and he shifted his sand gourd on his back. " Do I need to answer you?" He surprisingly said. I was surprised for the fact that he never did talk to anyone who wasn't worthy of him. I didn't know why he was talking to me.

I was weak. Pathetic. And I was reminded of that everyday when I looked at the mirror and saw the fear in my eyes....of my own reflection.

" N-No! I'm s-s-orry!" I instantly apologized. I think that if I was to ever recount the few words I spoke in m lifetime, most of them would be apologies. I was always doing something wrong.

He just stared at me and I felt something deep inside my chest react violently to his stare. His eyes....his whole presence made my body....react in a weird way. Finally, he got up. I backed away slightly, closing my eyes in fear but he was gone by the time I opened them.

Over the next few days, I realized I had grown something akin to a crush on him. The next few weeks I realized that it was more then a crush....way more...

I went out of my way to see him sometimes, which was rare. I didn't know why he was staying in our village....he didn't even belong here. Yet I'd see him, just walking calmly through the village or maybe in the forest and I'd see people back away from him. He always walked alone. Always alone.

Like me.

Sometimes I wondered if his heart squeezed with loneliness....like mine did. I wondered if he ever felt the need to be with someone, just have them hold him, touch him....make him feel loved....like me. I wondered-

Hell, I wondered a lot of things.

It was quite pathetic, really. I tried denying it, I tried new crushes on new people, heck I even tried one on Sasuke (he seemed to be the easiest, everyone did have a crush on him) but it never worked. Naruto was still someone I admired....but I didn't like him anymore. Not in that way.

The boy with the weird eyes had taken over my heart. Even though he probably didn't even know. Or care.

So today, I was going to the ramen bar. Where Naruto ate everyday. It was a ritual to me...even though, I didn't even go there to eat, or to spot Naruto anymore. I just did that to reassure myself, that I was still Hinata. I was still the same girl I was.

I didn't go through some freaky transformation or something.....even though that was the only logical explanation for my feelings.

As I sat down on the seat and ordered a small bowl, picking at the noodles, I saw him. Yes, him. It wasn't quite a surprise, he did stay in the village. Yet the power of his presence had taken over me. I felt my breath catch, my heart leap, my body freeze....and my eyes followed him....until his eyes met mine.

Then I lowered them quickly and spin around, trying to concentrate on my noodles and war off the flush that had quickly spread over my pale face.

Damn pale features. Never could hide my blushes...

As I sat there, cursing myself, I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned round and with a squeak, a dropped my bowl of ramen. I apologized quickly to the owner and gave back the bowl, trying to think properly.
He had just tapped my shoulder.

He was standing in front of me.

He probably wanted to TALK to me!

My fingers shaking, I looked to the ground and swallowed the lump in my throat. " Y-yes?"

He looked at me, his eyes blinking slowly. He was dangerous, a killer. He was heartless, cold and mysterious. " You....."

I was trembling badly. " Y-Yes?"

" You keep looking at me."

I shot my head up, and I met his eyes, my own colourless ones widening in shock. " W-What? N-No, I'm sorry, I don't mean to! I'm sorry!"

He opened his mouth to say something else, but I was so mortified, that I had run from the ramen bar as fast as I could, my feet carrying me to safety. I ran farther then my house and into the forest and down the pathways, before collapsing down next to a tree.

He noticed. He noticed! Now he was probably going to kill me. Heck, why couldn't this be a normal crush, where the guy rejected you! No I had to have a crush on a killer. Greaaat.

Tears forming in my eyes, I rubbed them away quickly. I'm not weak, I'm not weak, I'm not weak.....I repeated this in my head as I blinked to keep away the tears. But who was I kidding....I was weak.

I was scared at the fact that he noticed me staring at him.

It was rather pathetic....but I was pathetic. I wasn't fit to be a ninja. I was just-

" You ran away."

The voice scared me to my very core and I let out a small shriek, stumbling to my feet and backing away quickly. It was him, silent and dangerous, perched in the tree. His red hair shined brilliantly, his black ringed eyes blinking at me.

" S-sorry!" I squeaked. "P-Please let me go!"

He tilted his head. " You're scared of me."

" N-No! I-I-" I started but I couldn't lie. Not to him. My head bowed and I felt the tears drip from my eyes to the dirt floor. " I can't help it. I'm scared of everyone....not just you. I'm just a weakling...I know it."

I felt a hand touch my cheek and my head shot up with shock. He was standing in front of me, staring at the tear on his finger.

" It's water. Not blood," He said, in a low voice.

he was a weird kid, that's for sure. " Y-yeah...."

" Blood is beautiful. Its the only thing in the world that's beautiful. Red, dark and luscious. But....I find you beautiful as well."

Now, the thing was, I was so shocked beyond belief that I instantly backed away. My eyes had gotten so wide I thought they would pop out of my sockets. I thought that maybe I had heard wrong.

" R-repeat that?" I breathed out, not daring to believe it.

His eyes blinked once more, squeezing my heart painfully. " Nothing-"

" No!"

He stopped and looked at me. Hell, I was trying to figure out what I was doing. I shook my head. I'll be strong, I'll be strong...

" I can't be beautiful to you. I'm an ugly weakling. You're strong and determined and.....I wish that you'd acknowledge me....not just as a person....but in-in-"

I couldn't say it. I couldn't.

Heck, if I couldn't say it to Naruto, how the hell do I say it to him?

" You're scared of me," He repeated. Now that I looked at him, I saw a slight glint....of what? Disappointment? Sadness?

It was too much for me and I took a step towards him. I can be strong, I can be strong....I took another step. He looked at me, and I saw him tense as I came closer and closer, one step at a time. Finally, we were so close to each other, that I could feel his breath on my face.

" I'm not scared of you," I whispered. I wanted that glint of sadness to go away. No matter what I had to do. And I had to face my fears.

Yeah, now I knew for sure I wasn't going back to the Ramen bar. I had changed....I had changed....I wasn't the old Hinata anymore. Not anymore.

The killer....the boy from the sand village....the one everyone was scared to even look at.....looked at me. He looked at me and I saw the same feeling in his eyes that I knew I felt as well.

And it shocked me. Hell, I was flabbergasted. I had never even DREAMED that he would return anything that i felt for him.

" You're not blood....but I'm attracted to you....why?" He said softly.

My heart thumped and my eyes widened with disbelief. This wasn't happening....I was probably still sleeping. Who would be attracted to me? I didn't deserve any of this....I didn't even believe that any of this was even happening.

" I don't know," I managed to answer back. I slowly was realizing that I wasn't stuttering. I wasn't backing away. I wasn't cowering in fear.

A hint of smirk touched his lips and he whispered, " I do." Before he leaned down, slowly, making my body tense with apprehension as his lips touched mine, feather light. Just a brush, just a slight touch and it sent my body soaring. My mind couldn't concentrate and I felt myself melt.

I opened my eyes and saw his expression. He was looking at me, studying my face....waiting to see my reaction. I wanted to run, I wanted to hide, I wanted to move back-

Instead, I reached up and pressed my lips against his once more.

Around Gaara, I was no weakling.

a/n: hahaha....thought there was a lack of Gaara/Hinata fics out there. Decided if there wasn't enuff, then I needed to write one!

see ya!

----sinceritea----