Title : Dinners.

Matsuri had been serving Hinata Hyuga since childhood. She grew up being with this gentle natured young woman, and from whatever she knew of her mistress, Hinata was very light-hearted, an introvert and a frightened young woman ,if you must. But of all the things she was, Hinata was not the type to give up. She was a determined soul – she was determined even when her own cousin belittled her in front her beloved ninja. No matter that she nearly died during that battle. She was not going to look bad in front of Naruto Uzumaki. Not when he was the one to watch her.

And this time, no matter that Hinata had to give up on her adulthood and her freedom. She was determined to make this work. Her father had practically banished her from her home back in Konohagakure village, and this gave Hinata an odd sense of confidence. The kind of confidence that made her believe that all good could happen from that point on. Maybe, all the bad things that happened was just a key for the better times to come.

Maybe I would be happy with this man?

Hinata, at their first meeting, did not understand the redheaded Kage of Suna very well. But the only thing she did find very prominent and significant in his pale eyes was – loneliness. Gaara Sabaku was a very lonely man indeed. He looked strong and powerful and the type of person who would say something mean and harsh but would never apologize for it.

He also seemed the kind of person who would kill in cold blood, without a sense of remorse or guilt in his conscience. Was he still a cold blooded killer?

Hinata still had a lot to find out about this man, whom she would have to call her husband very soon, and there was just something about him that made her so curious. What was it that she wanted to know about him? He looked an uninteresting character who simply wore a long sleeved crimson coat with an opening at the front, which exposed a pair of black trousers. Over the coat, he wore a grey vest held in place by a strap over the shoulder and two Kage straps just below the waist. His outfit was a little outlandish, she agreed but it made him look distinguished and enhanced his authority. It suited the character he wanted to portray.

The first meeting had gone, painfully short in Hinata's opinion. She remembered how quickly Gaara was introduced, and how he excused himself just as quickly as he came into the room. Speaking of the paper-work that was piling up, Gaara darted away with Temari close behind. She wasn't the type to sit and engage in chit-chats at all. She was curt, and all business-like – as if this marriage was a business deal and not an arrangement.

"You will be taken to your respective rooms." Gaara had stated as if it was the most obvious statement, never taking his arms away from his chest. He spoke softly, in his deep husky voice which carried with it an air of hostility, but his voice echoed in Hinata's ears, like a constant ringing. "Now if you will excuse me as I have some impending appointments," he continued in his monotonous voice which filled the empty room, with a sense of urgency, "We shall meet downstairs, for dinner." And with the last of that, Gaara took his leave and went forth into unknown parts of the Suna tower.

~ A Few Hours Later, At Dinnertime ~

Dinner that evening was very loud. Not only had the Sabaku siblings, and the Hyuga members, been present at the exceedingly enormous dining table, but some elderly members of the Council had joined in too. Along with the three elder members of the Kage Council, another young man joined the table and took his seat beside the eldest Sabaku sibling. The man who entered, had his hair tied up in a messy ponytail – which Hinata found to be the most significant detail to his normally ordinary appearance. He had lazy black eyes, and in both ears, he wore silver earrings. His face looked very familiar, but Hinata simply could not put a name to it. She had seen him somewhere certainly but ,where ,she had no remembrance of.

Gaara had been sitting alone in his seat, which lay just a few chairs opposite to Hinata's, and she assumed that someone would be sitting next to the Kage, but she didn't bother her head over it. She was far too nervous to even glance at his direction. She decided to put her full concentration on the soup bowl that stood on her side of the table – it was difficult to concentrate on food, knowing that Gaara's gaze was on her, but she managed not to let it distract her.

Everyone else at the table, was busy amongst themselves. Temari , for a change, was chattering with Tenten while Neji was trying to make casual conversation with the man beside Temari, 'Shikamaru'.

Of course! He had been present during the Chunin Exams, in the same team as Ino Yamanaka. She remembered, but flinched at this memory as she also recalled how her cousin was nearly willing to kill her at that time. Hinata was grateful that things had changed between them, since after.

Her thoughts at first were able to numb away the chattering of the Councils, and their discussions regarding Suna, but soon enough she snapped into reality, when a man clad in black took his place next to Gaara. By far, he looked the most outlandish with his outfit – and was that face paint that he wore? Hinata knew that staring was a bad habit, but this man somehow took all her attention.

"About time, Kankuro." The redheaded Kage of Suna, side glanced at his elder sibling, in a way that expressed his distaste for unpunctuality. However, 'Kankuro' did not seem to be upset or annoyed by the faint glint of sarcasm in his brother's voice. Instead, he ignored the remark and shifted his gaze towards the indigo haired woman, who instantly dropped her gaze to her soup bowl.

"Are you liking Suna?" Kankuro grinned at her, as if he had known her for ages and she was his long-lost friend. He was a little too friendly for his good, but Hinata enjoyed it. It made her feel homely, especially since she had been feeling a little home-sic k lately. Not knowing how to respond to the blunt question, she simply nodded for she did not want to come off as rude, or too timid. "Where are my manners? I'm Kankuro, part-time assistant and full-time brother to the Kazekage," the man seemed pleasant, and almost a little funny, which Hinata found to be refreshing from the hostile atmosphere of this alien village. Still, she could not complain for they had made an effort to make her feel at home. Even the bedroom she was taken to, by a servant, was much like the one she had back at her home – in simple words, it did not look like the typical upholstery of the Suna tower. Her rooms were painted light lavender, on all three walls with the fourth one being painted a darker shade of purple. The main furnitures of the room were a large canopy bed – much larger than the one back in her homer- with silk white curtains on all four sides. The bed came with several small lavender and indigo colored cushions. The other furniture that caught her eye was the enormous dressing table – the mirror was humongous.

Other bits and pieces of the room made her feel a lot like home, and she was grateful for that. She had an attached bathroom which looked like nothing back at home. It was sophisticated, elegant and simply beautiful. However, Hinata was not much about the curtains always drawn in her room. Albeit, the upholstered curtains looked almost royal, she preferred them to be left open to reveal the beauty of the outside world through huge bay windows.

She was still grateful, for she was aware that the Suna leader had been making an effort to make her feel at home. She thought it was sweet.

"N-Nice to meet you, Kankuro," Hinata knew she had to look up, and when she did, she stared back at bright black eyes as compared to the pale teal orbs. "I'm Hinata, b-but you knew t-that." She could not suppress a slight smile coming on. This man was pleasant, in contradiction to the Kage, whose face was always twisted in a scowl.

"Of course! Wouldn't miss one like yourself," Kankuro glanced nervously at his younger brother, the Kage, and upon noticing that the latter did not express protest openly, he returned back to the poor woman whose face was beginning to flush uncontrollably. She could not rely on her indigo tresses cascading down to cover her face, for she was sure, Kankuro could see through it, "Are they all pretty like you?" He had to press on.

Gaara watched his brother openly flirt with his affianced in front of him, and though he did not mind it right then, he certainly preferred that Kankuro stop. His dull, grave eyes seem to narrow at his remarks regarding Hyuga women.

"T-The women of our c-clan are nothing like m-me," Hinata, finally, mustered up the courage to respond to Kankuro's teasing question. She was too worked up, and she could feel her face heat up once again at the remark, but she managed to respond. It was true that the women of her clan were nothing like herself. She was a failure, and they were not. No one could be like Hinata.

"you assume that you are better than them, then?" For the first time that evening, Gaara spoke. His voice was raspy and hoarse, in contrast to the warm atmosphere in the dining room. He was aware that Kankuro was going to respond to Hinata's remarks but her observation had confused him, mildly.

"N-No that's not what I m-meant, Lord Gaara," Hinata started quietly. She raised her glance towards the redhead, and smiled forlornly. No one is as weak as me… she mentally screamed at herself and for once, she wished Gaara could read her thoughts so she would not have to voice them. "T-The women of our f-family are a lot b-better than me…"

Gaara's non -existent eyebrows knitted together, and he still could not understand her meaning. Was she belittling herself deliberately? Did she really think that she was inferior to the other women of her family?

Weak.

Dinner continued on the table. Everyone was chatting amongst themselves, and laughter was rolling throughout the room. The atmosphere was warm, for it seemed that Konohagakure and Sunagakure had been mingling.

However, Gaara did not say anything for the rest of the evening, and neither did Kankuro. He suddenly had a loss of appetite, and decided to stick to himself. Hinata stayed silent too. She seemed to be consuming meat heartily, but mentally she was pondering.

Flashback :

Hinata's forehead was caked with blood, as were her palms. She could barely get up anymore, but the cold atmosphere in the Hyuga estate forced her up. Stumbling to stand upright, the indigo haired adolescent gazed up at her father with tears brimming down her cheeks, and yet she looked hopeful.

However, Hiashi Hyuga was not content. Far from it.

"You are a failure," his cold voice was like a knife to her breaking heart. "And a failure you shall remain."

Hiashi Hyuga left his daughter to herself, almost as if he was too disgusted to be seen in the same room with her. The broken ninja fell back down on her knees, and cried her heart out.

End of flashback.

A/N : I have been told that Hinata's stuttering is a tad bit.. disturbing. But please understand that, I have already started the story with her stuttering. Changing it now would seem a little out of place. I'm sorry for the inconvenience and will try to reduce her stuttering as much as I can. She does become bolder in the following chapters!

Enjoy, and please review and if you enjoy it, please click 'Favorite'! I appreciate all the love 3