"I'm not sure if you're aware, Gaara-sama, but it's rude to spy on me, even if we are engaged." Hinata finally interjected while she brought her tea to her lips. Gaara sighed.
"You noticed me." He confirmed. She nodded, setting her cup back down. He should have known she would. She was a tracker and a member of a clan that prided itself in being overly observant. "I came to retrieve you. I found that the angry man shouting as you were a risk to your safety and observed." More precisely, he almost threw the dog boy into the walls around the compound when he stepped toward her. He would have if the other male hadn't stepped between them. Gaara had watched, waited for her friends to leave, and her to go back inside before he approached the house.
Her behavior when she was with her friends and when she was with him was different. The closeness that friends had that he never entirely understood. Would she have that with him? It was not something he would allow himself to hope for. However, he wouldn't mind it if it happened though, was he wary of her gentle-looking touch?
"I understand. However, if Kiba-kun would have noticed you, he wouldn't have understood." She explained, 'and he would have wanted a fight' he finished for her. "He's not a fan of our union." She mumbled.
From what he could tell from other relationships, he should be in some way upset about her closeness to other males. Though he didn't know why he should, so he would have to ignore that for now. There was no reason for him to be upset with her being close to her friends. The way she spoke about him to her friends was favorable in his opinion.
"I heard, among other things." Her cheeks turned red, and she played with the rim of her cup with her thumb. "Would you like to break the engagement in favor of him?" He found it displeasing. He liked spending time with her and wouldn't mind at all having her with him, but if the idea of the relationship in the first place was to care for the other, wouldn't the best way to do that to make sure they wanted to be in the relationship?
"You keep asking things like that." She mumbled and looked up, her brows knitted forward and eyes focused on his, concerned? "It's like you don't think you deserve someone enjoying time with you."
Gaara didn't know how to respond to that. There wasn't much reason for someone to want to spend time with him, so why would he think someone enjoyed spending time with him. He wasn't enjoyable to be around like she was. She stared at him, still examining him with the same odd look of personal worry. It was simple, he didn't deserve it. What had he ever done to deserve friends or a caring wife? "I don't."
"That's not true." She said firmly. Firm was odd coming from her soft voice. "You are known as a great, caring leader." She hesitated before also adding. "I won't assume what your childhood was like, but I'm aware of what they called you, and it's not true."
Was this what Kankuro was talking about? Was this the look he spoke about, not pity for a monster, but concern for a child who didn't know love? It was certainly something he wasn't used to, but she was still wrong.
"I appreciate the… thought." His answer made her frown and sigh.
"Maybe one day you'll believe me." She mumbled, finishing her tea.
"Would you like another cup?" She liked tea. He didn't drink it much at home. He would have to make sure the kitchen stocked some for her. What was the other thing she said she liked? The swirled cinnamon cakes? Fluffy pastries were not a norm from his kitchen either, so he wondered if they could manage her colder climate foods.
Hinata glanced at the clock and then nodded. He wondered if she was avoiding something. What would she be avoiding that she would prefer to spend her time with him? They had already spent a few hours in the cafe, just talking, it was pleasant, and there was plenty to talk about. Despite her quiet behavior, she could also hold a conversation. He enjoyed her opinion even if some of them were a little too light-hearted for the real world.
He would talk to her all day if she liked it.
They didn't leave until closing time, and it was a little late for her to get home. Hinata waved at him before closing the door turning inside to see crossed arms and furrowed brows.
"Nii-san!" Her heart sank as she realized he must have waited up for her. She shrunk into herself as she took off her shoes.
"Where have you been?" Neji asked calmly with his scolding voice.
"With Gaara-sama." She answered, honestly. Did he need to make her feel like she just came home late with a secret boyfriend? He was her fiance. She was supposed to be spending time with him.
"All day?" He asked, not believing her.
"Yes." She put up her jacket, avoiding eye contact with her cross-cousin. She had come home to him like this on only a few occasions, every time she felt worse facing him than she did her father. His disappointment hurt worse because he believed in her.
"Does he require all of your time?" He scolded, taking her bag.
"No, but I should get to know him before we leave, shouldn't I? He will be too busy to speak to me when we get back." She defended. This was going to be a fight. He followed her back to her room.
"So he will be casting you aside once you are in Suna?" Hinata cringed. It was going to be a big fight with Neji taking everything she said and running with it.
"No, but he is the Kazekage. He will be busy running his village. I will be busy learning my duties." She turned her head just as Neji's eyes flashed, had he found what he wanted?
"Duties?" He growled. She could kick herself. Of course, he would take it that way.
"I will be taking Temari-san's place." She corrected herself.
"You will be working under his thumb." He tried.
Hinata took a deep breath to keep from raising her voice. "I will be helping him care for his village."
"It will be your village then too, won't it?" Neji pointed out.
"Yes, however, currently, I am still a Konoha citizen." She explained. This was pointless. She would prefer he just yell at her directly. Why did everyone upset with this draw out their point instead of just saying why they were upset?
"You will be moving villages." He confirmed.
"That would be part of the marriage." She agreed, annoyed.
"What else will be." He growled. Did he need to think like that! It wasn't on every man's mind constantly!
She had had enough. "We haven't talked about it, nii-san!" She finally shouted. "I don't believe he has even thought of it either. He is not the type. We will talk about it when it comes up, and when we do, it will be none of your business!"
He became rigid. "You're right, but it is still my job until you are no longer a Hyuga to protect you."
Hinata softened instantly. "Yes I know, but you don't need to protect me from him."
"Do you know who he is?" He asked stiffly.
"Do you?" His face twitched. "Nii-san everyone has pointed out his past, his personality, and who they think he is. Everyone has wanted to object, but think about it, really which would you rather? I could marry a man of high class from here." He glared at the idea. He knew how they would treat her. His fears would be valid then. "Or I could marry the kind man who wasn't even looking to marry. Then when he decided to, he could have just dealt with my father. He instead took the time to make a ring and asked me and has since given me a door out if I wanted it." Her heart ached for him. "He may seem harsh at first, but he's thoughtful. He's an insecure man with a hard shell who everyone judges for a childhood he couldn't control!" She drew back with a huff trying to keep tears from filling her eyes.
Neji simmered in silence. Leaning on the wall by her door.
"I know you want to protect me, but I don't think you need to protect me from him."
"If he ever..." He started.
"Nii-san," She scolded. "Please trust me." She stepped forward, placing her hand gently on his arm. He stiffened and her affection.
He huffed and resigned to glare to the side.
"Hanabi-chan needs you more now." She interjected. "Please protect her in my place."
He hesitated to look back up and nod.
"You will need to get used to receiving hugs." She giggled as his face curled in horror.
Hinata blinked, trying to understand the excitement that was being displayed before her. The women dragged her away after the meetings before Gaara had a chance to get to her. Now they were squealing, the other was glaring at them for the ear-piercing noise.
Sakura and Ino were far too excited. You would think they were the ones getting married. Tenten rolled her eyes and held her hand out to Hinata. She lifted her left hand for examination.
Tan hands tilted it before her hand was snatched away by more manicured fingers. Hinata gave the older girl an apologetic look.
The other two quieted as they examined her hand in confusion. Hinata tried not to be amused.
"It's made of his sand."
Tenten's nose scrunched as the other two girls awed. "I don't get it." She grumbled.
"It's sweet! She always has a piece of him with her!" Ino explained.
"Do you think that's what he was thinking at the time?" She countered.
"Does it matter? It's still adorable! How can a man like that do something so cute?" Sakura swooned. Hinata remembered that Sakura knew him better than she did. She probably remembered some of his harsher years. "It would have been nice to have a stone, though."
Hinata tugged her hand back. "I like it the way it is. He didn't need to get one. In Suna, they give proposal gifts that you would use in the house after marriage instead of rings." She explained.
"Like what?" Tenten asked, suddenly more interested.
"Well, from what I understand, it can be anything." She thought she better explained the idea. "Temari-san says it was a custom developed when Suna had been going through hard times, and you couldn't afford expensive things like jewelry. So instead, you would offer something that was made by hand that could be used, like a heavy clay cooking pot." Ino and Sakura's noses scrunched. "Now it is more common to give pottery, stone necklaces, and other artwork that has more use as decoration. They still are meant to be made by hand by the proposer." Despite their distaste, she thought it was a romantic idea. Someone put time into making you an item to have in the home, instead of buying a ring. She got the best of both with her ring.
"What about a sword?" Tenten asked in thought.
Hinata giggled. "If it can be made by hand, I guess it fits."
"Do you think Neji could make a sword?" Ino probed.
"Who said I was thinking of him?" Tenten snapped, annoyed.
Hinata waved her hands to keep attention on her and away from the forming fight. "Either way, I like the ring, and I plan to keep it the way it is."
"If it's his sand and he's still connected to it, can he still feel it?" Sakura asked, assaulting her hand again.
Hinata's face burned.
She hoped not. She played with it constantly.
"Are you having the wedding here?" Ino asked.
Hinata internally cringed. This was inevitable.
"No, Temari-san is planning a Suna wedding." Ino face dropped. Hinata continued quickly. "I wasn't even going to have one, but it's a custom for the eldest unmarried female in the family to plan the wedding. She didn't think either of her brothers would marry before her." Temari had also said it was a custom that was regularly ignored, but she wasn't going to tell Ino that.
"Do you know what they are like?" She tilted her head, the initial hurt gone.
"Sort of, they are more traditional than trendy as they are here. There are robes instead of dresses, a headdress in place of a vale, and gifts rather than rings." She listed. "The wedding doesn't seem to be as important as the feast after, though."
"Wasn't there something about stealing something from the bride and giving it back?" Tenten looked confused.
"I think that's something Temari-san will be ignoring. You have a female in the groom's family steal a piece of the headdress, and the groom gives it back once you are alone." Please don't ask why. Please don't ask why.
"Why's that?" Sakura asked. Hinata cringed outwardly.
"It's a fertility blessing."