Author's notes: Hello everyone! Welcome to the second part of this story! This was the first thing I wrote for this story, so I'm excited. It's a little short, but I think it's okay. Also, I've made some changes in the summary. I hope it's alright.

Thank you all of you that reviewed, followed and favorite this. There are no words enough to describe how happy I am. Thank you very much!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of Naruto characters, jutsu or locations.

Alert: A lot of OOCness.

Good reading!

2

When she woke up, they were well on their way to Kiri's hospital. She was being carried, she noted, by very strong arms, of a man with a gorgeous scent of wind and sand. Slowly, almost afraid, she opened her eyes to see the tall form of Gaara carrying her. The small movement she made was enough to make the man look at her, a small smile on his lips.

"You're awake!" he said, his eyes scanning her face for any sign of discomfort. "We're taking you to the hospital. Do you think you can walk?"

She managed to say a small "Hai" and he carefully slid her on her feet. She wobbled a little, and he offered her his arm for support. Considering it a good idea (certainly the more prudent one), she took it.

As he accompanied her, he oddly decided to be chatty. "Are you feeling unwell? We can delay our departure if you're not fine. There's no need to rush. ", he seemed a very concerned about her stability, as he passed his arm around her waist.

Hinata suddenly felt funny. Although it was not unusual for her to be carried (usually by her teammates, when she got hurt on missions), the fact that she was being held by a stranger, a very handsome one (she tried to push the thought away, but couldn't) was very odd. It was good, to have strong-but-gentle arms protectively around her, but the fact that she didn't know Gaara well made it slightly uncomfortable.

"I'm fine. No need to worry." and, just for effect, she felt her vision blur again and her knees got weak. Great, oh, great. I'm here to escort the Kazekage, not the opposite. I'm so useless.

He arched an invisible eyebrow at her. How could she be fine if she couldn't even walk properly? Weird woman. But even being weird, he thought her very interesting. She seemed socially awkward, just like him.

They continued on their path to the hospital, all the while Gaara was wondering why he was so worried about this woman he barely knew. Maybe, because he knew she was Naruto's friend. This made him want to care for her as well. That was, for the moment, a very good explanation.

xXx

When they arrived, Hinata was promptly taken to an exam room. The benefits of being a Hyuuga, he supposed. Temari and Kankuro (who were strangely quiet, Gaara thought) decided to stay in the waiting room.

Gaara didn't know why, but he felt the need to stay with Hinata during her exam. He knew by experience (he had a sister, right?) that women sometimes became ill because of what they called "period" - Gaara didn't know what it was exactly, but he knew Tamari had it often. She would be miserable for days, easily annoyed and sometimes downright aggressive. Maybe Hinata got ill during her "period".

Gaara shook his head. He'd never given a second thought about Temari's womanly issues. But this almost-stranger was attracting all of his thoughts, even in the most unpredictable matters.

He looked at Hinata, while a medic-nin examined her. She looked anxious, almost afraid. And she tried desperately to avoid looking at him. Or the kind faced woman scanning her body with medical chakra.

Suddenly, the medic stopped and repeated the scanning of her pelvic area. "Miss, I found something. We'll need to make a more thorough exam. I'll be back in a few minutes.''.

Hinata seemed terrified. Maybe, he thought, she was afraid of being ill. But, as time passed, he noticed some things about her expression. Her eyes were glassy, as if she were about to cry, and her hands moved to her belly, as if protecting it. Carefully, he approached her, and put his hands over hers. "Everything will be fine. I'm right here with you."

He must have said something wrong, because silent tears started to pour down her eyes. With his other hand, he gently stroked her cheek, rubbing away the tears. She looked so helpless, so alone. He wanted to comfort her. He needed to comfort her.

Her face was getting redder, he noticed. Maybe he was scaring her. He couldn't tell. But he couldn't stop himself. She was so... beautiful.

Her fair skin was flawless, glowing with a light of its own. Her nose was small, and perfect. Her delicate, perfectly shaped lips were pink and inviting. Her hair was glossy, long, midnight blue, a contrast with her greatest asset: her big, beautiful, expressive pearl-like eyes. So different from his cold ones. Her eyes fascinated him.

He wanted to tell her that, how beautiful her eyes were, but he couldn't. At that moment, the medic came back, an ointment tube in her hands.

"It'll amplify any detectable chakra signature within you", she said, a small smile on her face. She totally missed Hinata's panicked expression, but he didn't. He gave her hand a comforting squeeze. The doctor seemed to notice that.

"Don't be anxious, dear. It'll take only a minute. " She applied the ointment on Hinata's belly, massaging it expertly. "Ok, Let's go." She performed some hand seals and green chakra glowed from her hands.

"Oh, here it is. Can you feel it? It's strong."

XXX

And she could. A small amount of chakra, apart from her own.

Oh my. I'm pregnant.

Tears started to fill her eyes again, what would she do now? There was no single mother in the Hyuuga clan. She certainly would be disowned. Probably, she would be cursed with the Hyuuga cursed seal and shunned. They could make her have an abortion. No. She couldn't do that. But what would she do?

Oh my gosh, how can I tell Naruto about this? What would he say? Would he be angry? Happy? She didn't think he would, considering his reaction in the morning after they had made... that.

What should I do? What should I do?

Hinata felt her vision darkening, as panic took over her. But she felt other thing too.

Gaara's warm hand holding hers silently was calming her, comforting her. She looked in his eyes, warm despite their icy color. Giving her the assurance she needed at the moment.

XXX

"Do you want to feel it, Kazekage-sama?" the medic said, Startling the duo. "Just put your hands over mine." She added encouragingly.

Surprisingly, for Hinata, Gaara did as the doctor said. It was so incredible, he thought, as he felt the small chakra inside of her, pulsing with so much life. Hinata, on the other hand, was marveled by his expression, a soft smile appearing on his lips.

"You are so lucky." The medic-nin added, smiling at Hinata and then at Gaara. "This baby will be a very powerful shinobi, just like you two. Having parents like a Kage and a Hyuuga... I wonder how it will look like. It will certainly be a beautiful one..."

Hinata realized with widened eyes that the woman thought she and Gaara were a couple. She was ready to clarify things when Gaara spoke, caressing her belly delicately. "A new life is always a blessing. I'm very happy for this." And then he looked at Hinata, a sweet smile in his face, his eyes so tender...

Hinata's heart raced. Her feelings all mixed up. Who is this man? Why is he doing this?

He was so caring, so kind. So sweet. It didn't match the image of the powerful leader he was. A man to admire, she thought, just like Naruto is. Not strange they're friends.

As more tears came to her eyes, Gaara felt the need to comfort her physically. Quietly, he asked the medic-nin to go for his siblings, and after she left he went for Hinata.

xXx

Awkwardly, he hugged her. At first she went rigid, shocked, but as he stroked her hair soothingly, she relaxed in his arms, and cried.

She needed time, he knew that. She was in pain, and pain was something he recognized. He let her cry, wetting his clothes, but he didn't care. She needed this.

Eventually, she stopped crying, and they just stood there, Gaara having his arms around her, Hinata resting her head in his chest. "Do you want to talk about it?" He whispered in her ear. Hinata shivered as she felt his warm breath trickle her neck, and the vibrations of his deep voice as he spoke.

She considered what to do for a moment. He was a stranger, kind of, but he seemed so worried about her, so ready to help. She felt she could trust the red-haired man, even if she didn't know him. She decided to tell him her story.

"The father of this baby... I have loved him since I was very little. He's a great man, a hero of our village, and is kind and nice to everyone. But..." her voice was shaken, and he knew her next words would be very hard for her to say. "But he never loved me. Because he loved another woman."

Gaara had no idea of what to say. She sounded really sad, but resigned. It seemed that she had already accepted the fact the man she loved would not love her back.

"Some time ago, when the village was attacked, I talked to him about my feelings. It was when I fought Pain and failed." She added the last sentence in a whisper, as if it was meant only to herself. Gaara knew who she was talking about, but he decided to say nothing about it. Certainly, it wouldn't do any good for her.

But his friend Naruto, as he told him about the Akatsuki's attack on his village had omitted about Hinata. He'd said that "a friend" had helped him, but have never told the red-haired man who this friend was. Now he knew. He was aware that Pain was an immensely powerful shinobi, and he definitely admired her for her courage.

Hinata continued her story, now whispering so low that, if they weren't so close, he couldn't hear. "About six weeks ago, the woman he loves and his former sensei started dating. It was at a birthday party and everybody got drunk. Na-" She made a pause, took a deep breath and continued, "The father of the baby... he was so miserable. I approached him to talk, to try to comfort him and he suddenly kissed me. I was not very drunk, but I couldn't stop him. We spent the night together, and he was not very happy the next morning. He asked me to forget about everything that happened that night."

Gaara felt very sorry for her. He knew what feels not being loved. It hurt, a lot.

She seemed to be a very sweet person, and she was hurting. He'd always thought that love could make everything right, but in this case, it didn't. He really wanted to do something for her, to ease her pain, but what could he do?

"Hyuuga-san, what are you going to do about this situation?" The man asked, concern hidden in his voice.

"I don't know." she answered. "My biggest concern... is my clan. The Hyuuga is very strict and traditional. There's no single mother in the Hyuuga clan. And if the father of the baby doesn't accept me..."

"Come to Suna, then" He spoke suddenly. "I'll give you protection. No one will harm you or your child in my village."

Gaara watched her eyes fill with tears, a hopeful smile in her beautiful face. "Thank you" She said, hugging him tightly. "Thank you"

XXX

Gaara's siblings decided that this was the moment to come in. They were listening, concerned, the conversation between their younger brother and the Hyuuga woman. From what they understood of their whispered conversation, she was in trouble, and Gaara was willing to help.

Temari and Kankuro smelled problems.

Author's notes:

1. I usually don't have a posting schedule, so updates may take some time. So, I decided to post a chapter only when the next one is ready to go, okay? This way I'll always have saved something for you if it takes too much to write the next part.

2. Pairings: I think I'm going all the way with GH. BUT this may change. The plot is already set, but I change my mind about it every day...

3. Review, please?

See you next chapter!