Title What do you see when you look at me?
Author lonelywhisperz
Genre Romance/General
Rating 13+ (For now anyways)
Disclaimer Naruto and all of the characters of Naruto belong to Masashi Kishimoto! Duh! I am not profiting at all by publishing this piece of fiction. I am writing and 'publishing' this work of fan fiction for my pleasure and the pleasure of other Naruto fans! Besides… It isn't worth suing me because I don't own anything but some old smelly socks and some unidentified gooey stuff under my bed. So… Yeah.
Summary Hinata has something up her sleeve… Where does Gaara come in? O.o Seriously. I'd like to know.
Chapter Two Uncertainties…


The next morning, Hinata woke up, if it was possible, more tired than when she had crawled into bed. She went through her morning routine slowly.

Make bed.

Shower.

Comb hair.

Put clothes aside for laundry later.

Grab a fruit (Today:Pear) for breakfast.

Leave Hyuuga House.

It was still early when she left. 7am. She took her time walking towards the Konoha hospital, thinking about the encounter she had had with Gaara the night before.

What had she been thinking?

A smarter person would have left as soon as they realized it was Gaara standing on their roof. Evidently, she wasn't. Hinata cringed to herself when she remembered how they had stood so close.

So close she could hear the beating of his heart…

So close she could feel his breath on her skin…

So close she could smell the almost indistinguishable, scent of blood on his clothes…

She closed her eyes and shook her head to rid the thought from her mind. It wasn't fair! He was a ninja. Of course he would have the scent of blood on his clothes! A ninja, especially one of his caliber, would have had to kill at one point or another when they were sent on an A or B mission! She deliberately refused to let herself dwell on the fact that once, a long time ago, he killed even when it was not necessary…

Killed for pleasure…

Her steps increased in speed. He is different now. We all are. She smiled a little at the thought. Yes, she still stuttered. Yes, she was still shy and blushed a million times a day. Yes, she still fiddled with her hands whenever she felt nervous.

But she has changed.

It was subtle. Like in terms of strength, she has improved dramatically. Though it was not obvious, because everyone had improved, she had become much stronger and more powerful than she had been when she was a mere Genin. She could tell almost everyone had been surprised and a little shocked when she had defeated a strong ninja from the hidden village of rain and then Ino during their Chuunin exam.

She supposed the fact that everyone underestimates her gives her an edge. No one really expected Hyuuga Hinata to be better than them at anything. They still don't.

It did not matter. Soon, she would not have to prove anything to anyone any longer.

Before she knew it she was in front of the Hospital. Quickly shaking herself out of her reverie, she went in search of Shizune. The medic-nin has been kind enough to teach and guide Hinata in the knowledge and practice of medical jutsu at her request. For the past year, every opportunity Hinata had, she would seek Shizune out at the Hospital to learn from her. She wanted to be prepared for any situation. She knew the healing balms she made were not enough should someone in her team, or anyone for that matter, become seriously injured. She needed to learn how to heal a person inside out. Learn to stop blood flow from a wound. Learn to help a person's body regenerate and recuperate faster. And she is. It was important to her. She didn't want anyone to die a senseless death if she could help it.

Hinata couldn't help but feel disappointed when the receptionist nurse informed her that Shizune had been sent on a mission on the Hokage's orders. Thanking the nurse, Hinata made her way slowly out of the Hospital. On her way out the entrance, she bumped into Sakura.

"Hinata-san! I didn't know you were back from your mission already." She grinned at the blushing Hyuuga who smiled back shyly.

"Ohayo, Sakura-san. Shouldn't you be with the Hokage to train? I thought your shift does not start until the afternoon."

"Oh I know." Sakura said, waving her hand in front of her face with the other on her hip. "It annoyed me a little when she told me to come here to cover Shizune's shift, even though she knows any other nurse here could do that." She whispered the last bit conspiringly at Hinata and made the Hyuuga giggle a little. "She mentioned that she needed to see Gaara-sama this morning before he left to return to the Sand Village or something like that." Sakura was obviously unhappy with the excuse Tsunade-sama had given for canceling her training session. Hinata was just thankful that Sakura was too distracted by her minor ranting session to notice the blush on her face deepening at the mention of Gaara.

"I mean, come on! It isn't as if she isn't going to see him again soon enough! He comes to the village almost every month! The longest he is away from here is two months! Granted, he is only ever here for a few days but still!" Sakura huffed in frustration. Hinata, on the other hand, was feeling relieved with the knowledge that Gaara was not going to be in the village until sometime next month so there was no danger of encountering him till then.

When I have absolutely NO intention of encountering him or getting in his way again!

