Hinata leant over her balcony, garbed only in the shift she always wore to bed. Below her, Gaara waited for her in silence. Hinata knew she could dismiss him then, go back to bed and forget him as a bad dream... but her heart was in control now. Her mind was lucky just to be along for the ride.

"Gaara-kun," she mouthed silently, seeing in his unexpected appearance all her dreams and nightmares coming true at once. He nodded once, although of course he couldn't have heard her, and stepped forward. She didn't know how, but he understood he was welcome.

The sand rose beneath him in mid-step, bearing his slight frame easily to her window. The step finished with his foot on the sill and he perched there for a moment, his jaded eyes immediately going to her opalescent ones. He was the only person that she looked directly at, Hinata realised suddenly. Her natural shyness and hesitance had been reinforced and heightened by hours of Hyuuga etiquette classes and browbeating from Hiashi.

A distant corner of her mind noticed that he wasn't wearing his gourd, and she idly wondered where it was. She had never seen him without it before, and thought of it as an indivisible part of him.

It occurred to her that maybe, that was why he didn't carry it.

They stared at each other for several moments, and Gaara nearly forgot what he had come to do. But the resentful, echoing growl from Shukaku reminded him. "Hinata-chan." His voice as cold as ever. "I have something of yours. I wasn't going to see you again, but it weighs on my mind. I've come to return it."

"Nani?" she blurted, taking a step back as he hopped down from the windowsill. Gaara had something belonging to her? No matter how she felt about him, the thought of him stealing silently through her bedroom while she slept, suspended by the sand...

Hinata shivered, and dropped her gaze. "It doesn't matter. Keep it."

"It matters. I don't deserve to take it from this house," he told her, then took a deep breath and clasped both hands on his chest. "So... here. Take it back." He extended one arm to her, as if offering something on that hand.

Hinata stared at his palm for a long while in silence, confused. Then understanding dawned, and she gave a sad little laugh.

"What's so funny?" Gaara snapped. The sand curled defensively around him, but Hinata was shaking her head helplessly.

"It doesn't work that way, Gaara-kun," she informed him gently. "I can't take it away from you." She gave another little laugh. "There is a boy I thought I loved, you know. But he never sees me. I don't think Naruto-kun even knows I was in his class. Maybe one day he'll notice me... I still like him... but... he never did this to me." She gestured vaguely at her chest, then sighed heavily, her gaze steadily on her feet. "Gaara-kun... aishiteru." It was lucky his hearing was so acute, or those soft words would have died between them. "I wouldn't take it back if I could. It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all," she concluded, her voice growing more firm as she went on.

He didn't reply for many moments, and Hinata dared to look up. He was scowling, and she quailed, but he forced himself to relax in the face of her obvious fear. At least the sand had fallen, restlessly rustling like dry leaves on the wooden floor. "You don't believe that," he stated more than asked, not believing the Hyuuga girl could hold to that claim. Especially in this circumstance.

Hinata paused, clamping her lips on the meaningless platitudes that jumped to mind. Even without the Byakugan she could tell that, no matter what a great and powerful Shinobi he was, Gaara was still an uneasy, confused little boy. And she didn't want to lie to him. "No. You're right, I don't," she said instead, after some thought. "My life would be so much easier if I hated you."

Gaara nodded, taking no offence at the blunt admission. "I wish I didn't love you either," he muttered. A long silence followed that statement, the two Genins not meeting each other's gaze. No matter how different they were, they looked the same at that moment, united in self-conscious nervousness. "But I do, Hinata-chan," he said suddenly, reaching out to touch her cheek and turning her surprised eyes to his. "And I..." His mouth worked silently for a few moments, searching for words. "I'm... glad I do. I will... never forget this feeling." The sand roared up behind him.

Hinata's nervousness redoubled, but she couldn't move take her eyes from his intent gaze. "G- Gaara-kun... what are you doing? Are you..." The words died away. His face was strange, no more readable than it ever had been, but there was definitely some kind of emotion there.

"I have something to show you, Hinata-chan," Gaara told her, the intensity in his face almost painful to look at. Just when she felt he eyes begin to ache, he turned his head away, not dropping his hand from her cheek. He looked away for so long that she had to see what held his attention so intently.

And she understood why Gaara wasn't wearing his gourd.

More sand slipped through cracks in the walls and floor, flooding the room. Gaara didn't react, didn't flinch in the slightest as the silent flames came forward to encircle his tiny frame like a mantle, or a halo.

"What is your power, Gaara-kun?" Hinata gasped. Where it usually annoyed him beyond all measure, he accepted the title from the Hyuuga girl. He didn't answer her question, but called silently to the sand to lift them both. Shukaku didn't want to comply, but Gaara bore down, this time.

Let there be no 'accidentally' broken necks or seared lungs, he added coldly in his mind. The demon obeyed, subdued by his iron control. Hinata squeaked in surprise as the sand rose beneath her, barely comforted by the sight of Gaara reclining at ease as if resting on a couch. She cared for him, yes, but that by no means diminished the danger of the powerful Shinobi and his unseen guardian.

"Gaara-kun... what's happening?" she asked tremulously, as the sand sealed them both in a circular chamber, like the inside of a ball. She could clearly feel that they were moving, but the vessel was solid and opaque and she couldn't see outside. "Where are you taking me?"

"Hinata-chan... I don't understand..." Gaara began haltingly, then changed his mind. "I... just quiet. Just be quiet for now. Just... go to sleep." Somewhere in his eyes, a spark flashed; a wad of sand detached itself from the walls and flew from nowhere to wrap around her neck. The floor beneath Hinata softened and she sank halfway into it, holding her immobile as it resolidified. She screamed, but the sand leapt down her throat and silenced her immediately. Her eyes closed quickly as her air supply cut off.

Gaara let out an explosive breath as she sank into induced slumber, and eased the sand gently from her mouth and neck. He didn't want to hurt Hinata, but he couldn't think about her questions just now.

Whatever happened, he would end this tonight.

A/N: I know it was short, it was basically filler. Can't wait for the next chapter- Hinata. This is where I get to unplug my inhibitions and write pure fantasy romance. This was written at the same time as chapter 2 & 3 and edited since then, so you're gonna love it.

My updates are slow because I'm playing with AMV's, and love them. Gaara to Goo Goo Dolls "Iris," Linkin Park "Somewhere I Belong," Linkin Park "Numb," Lee and Gai to Village People "In the Navy", Video Girl Ai to "Send me an Angel", Love Hina to Fifty Cent "Magic Stick" and Tenchi Muyo! to "P.I.M.P.", Neji and Hinata pairing in Marilyn Manson "Tainted Love" are my proudest achievements so far.

Anyway, Gaara's made his final decision- this is the last night. But what has Hinata decided? Don't miss the next one, it's big.

I think I can take the reviews as 'significant majority,' so I'll leave that omake alternate fight scene up, and maybe add another one for the epilogue if there's demand.

Thanks as always, especially to my fellow Gaara, Neji, Haku and/or Hinata otaku. Keep me posted on suggestions and c&c, please.

Charm