Sand Knight
Chapter Five : Meaning of my Life
Disclaimers: Alright! I've gotten six reviews for my chapter before it's even been up for twenty-four hours, so I'm taking that as a message saying...you people want more!
Gaara: (Still reading the storyboard) Why did you draw this?
Starr: I felt like it.
Gaara: ...why are we all chibis?
Starr: Because it's more kawaii that way (SMILE!)
Gaara: (Face-faults) This part is just WRONG as chibis!
Starr: Will you stop complaining? PREPARE FOR MORE GAARA OOC-NESS!
Gaara: I'm leaving.
Starr: Get back here.
Kiba: Woo, look at me, I'm in the disclaimer!
Starr: Oh, yeah, for those of you who love GaaHina as much as I do, check out my C2 Community. If you have any GaaHina fanfiction, I would greatly appreciate more in the archive since...all I have at the moment is Sand Knight. Heh, guess that's what comes from being the only staff with only one GaaHina fiction thus far, ne? Anyways...since I know all of you have been waiting...on with the next chapter!
NOTE! This chapter is delayed because I've been busy and sick. Sorry.
Current Song : Swaying Necklace and the Hinata vs. Neji theme from the Naruto soundtrack
---
"Alright. We're going to move out as soon as the sun rises. Make sure you get back before it sets. Everyone remember your objectives and your group arrangements?"
"Ah."
"Alright. Move to your starting points now to make sure you're ready in time." The Konoha shinobi nodded, separating out into three groups and heading in different directions. If they had to go as soon as the sun was up, it gave them about fifteen minutes to get into place.
Hinata was actually glad they were going in the direction they were – they just headed straight out the village gate. The others either went all the way around the wall to their starting point, or (depending on the level of stubbornness in the group) climbed over it.
Kiba stretched his arms over his head and tapped one foot on the ground, waiting anxiously for the start of the mission. It was the longest one in a while, and besides, Hinata had said she had been gone for training. He wanted to see how much she had improved. Stifling a yawn, he twitched slightly. Well, he was tired, so he also wanted to get it over with so he could go back to bed, but that was another matter entirely.
Neji crossed his arms over his chest, sighing gently. He didn't know how he got stuck with Kiba again. Hadn't the mission to rescue Sasuke been enough? Well, the only upside was they had an extra member on their team, what with Akamaru being there.
Naruto, the other team member Neji was less than ecstatic about, bounced up and down on the balls of his feet, humming to himself. Kakashi had told him that if the mission went over well, he would buy him all the ramen he could eat. 'And I sort of trust him to pay for it, unlike Ero-Sennin,' the blonde thought bitterly before returning to his sheer glee.
Neji shook his head at the other male's actions before looking over at Hinata, who was focused intently on the just-rising sun. He knew that Ino, Sakura, and Tenten had been drilling her constantly about her so-called 'boyfriend' to no avail. They had also tried to get the paper around the bracelet from her with no luck whatsoever. But that hadn't fazed them in the three days since she had been released from the hospital.
Whoever this guy was, it really pissed him off. He had a lot of nerve, acting that way towards his cousin.
'Aaand there goes the Jealous Father rage again...dammit, Tenten, it's all your fault,' the Hyuuga thought with a cloud sigh, putting his wrist on his hip and closing his eyes.
"Do me a favor, both of you bakas, and don't act like you normally do," he said, keeping his eyes closed.
"Eh? Doushite?" Naruto asked with his typical level of confusion.
"Because I don't want to die before I can legally drink."
"NANTARU!"
"Dude, shut up, it's too early to yell," Kiba said, rubbing his ear and stifling another yawn. "Besides, if we get into a fight now, we'll never finish the mission on time and you won't get your ramen."
Well, that shut the blonde up rather quickly.
"Come on, let's just go," Neji said, pointing at the sun to indicate that it had risen. The others nodded, and with that, they headed off, the Hyuuga male in the lead. After all, the sooner they found these goons, the sooner they could come back and eat, sleep, or whatever the hell it was they wanted to do.
--Flashback--
"Kawaii!" Hinata said happily as she picked up the little ceramic bear figurine. Her companion's nonchalant shrug and 'hn' didn't faze her happy smile as she set it down and continued scanning the store.