Glad at having obtained some good news from Sakura, Hinata decided her trip to the Hospital had not been wasted after all. Exchanging some quick goodbyes, Sakura and Hinata went their separate ways.

Hinata wondered what she should do now since Shizune was not at the Hospital to learn from and there was no training planned for the day as her team had just completed a mission the night before.

She had absolutely no intention of going back to the Hyuuga House. Her father would only want to know how her mission went and what progress she was making in terms of training and jutsu. She would never please him. She felt sad at the thought. She was her father's disappointment. That was a given. From the moment she was born. Instead of being blessed with a son to continue the Hyuuga line and heritage as his brother had been, a daughter was what he had gotten. To further add insult to injury, his brother's son, a member of the branch family, was a far more superior user of the Hyuuga bloodline limit than his own child. A genius of the Hyuuga clan, born once in perhaps every 10 generations.

He has never let Hinata forget that Neji-niisan is better than her.

Sighing, Hinata continued to walk aimlessly through the village. She could not be the son her father wanted her to be and so she had failed him. After Hanabi had been born, she had not been allowed to be the older sister she wanted to be. Interaction between herself and Hanabi had been limited and confined to avoid "Hinata's weakness" being passed on to Hanabi. Such a shame. They could not call each other friends let alone sisters in the true meaning of the word.

The only time she ever truly felt like a sister to Hanabi were during the nights when Hanabi couldn't bear the sounds of thunder any longer or when she cried at the memory of their late mother and would quietly crawl into bed beside Hinata to be comforted. Hinata could never make out her face in the dark. Could never see the expression or the tears on her face. When Hinata thought about it, the dark was probably the only reason Hanabi allowed herself to come to Hinata and be comforted.

Hinata thought of their late mother. She had been such a beautiful woman. She had been a Hyuuga too. Her father and uncle's distant cousin. 4th or 5th removed, Hinata could not recall. Her mother had been so frail. After having given birth to Hinata, she should not have had any more children. Her body could not cope with childbearing. But, she had wanted Hinata to have a sibling to grow up with and had hoped that she would bear a son for Hiashi since his disappointment with his first-born being a girl had been obvious. However, after giving birth to Hanabi, she had not been able to recover and had passed away after losing a massive amount of blood. If Hiashi had been devastated, he did not show it. After the customary mourning period, he returned to his duties and had taken it upon himself to make sure that Hanabi turned out to be the best ninja she could be.

Hinata wasn't jealous. Honestly, at times, she felt terribly sorry for Hanabi. The high expectations and harsh training by their father would sometimes cause her to come sobbing to Hinata under the cloak of darkness and night.

Once again, thoughts of what she has been considering for the past year enters Hinata's mind. It made her worried and confused. She felt it was selfish and wrong for her to even think about. Yet, she felt that it might be the best path for her to walk upon. At the same time, she worried how it would affect those around her. Surely, in the long run, they would understand. Hinata knew it would take an insurmountable amount if courage to do what she wanted. Could she do it? She would have to just charge ahead and see…

Hinata was so deep in thought she had unconsciously walked to her team's training ground and had not noticed the man standing there.

Waiting for her?

She stopped in her tracks when it finally registered where she was and whom she was with.

Shino.

She breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment, she had envisioned a boy with cold aquamarine eyes and hair the color of hot molten sand standing there. Waiting for her…Smiling, she waved at Shino and hurried towards him, happy to have some company. Happy to have someone to take her mind of less than comfortable thoughts of mysterious ninjas, the future and all the uncertainties it holds.

--- o O o ---

Gaara stood unnoticed, further in the forest, hidden among the large trees on one of the branches. He could easily make out the Hyuuga and the Bug user ninja on the training ground. He was somewhat surprised to find her there. He had not expected to see her until the next time he came to Konoha.

She is disturbing me without even realizing…

He smirked at the thought. So much for that promise.

Sneering, he watched as the Hyuuga patted the other male on his back and chatted with him before going off into the forest with him. Probably to train together.

He wondered why he had decided to come and see where she trained. There was no reason for it. At least, none that he was interested in analyzing more than necessary. When he had inquired from the Hokage, Tsunade, of where the Genin and Chuunin teams trained, he had reasoned it was because the Sand nins were simply interested in becoming more familiar with the Leaf village's layout. It was a fair and unquestioned reason. As allies, the two villages often sent representatives and ninjas to one another to maintain peaceful conditions and complete missions.

He, Gaara, was sent more often than any other ninja to Konoha to do high level missions (A or B missions) such as deliver important scrolls or, at times, team up with Konoha ninjas on highly dangerous and confidential missions. The Sand village claim it is because he is the sand ninja who is on best terms with the Hokage and other ninjas from Konoha.

But he knows better.

