Shoutout to LeeHimeChan for the review! I really appreciate it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

Hinata woke early the next day in a comfortable bed. Last thing she could remember was falling asleep in the library next to the fire. She thought she had dreamt of strong arms carrying her, and distinctly remembered the strange Kanji for love but she didn't realize it wasn't a dream at the time. 'Sabaku must have carried me.' Hinata blushed at the thought. She felt a comfort last night, despite sleeping in the same house of a stranger. 'Perhaps,' she thought, 'I just needed another person around so I didn't feel so lonely.'
Hinata stretched, getting out of bed. She walked to the library and looked around. The fire had burnt out, and the windows had been opened to let the morning air through. It was breezy, but still had some warmth from the embers of the fire.

"U-Um Sabaku, are you t-there?" She asked, feeling strange talking to a seemingly empty room. She waited for a response but none came. Putting on her shoes she walked out the door, turning around in the doorframe to say "I'm leaving" and walked away.

'Today is going to be the day!' Hinata thought to herself, she was going to be persistent and talk to the Kazekage. She had to make him reconsider, she just had to. She was going to do anything just to get him to listen to her.
More determined than yesterday, Hinata walked towards her home, going to freshen up and head straight for the tower.

~~~
Gaara paced the floor in the Kazekage suite. He couldn't get her out of his mind. She had fallen asleep on his library floor last night and he couldn't leave her. Deciding to put her into the bed, he made sure she was asleep and then picked up the small woman in his arms. She was so soft, so light, so female. It had somehow felt so right for her to be there. He carried her to the bedroom and as gentle as he could, placed her on the soft bed. She looked so tiny compared to the large queen sized bed, so delicate. Her hair splayed against the clean white pillows, and her body engulfed in the dark red blanket. He didn't know what had possessed him to touch her, but he ran his hand down her hair, onto her face lightly. When she stirred he jumped back, as if burnt. Blood had pooled throughout his body and his heart felt like it was going to jump out of his chest. He had to leave. He had to get away from the house, away from her. He went back to the tower and sat there, brooding, thinking.

His stomach slightly rumbled, he couldn't remember the last time he ate. Eating was like sleeping to him, he did very little of it, and only when he couldn't go without anymore. He knew the maids would leave him food outside of his door at midday, scurrying away lest he open the door and kill them right where they stood, but it was early, and he needed food to survive. Deciding to search for food, he opened the door and walked down the corridor. He must have walked for ten minutes before he came to a kitchen, he could hear the noise before he opened the door but as soon as he did, it became deathly silent. Everyone stared at him, the last time he had come out of his quarters he had been on a rampage, there had been four deaths. Two of them had been staff, one a messenger and the other one a villager. It had taken enough sedatives to kill a large animal before they got him to stop. Two weeks to clean up the areas that had been stained with blood, two months before there had been replacement staff for the ones that had run away afterwards.
Nobody moved. No one had eye contact with him. A couple of staff he could see were backing towards the door.
They all visibly flinched when he started towards the counter, he grabbed some already prepared Onigiri and walked back out the door. He could hear them let out a collective sigh of relief and remembered why he didn't let people see him. There was still so much fear, regardless of how long it had been since his last rampage. He walked back to his quarters and put the food on his desk, not feeling that gnawing hunger any longer. He sat at his desk and started on his work again.

He must have been working for about three hours, finally getting that hyuuga girl out of his head and working through his official kazekage business, before he heard a soft knock at the door. He froze.
Nobody knocked on his door. Not the councilmembers, not the maids. It wouldn't be Naruto as he wouldn't even bother knocking. Gaara stood and stared at the wooden door as it knocked again. Walking closer and closer until he was right in front of it. Wondering who would dare, who wasn't afraid of him.

A soft voice came through the door after the following knock, "Kazekage-sama, please listen to me, I need your help."
He could have recognised that voice anywhere, it belonged to Hinata Hyuuga. The girl from his thoughts. Why would she be here?
"Please, Kazekage-sama. Just hear me out." She said, sending vibrations that went through his body.

~~~~

Hinata had spent two hours waiting for the guards to change at the front of the tower, waiting for the opportune time to strike, to sneak past and get into the building. She was stealthy, learning as a child that if she wanted to go play, or leave the house, she'd have to sneak past.
After dodging the guards and the staff on the inside, she came to the part of the tower where the Kazekage's office was supposed to be. Expecting lots of busy staff she was surprised when the entire wing was quiet. She walked up to the office door, the big, red-brown oak staring back at her. Suddenly she felt anxious, she didn't know what to expect from the Kazekage, as she had never even seen him before. But one thing she was certain about, she didn't want to marry and she didn't want to leave Suna. She had decided to make a life here with her mother, and she will continue to make a life here with her gone. Grasping all of her courage, she knocked.

And knocked.

And knocked.
She started speaking through the door, willing—no, begging the kazekage to come speak to her. She needed him to listen.
Suddenly the door started to open, and it was nothing like she expected. In front of her stood a tall, stoic man. One of the most handsome men she had ever seen. He had blood red hair, startling green-aquamarine eyes with dark rings all around them. He had a chiselled face, a beautiful mouth that was set in a straight line. He looked muscular but it was hard to tell underneath his kazekage robes. Hinata blushed, 'I shouldn't be thinking about underneath his robes!'
He cleared his throat, his eyes catching hers. She felt so embarrassed, she had been caught ogling the Kazekage! His eyes widened expectantly and she realized how long she had been standing there.
"I-I'm s-sorry. B-But I need to speak with you!"
He did nothing but nod his head and opened his study door wider for her to come through.
After following him into his office, she sat at the desk and looked around while she waited for him. It looked like he lived in his study, there were papers everywhere, food, clothes chucked on the ground. There was a door on the far left which she could see lead to a bedroom, the bed looking slightly rumpled.
He sat down at the other side of the table and just stared at her, unspeaking.

"U-Um, Kazekage, I-I've c-c-come to spe-speak to you about my m-m- about my marriage."
He just nodded his head.
"I-I don't want to m-marry. I d-don't w-want to l-l-leave Suna. This is my h-home."
He nodded again.
"P-Please d-don't make me m-marry. I-I'll do anything! I-I can cook, c-clean, I can do lots of things. Please."
He stared at her. She didn't make a noise. He didn't make a noise. They just stared at each other for what must have been five minutes.
His voice was low when he spoke, really low, really gravelly too. Sounded almost like he was sick or dying. "Okay. Start Tomorrow." He said, and then left her sitting there as he went into his room, and closed the door.

Hinata didn't know what had just happened. But she was sure it was a good thing.

~~~
Gaara stood against the door. His heart was beating erratically and he felt like he was about to faint. He put it down to the fact that he hadn't eaten, and immediately relaxed. At least this was normal, and it had nothing to do with the Hyuuga girl who had just sat there. She just sat there, and looked him in the eyes, and spoke to him.
He saw fear there, but also determination. He had never met anyone like her. She must have sneaked past the guards to even get this far, and then she talked to him. Like a normal citizen.
He felt… Confused.
He had changed the way he spoke so she wouldn't recognise his voice, but now he knew she wasn't going to run, he wished he hadn't.
Then again, perhaps she hadn't heard about him yet, it was unlikely, but it could happen. It could explain why she wasn't fearing for her very life and shaking in front of him. Right now he didn't want her to be frightened of him. He didn't want anyone to be frightened of him anymore, but especially Hinata, something about her was so different, so pure. Now he would get to see her every day. He'd have to write a missive to the head of the housekeeping to be informed of a new maid, and to send her some documents to sign, some clothes, whatever she needed. He would get to see her, and she would see him, he would make sure of it.

And he was looking forward to it.