She had no clue that there were places like this in Sunagakure. Well, to be honest, she didn't know much about it at all. Before she had come here, she didn't think much about the village, and when she had been training with Temari, she rarely left the Kazekage's tower.
Gaara couldn't suppress a small smile once her back was turned, crossing his arms over his chest. Once he had told Temari what had happened, she had basically threatened him within an inch of his life unless he brought Hinata back. Well, it was nice to know that the Hyuuga girl had friends, but it wasn't like he was killing her with the training. He hoped.
She was still recovering from her surgery, so she had doctor's orders to take time off from her training. So for a few days, she was merely going around Sunagakure, checking out the few sights in the area. He had probably sounded a little silly, insisting on coming with her today, but to be quite honest, he didn't want to be separated from her for very long.
Gaara closed his eyes, shaking his head. What was wrong with him?
"Hey, that girl's pretty hot."
"Yep. Hey, why don't you ask her out? If she's agreeable, maybe we can have some fun with her."
"Good idea."
The redhead was snapped out of his trance by the sounds of voices near him, opening his eyes. The sight immediately filled him with both possessiveness and rage. Two rather lecherous-looking guys were staring at Hinata, who was sort of off in her own little world, obsessing over a different figurine.
The first man made a move towards her, but was immediately stopped by the sound of a fist hitting the wall.
Hinata blinked in surprise before looking up, finding herself face-to-face with Gaara. He was less than three inches away from her, one hand in his pocket and the other in a fist against the wall above her head. If she hadn't been so shocked by the combination of the sudden closeness and the anger and possessiveness in his eyes, she would have blushed. (A/N: Blatant stealing from another anime. I'll give the first reviewer who can name the anime and characters a Zen cookie.)
His icy gaze slowly shifted from her to the two males, narrowing slowly. They didn't need any more warning, and had headed out the door less than five seconds later.
"We should be getting back," he said as he shifted his gaze back to her. "Temari will send out a rescue squad if we aren't back by dark."
The sound of his voice made him wince inwardly. It wasn't harsh, or cruel, or even angry, but...it came close to betraying every emotion he felt at being so close to her - love, need, desire, and lust were the main elements, but there were a few others thrown in, such as possessiveness, protectiveness, and jealousy.
But either Hinata didn't catch any of this, or didn't acknowledge it, and merely nodded. Not trusting himself not to do anything right in the middle of the store, Gaara immediately moved his hand to his other pocket and backed away from her slightly to allow her to go first.
As he watched her go, he closed his eyes and shivered slightly, licking his upper lip. He couldn't afford to let anything like that happen again. Shaking his head, he opened his eyes and followed her.
-
It was a beautiful night, as nights in Sunagakure went. There wasn't a cloud in the sky to obstruct the view of the stars, and the windows were open to allow the soft, cool breeze to float inside.
Hinata sat in her bed, her knees hugged to her chest, her gaze on the sheets in front of her.
What the hell had that been all about!
Gaara's actions in the shop had surprised her, to say the very least. When she first looked up at him, she had noticed the jealous rage in his eyes, but had brushed it off.
That was, until he had spoken. She had heard the jealous rage in his voice...but she also heard more than that. Much, much more.
And just the thought that she might be right about hearing all of it excited her to no end.
But she had to remind herself – this was Sabaku no Gaara. He had made it perfectly clear that he didn't need anyone, most certainly not her. They were friends, and nothing more. She had realized that those men were staring at her with his actions...maybe she had imagined most of the emotions in his voice. Maybe he was just looking out for her, and didn't want her to get hurt.
Why did that thought disappoint her so much?
She wanted to sleep, but she couldn't. It was too quiet in the room, and too noisy in her head. Lying on her side, she stared at the bracelet, slowly letting her fingers drift over the metal. It was warm, and it had a sort of energy coming from it – the same energy she felt whenever she got near him. It comforted her to no end.
Closing her eyes, she sighed and tried to empty her mind of thoughts. She was going to begin training again tomorrow, and she needed to be rested. She had to keep her mind as blank as possible in order to sleep.