They are afraid…

And with good reason, he thought without emotion. The few times he loses control of his temper or emotions is enough to cause weeks worth of damage repairs and innocent people being injured. It doesn't matter to them that the reason he lost control was because they tried to assassinate him, making him become temporarily unstable, or because the Shukaku demon takes advantage of his exhausted physical state to torment his mind until he blacks out for a short period of time.

It has been two years since his last outburst. Still, it is hard to forgive and even harder to forget the incidents of terror he caused. It doesn't matter. At least, that's what Temari and Kankuro keep reminding him. He shall continue to do his duty as a Sand ninja and strive ahead to become the most powerful ninja of the Sand. It did not matter if he had to achieve this dream alone. It made him stronger.

Naruto had told him, years ago, that it was the people around you that made you strong. The people who loved you. The people whom you loved and wanted to protect. But what does one do when there is no one around? When none of them love you? When the ones you wish to protect, fear you more than that which you are protecting them from?

He studied his surroundings while slowly blanking out his thoughts. Thinking too much only makes him tired and angry, which in turn makes Shukaku more restless and persistent in tormenting him. Best to simply stay calm and not think of things more than they required.

The Hyuuga girl came to mind once more.

Eyes…

He could see her eyes looking right into him. While he had been simulating sleep the night before, he had sensed her as soon as she was approaching the house. A distinct presence. Different. She had known no fear even after she realized it was him on the roof. He wasn't sure if it was because she was daft or because she thought it was safe with him 'asleep'. Normally, he would simply have left. But for some reason he was curious as to why he sensed she was different. So he had stayed. He had expected her to study him, get close to him and even linger for a short time before leaving. Things obviously did not turn out as he had expected.

She had touched him.

Electric…

He knew he came on very strong when he grabbed her wrist but he had been shocked by the contact. More than he would ever admit to anyone. Skin on skin. Few people ever came so close to him. And no one ever touched him. Her touch had been warm. Fleeting. Enough to shock him, nonetheless.

She had been nervous. Scared of the physical consequences of her actions. But there had been no hate in her eyes. No accusations. No blame or censure. He smirked as he recalled the expressions on her face, mirroring her thoughts. She had been more self-reproaching than anything else.

And when she had silently begged him to release her, promised to never 'disturb' him again, he had almost faltered. Not that he showed it. His mask was firmly in place. The hard façade of the monster, unbroken. It would take more than magnificent eyes to break him.

Lonely…

She had admitted to that. He wondered briefly, again, Why? How? Who was she to call herself 'alone'? Did she even understand the true depth of the word? His lips curled into a disdainful sneer. Few people can truly fathom the dark feeling of loneliness… They only think that they do.

His eyes studied the landscape once more, imprinting the image into his mind for future reference. He inclined his head slightly to his right to see if the Sand ninjas whom had accompanied him to Konoha were there. Of course, they were. Nodding towards them, he took off towards their own village confident they would follow. They never questioned his actions or motivations. It was not their place.

"Wait for me Hyuuga… I'll be back soon enough…" The words were whispered to no one in particular as he sped through the trees, but somewhere in the back of his mind, he was sure that a certain milky eyed shinobi could hear him loud and clear.

--- o O o ---

She wasn't sure what possessed her to activate her Byakuugan after she took off into the forest with Shino. She just felt as though she should. The tingle in her spine insisted. Instinct. So she did. Shino, being Shino, did not ask why.

She could see, behind her, the figure of a boy with a large object on his back was standing on the branch of a tree further in the forest. Startled, she de-activated the Byakuugan. Her mind was racing with questions.

What was he doing here?

Did he see her?

Was he there because of her?

Did he want to see her again?

And why did that possibility make her blush and send a shiver of expectation through her?

She wanted to flee. To run towards him. To stay rooted in one place until she could be sure of what she wanted.

She continued into the forest with Shino. As she flew through the forest, she could almost imagine hearing Gaara's goodbye.

"Wait for me Hyuuga… I'll be back soon enough…"

For now, uncertainties were all she was left with…

Thank You All!

Wow! I never realised how many fans of Gaara/Hinata were lying in wait for a fanfic to pounce on! LoL! I never expected so many reviews and good feedback from all of you! I certainly hope I dont dissappoint! Anyways! I want to thank all my reviewers and those of you who added this fic to your fav's or alerts! Tis good for motivating me to continue writing! Hee hee hee ;-)

Mars Cutie Thank You so much for adding this story to your favs list! ;-) It really motivates me to continue writing for all of you! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and this story continues to stay on your favs list!