She fell asleep five minutes later, her mind dwelling on the only time she had seen him smile.
-
He punched the wall as silently as he possibly could. He supposed that wasn't really saying much, since he put a hole in the wood, but it was quieter than it could have been.
Barely glancing at the blood the wood had drawn, Gaara flung himself onto his bed and draped his arm over his eyes, groaning slightly in exasperation with himself. What had he been thinking earlier?
He already knew the answer to that question. He hadn't been thinking earlier, which was why he had done it.
The sand nin hadn't realized what he had been doing until he began speaking – and even then, it had taken every ounce of his self control to keep himself from kissing Hinata right then and there.
He finally had a friend. He finally had a good friend. Why was he looking to ruin something like this by going and doing something so stupid? He didn't even want to think about what she would do if he actually went through with what he had been thinking. Well...if he had actually gone through with everything he had been thinking, the store owners wouldn't have been too happy with him either. Some passers-by might have been, though.
He slapped his forehead, maybe a little harder than necessary. He was doing it again – thinking stupid thoughts. He had to remember that Hinata was his friend, and nothing else.
'She deserves someone who's a hell of a lot better than I am,' he thought with a little depression, closing his eyes. It would probably be best to keep his distance for a while.
-
Dear Neji-niisan,
Konnichiwa! First, please, do not be angry with me for disappearing. I had some things that I needed to work out. Mainly I was training. I know, I could have gotten that back in Konohagakure, but I had my own reasons for leaving.
Anyway, I'm perfectly fine. Maybe this is a little pretentious, writing a note like this after having been gone for nine months, but it would be even more so to just return with no warning, right? If I made anyone worry, please tell them that I'm sorry. However, if I had told them, I know they would have stopped me.
I'm coming back home in two days – that should be around the same time this letter reaches you. In fact, I'm writing this because I happened to find a Konoha delivery falcon where I am. I think it might be Kakashi-sensei's...I get the paranoid feeling that he's spying on me.
Oh...do you remember the heart trouble that I had? Well, this is just between family, you understand. You know how it never fully healed? My traveling companions found out about it (through no fault of mine) and I had surgery done. I'm completely fine now.
I do hope you aren't very angry with me. I just needed to prove myself. You told me that destinies can never be changed...but I think I changed mine. I hope to see you soon.
With love,
Hinata
-
Folding the letter with a satisfied smile, Hinata looked out the window, focusing on a little dust devil a distance away. She loved it here in Sunagakure – she honestly did. But...it was time for her to go back.
Looking at the footboard of her bed, she smiled at the Konoha falcon she saw sitting there patiently, waiting for her to finish. She didn't know what sort of business that falcon would have had in Sunagakure, but she had whistled for it using the sound Neji had taught her. She had never tried it before, but sure enough, it immediately changed directions and headed right for her, eager to deliver another message for a Konoha ninja.
When these falcons scanned the skies, they learned the faces of every inhabitant of Konoha, and their trainers taught them their names. So it was no task for someone to tell them the name of the one they wanted the letter delivered to.
Folding the message around the falcon's leg, Hinata carried the bird over to the window. "I want you to take this to Hyuuga Neji, alright?" When the bird nodded, she opened the window and stretched her arm outside, watching it take flight.
She then closed the window again and turned, walking out of the room.
-
He felt his heart stop briefly as he heard the same gentle knock he had heard nine months ago.
Gaara immediately felt guilty – ever since that incident in the store a couple of months ago, he had rarely spoken to Hinata. It was merely because he didn't want to jeopardize their friendship any further, but there was no telling how the leaf nin had interpreted his sudden lack of interest.
"Yeah?" he asked, looking up from yet another book. This was familiar.
Hinata came in and smiled a little nervously at the sand nin. It was true; she thought that she had done something terribly wrong and that he was mad beyond all reason. But she was about to leave, so she wanted to at least tell him goodbye. Especially since Kankurou had gone off on some sort of self-appointed mission, and Baki had sent Temari along to make sure he didn't kill himself.
"Anou...Gaara-san?" she asked a little hesitantly. He felt a very small amount of that familiar pain in his chest – she had called him 'Gaara-kun' once, but he had been a fool to think she might call him it again. Hell, she probably didn't even realize she had done it.
"Yes, Hinata?" he asked quietly, standing up and fighting the urge to call her '-chan' like Temari did.
"I just...wanted to thank you," she said, looking down at her feet and shifting slightly before bowing. Ice blue eyes widened slightly as they watched her straighten up again, snow white eyes concentrating on the ground. "I wanted to thank you for training me, and allowing me to stay here for so long. I believe that I achieved what I needed to, and I feel that it's my duty to return to Konohagakure."
The pain, which had been increasing because she refused to look at him, doubled with that. She was leaving. She was going back to the Hidden Leaf.
"Don't worry about it," was all he could manage.
"Demo...Gaara-san...?"
"Yeah?"
"If...I need you...can...I still use the bracelet...?" she began, hesitantly.
Gaara blinked a few times in surprise. What kind of a question was that? He had given it to her, hadn't he? And he hadn't asked for it back...so what had given her the impression that she couldn't?
"Of course you can, Hinata. Whenever you need me."
His eyes widened again as she looked up at him in surprise before she smiled. The smile that had made him fall in love with her. "Arigatou," she said, her voice filled with relief.
'...did she honestly think I was that mad at her?' he thought, watching her as she came closer to him.
"Tell Temari-chan and Kankurou-san goodbye for me, alright?" she asked.
The redhead could only nod, wondering why she was coming so close to him. Hinata confused him to no end.
After that, every mental process in his head ceased as she leaned up and kissed his cheek very gently.
He stayed grounded to the spot a long time after she left. At least he was able to keep the blush down until she was gone.
Gaara was so deep in thought over that simple action that he didn't even notice the pain in his chest was gone again.
-
Neji put his hands behind his head, yawning quietly. He always thought that War was a boring card game, but it was doubly so when you weren't the one playing it.
"I'm winning!" Tenten said brightly. Lee glared at his own cards. Three cards left – a two, a five, and a six. Yeah, she was winning.
The Hyuuga male opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling. He was tired, since the letter he had received had practically given him a heart attack. He probably should tell his teammates about it, but to be quite honest, he didn't know if their reaction would be any better for their health than his was.
The Find the Missing Ninja / Find and Kill the Kidnapper escapades had ended about a month after Hinata had disappeared. It wasn't that they didn't care anymore...it was just that they had pretty much given up hope.
Kiba and Shino had continued their missions with much less zeal than normal. However, since they were still short on ninjas, Tsunade had counted Akamaru as a member of their group so they still had three.
"Okay, what's eating you?" Tenten asked irritably, raising one card and thwaping it against Neji's forehead. This snapped him out of his zoning-out and caused him to go cross-eyed briefly.
Rubbing the spot where she had hit him, he glared reproachfully at Tenten. "What do you mean by that?"
"You've been even further lost in thought today than you usually are," Lee said, shuffling the deck after stealing the last card back from Tenten. "That's not a good sign coming from you."
"What's with your pessimistic outlook all of the sudden?"
Tenten and Lee both gave him a blank look at the hypocritical remark but otherwise ignored it. However, they weren't going to let him just walk out on them like he had last time.
After a solid fifteen minutes of staring silence, Neji relented and handed Tenten the letter. "Here."
--End Flashback--
Neji, Kiba, and Naruto watched Hinata with a kind of morbid fascination as she proceeded to pound every opponent they found into the ground. She was still using Gentle Fist, but she was considerably faster and better at hitting the vital points.
'It's thanks to the Sand Clone training,' Hinata thought, cracking her knuckles. She then merely smiled at the other three.
"I don't think we were supposed to kill them, Hinata-chan," Naruto said, nudging one of the bodies with his foot.
"Too late now," she said with a shrug, putting her hands behind her head and smiling slightly. "I guess I just got a little over-enthusiastic. Gomen ne."
"No, don't apologize! It's awesome!" Naruto exclaimed, punching his fist into the air.
Kiba twitched. "Good Lord, you really are gonna end up killing me and Shino during training."
-
The days had passed relatively smoothly (or as smoothly as days passed in Konoha), and after about a month Hinata managed to find an apartment of her own.
Coming home after a mission late one evening, Hinata looked around with a contented smile. She had gotten all of her furniture from the head house, plus she had bought a few pieces with the money Hiashi had given her just out of pity.
Since returning to Konoha, Hinata had been working with Ino at her flower shop, and was planning to start a shop of her own. She had loved the figurines in Sunagakure, so she was thinking about starting a store with imported figurines from all of the hidden villages.
As she started to fix herself a late dinner, she thought more about that day in the shop. That had been so weird...'I still don't understand,' she thought with a sigh.
She then winced and lowered her head. She had just learned a valuable lesson – don't throw yourself deep into thought while using a large kitchen knife.
'Dammit...why is my luck so bad?' she thought, raising her hand before blinking as she watched blood trickle onto the bracelet.
'...great,' was her only thought as the sand began to reform. 'He's gonna be so mad at me...making him come here with no reason...'
"What happened?" were the first words out of his mouth as he took hold of her wrist. His grip was surprisingly firm, yet gentle, and she couldn't suppress a gentle blush at the sudden contact.
"I-it was an accident. I...I was using a knife and I was just careless. That's all."
Gaara didn't seem convinced as he examined the slash across her palm, kneeling on the floor and inadvertently forcing her to do the same.
Hinata closed her eyes, waiting for him to start yelling at her. She opened them again in confusion when she heard cloth ripping.
She looked at her hand and saw that he was wrapping a white bandage around her hand. She also saw that he had torn the cloth off of the wrap around his chest and waist.
"Wh-what are you doing?" she asked apprehensively.
"I'm stopping the bleeding," he answered calmly, not looking up at her.
"But..." she began, but stopped. She couldn't help noticing at this distance...
"Gaara-san...the rings around your eyes...why are they darker?"
"Hm? Oh. I...I haven't been sleeping again."
"Why? It's not the Shukaku, is it?" she asked in slight alarm.
"No, it's not the Shukaku," he said gently and slightly amused, looking up at her finally.
'At least he's not mad,' she thought with relief. "Then what?"
He sighed and closed his eyes. "The council of Sunagakure...they want me to get married. The even picked out a wife for me. But I refused...so they said I had to find someone before the end of the week."
"Oh...I see..." Hinata responded, struggling to keep the sad tone out of her voice. "What are you going to do about it?"
"...well..." Gaara began tentatively, looking away, "I...do have someone I want to ask. But...I'm not exactly sure what she'll say," he added as he finished tying the bandage and slipped the bracelet around her wrist again.
"Well, sometimes the direct approach is the best," Hinata said a little more brightly than was probably necessary, smiling a little wider than she meant to. "Thank you for bandaging my hand, Gaara-san," she said as she stood up and turned around, facing the cutting board again. "Do...you want to stay for dinner? I just started, it would be no problem to make more."
Gaara ignored her question as he stood up. "You...think I should just ask her?"
"Hai. I do," she said quietly.
"...what would she think of that?"
"...if she's right in the head, she'll be flattered. I think she's lucky."
"Y-you do?" Gaara asked, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice.
"Yeah. Despite what other people think, you're a good guy, Gaara-san. And I know that you'll protect the woman you love dearly." Hinata closed her eyes. She wished he would just leave before she started crying.
She opened her eyes again as she felt his hand over hers. "Well...if that's truly what you think..." He gently spun her around so she was facing him and knelt in front of her, placing both of his hands around one of hers. "Then...will you marry me, Hinata?"
Hinata found herself incapable of speaking in complete sentences. "You...I...b-but..." When she found the whole of her voice again, she managed, "You...want me...to marry you...?"
Gaara had been afraid of this reaction. He knew he shouldn't have done it, but it was too late now. So he merely nodded.
She closed her eyes, tears falling down her face. She knelt in front of him, pulled her hand away from his, and flung her arms around his neck with enough force to knock both of them back onto the ground.
That was all the answer he needed.
- - - - -
Starr: Told you. Gaara OOC-ness.
Gaara: I loathe and despise you with every fiber of my being.
Starr: Do not.
Gaara: Do too.
Starr: Oh, Hinata!
Hinata: (Kisses Gaara's cheek)
Gaara: (Melt)
Starr: Well, that was easy.
MORE SHOUTOUT FREINDSHIP STUFF!
Starr: GOOD LORD THERE ARE A LOT X.x
Gaara: And today, we learn that you don't go three months without updating - -
Night-Owl123: Ah, they will, don't worry (nod, nod) I might have her beat up Hanabi – I hate her (Growl)
khmer shinobi: Yep! Gaara's not to happy about the blushing part, but then again, it doesn't matter what he thinks.
joann: ...like this?
writerlover101: Gotta love the kawaii-ness!
M-python-girl: Woo, no fanatic attack...yet...I'm glad!
IT: I'm very sorry that this chapter took so long (Sweatdrops) Well, if you go insane, you can join my family. We're all nuts.
Hokai Amplifier: Yep, cuteness abounds. And don't worry – Hinata beating Neji up will be happening soon!
Gaahina chan: Well, there aren't gonna be any more flashbacks, but I plan to keep it cute. Gotta appease the Fangirls (since I happen to be one myself)
serialhugger: LEE PLUSHIE! YAY! (Clings to the Lee plushie) Um...then...here! (Gives reviewer a Naruto plushie)
xxMizukixx: Heh, they'll come when I'm done with this one...Which will be...eventually.
K-Chan: "IT" as in creepy clown movie, or "IT" as in the one who reviewed? The movie was bad, go for the book. Anyways, I'm glad you like!
DemonFireGirlHotaru: Kya, long review! Yay! I'm glad I didn't confuse you and I answered your questions! And I'm pretty sure this chapter is about as long as the last one. 'Disturbing but cute' would make a good bumper-sticker.
chinadoll27: OOC Gaara is the best kind (nod, nod)
Gaara: No, it...I...um...you confused me!
Starr: See? Now shut up, I'm answering reviews. (Ties him up and gives him to chinadoll27) Hold, please.
rikkufx: Thanks! I'm trying.
Kyuubi PandoraChan: Kya, PandoraChan! Thank you so much for adding this to your website! I really appreciate it!
shikaruTo: Nah, not green like Sakura...more green like Minamino Kurama off of Yu Yu Hakusho. And everyone loves a blushy Gaara!
Gaara: (Would argue, but is tied up)
OspreyAnimeG: Yay, I'm happy you like it! GaaHina's one of my all-time favorite anime pairings.
BadSam: Here ya go (smile, smile)
alliedoll: I fell in love with Gaara-kun the instant I saw him upside down in that tree...ahh...(has a fangirl moment) ...er...anyway, thanks!
Caro: Heh, I try not to misspell things. My mom's an English teacher, so she would slaughter me if I did.
Sarehptar: This chapter marked the end of most of the angst, but not all of it. And yes, they're going to find out. And it's gonna be awkward. And rather funny (at least, it is to me). And if you want a cuddly Gaara...(Plops Sarehptar down next to chinadoll27) Here, you two share him.
windwhisprer: Well, some of them act a little weird because I hadn't seen the whole series when I started, but now I've seen all of what they've subbed thus far and can see my mistakes and go 'oh well'. But I was sort of surprised at how semi-accurate some of the attitudes are.
Magy: Nya, don't check every day, I'm bad when it comes to updating o.o But I'll try to get the next up faster!
Shanice Miharu: Aww, thank you! I feel special now! (Which is saying a lot coming from me X.x) And sorry if Gaara got too out of character in this chapter – it'll be better in the next.
Sinceritea: When it comes to cold characters and romance fanfics, I'm bad about letting them get out of character for a while, but they usually go back to normal!
amy johnson: Wow o.o Um...okay. I can do that.
mUcHaChAnGiStAriRaY: Thanks! The bracelet was sort of spur-of-the-moment, but I'm glad it worked.
Starr: THERE! 27 reviews, good Lord. Um...if I didn't reply to your comment, that's probably because it got sent to my bulk folder and deleted (because I never have time to sift through my bulk mail). Anyways...review!