Twistedmemories Wow! Thanks! That just motivates me to write more! Exactly what I need! And yeah I love this pairing too! Sakura/Gaara is interesting and there are a few VERY well written fics on the couple but overall I find Gaara/Hinata incredibly sweet! Hope I don't unhook you with my horrible writing skills! >. And I think my History test went well LoL!

AznOrchadork Awwww! That makes my heart swell with joy! X-D Hope it STAYS on your favourites list! LoL!

dreaming-freak Thank you for the feedback - I feel more confident writing when I get reviews like yours! Hopefully you will continue to find my writing style acceptable and interesting to read. And yes-I know some readers would find it strange Hinata still stutters but what can I say? When she is extremely nervous or worried she still stutters-and she was VERY nervous with Gaara-sama X-D Poor sweety! But you will notice that with other people whom she is familiar with she doesn't stutter half as much ;-) Hope that helps!

Sacred Rainbow Tenshi Yuki Hahaha! Me likey your review! ;-) Hope you continue to likey!

captain jimmy As you wished! ;-) I updated as soon as this chapter passed my personal inspection and overnight 'sleep on it and reread to check for mistakes' review. LoL!

dark angel-justice Ohhhh... You are all so good for my ego. :-P I have continued this for your reviewing pleasure! ;-) I'm simply trying to do a small service and contribute stories for the other fans out there!

Kikei-kii Well I'm extremely pleased to see you added my fic to your favs list! It is so motivating, you know? I am happy to see you approve of my writing style! I do try to make the flow of my stories as comfortable to read as possible and its nice to know it pays off (I mean, it IS very annoying when you are reading a story with a nice plot but the writing style is too choppy or uncomfortable to enjoy, ne!) :-) Yeah! I think Gaara/Hinata is an incredibly cute couple too! Hahaha! Hope you liked this chapter as much as the first ;-)

Mariagoner Muahahahahaha! Yes! That was my plan all along! To enrapture all of you with an interesting first chapter! Now (I hope!) you shall all continue to read and review until the very end:Evilly Cackles: Ahem:clears throat: Anyways! I hope I manage to keep the story up to all of your expectations too! ;-) Hope you liked this chapter! Do drop a review! They always help :-P

Demeterr Awwww Well Shucks! Im just afan like the rest of you wishing there were more stories with this coupling so I felt I should share! I'm honoured you feel my fanfic is among the few 'good' Gaara/Hinata fics out there! I promise to try not to dissappoint! And thanks loads for adding it to your favs list!

KyuubiPandoraChan Hahahaha! Thank You Very Much! Hope this chapter is to your liking! ;-) Hopefully I will be able to publish more Gaara/Hinata stories here for you and all the other fans out there too!

naash Thank You! I'm extremely happy you think so:-)

KUURI26 I love this story and pairing too ;-) Ohhhh! Thanks for adding this to your favs list dear! I shall try very hard to make sure it stays there:-) Wrote more for you and all ther other fans out there ;-D Enjoy!

Universal Hope I'm estatic that you found my story good enough to grace your favs list! I certainly hope it stays there! LoL! Heres more for you to see ;-)

Sapphire-san LoL! Im so happy you love my fanfic so much! Hopefully I will continue to update on a weekly basis :-) Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

xHonokax Hahaha! Im glad you like it so much! Btw... What's IC:sweatdrops: Im happy to know you found the chapter believable :-) I'm trying my best to keep the characters basic personalities, emotions and overall characteristics true to the ones we all know and love from the manga and anime. ;-) Hope you liked this chapter as much as the first!

kitty demon Yes Hinata is adorable isn't she? Its no wonder she is my favourite female ninja ;-P Well... Maybe in future chapters I will attempt to make an ALL-Gaara point of view but for now I made this one a partial-Gaara point of view to satisfy you. X-D Hope it satisfies your cravings! And Yes! You can expect another chapter in the future where she 'disturbs' him again LoL! And I will wait for you to top it off with another nice review -

Author's Note

LW : Gosh! That was a rather long chapter wasn't it? BTW I forgot to mention this in the first chapter of my fan fiction! Here, Gaara is NOT Kazekage! O.o I know I know it would be cooler if he was BUT for the overall storyline, I think it would be easier to write Gaara as a Sand-nin rather than the Sand Kazekage. I know it doesn't quite match with the Naruto storyline of how he turns out and his course of life and stuff but the essence of Gaara I am trying to catch is the Dark, Brooding ninja who is alone… X-D Sexeh! So, yeah! Anyways! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I'm trying to help ya'll understand how they think and feel… Im not sure how effective it is but still… I'm trying my best! Anyways! I'm wondering how to continue this now… LoL! Any ideas:-P You are all welcome to Email me ;-) Thanks!

Gaara : What do you mean I am NOT Kazekage:Evil Glare:

LW : Oh dear… :Hides under bed: