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 manages to relax… or maybe not. Remembering past events that hurt and heal so that she can move on…? I wonder if there is room in her heart for a pair of cold aquamarine eyes to replace bright blue eyes from her past… o.O Hmmm…
Chapter Three Past Events…

The setting sun made her skin feel warm and cool simultaneously, an odd sensation. Shivering despite herself, Hinata lifted her chin and closed her eyes to allow the sun and breeze to caress her skin.

Much safer than icy aquamarine eyes caressing her…

Hinata sighed and tried to relax so that she could just enjoy the view. The last week has been hectic with dozens of low level missions in Konoha being issued which had to be completed by all the genin's, chuunin's and even some jounin's. It was the same every year when Christmas and New Years approached. With the C and D missions discount given by the ninja's association, there was no shortage of missions to be completed daily. So far, Hinata has had the pleasure (or rather, displeasure) of helping various grumpy old ladies with their shopping, assisting bossy (and idiotic) men with decorating, and babysitting loud demonic little beasts called 'children' along with other tedious low leveled missions.

In fact, at that very moment, Hinata should be in the village helping everyone prepare the Christmas bazaar that will be held from the following week until Christmas and then continued as the New Year bazaar. But she had managed to sneak away after bribing Chouji to take over her duties with the promise of preparing an extra-large bento box with all his favorite treats inside. Chouji has always been susceptible to bribes where his stomach was concerned, and it was unanimously agreed among the close-knit ninja teams that Hinata made the best bento boxes, onigiri and other various delicacies.

So there she was, on the Hyuuga house, sitting precisely where Gaara had stood on the first night she had 'disturbed' him almost a week ago, watching the sun set. Again Gaara came to mind as has been happening frequently over the last 5 days since he left Konoha. It was strange how Hinata kept remembering how he had looked when she had thought he was 'asleep' and how his hair had felt on her fingertips for the fleeting moment she had touched it. Especially since she had no intention of ever see him again. In fact, she dreaded another encounter with him because she was quite sure (don't ask her how she was sure because she didn't know; put it down to female intuition) she would only bring out the worst in him.

Pursing her lips slightly in annoyance, she squinted and drove him out of her mind so that she could concentrate on the sinking fiery ball on the horizon. It's been a long time since she'd simply sat back and watched the golden sun set. More than a year ago if she recalled accurately.

Autumn…

Her eyes clouded over as the memories slowly re-enacted themselves in her mind, as vivid as the day they had been imprinted into her subconscious.

-----------------------o0o-----------------------

Naruto had returned with Jiraiya to Konoha last autumn. Everyone had been buzzing with anticipation over their return. The whole village knew Naruto and Jiraiya had been tracking down Sasuke for the past year but no one had any details of what occurred during the time they had been gone. Even Sakura, who was training under Tsunade and corresponded with Naruto on a weekly basis, had no idea why the duo was returning or what had happened.

Secretly, Hinata had been more anxious about meeting Naruto than anything else. But in front of everyone else, she simply smiled shyly in her quiet way and no one noticed that she expressed no interest in the mission concerning Sasuke.

In her minds eye, Hinata could still see Naruto walking towards the ninja teams which had decided to wait for him at the Village entrance, Jiraiya beside him, on the day they finally arrived to Konoha. She had noted how unusual an appearance it was. Had it been anyone other than Naruto, she would not have been concerned or thought twice about it.

But it was Naruto.

Ordinarily, they would have been alerted of his arrival by his shouts from the rooftops, by his spectacle of sparks and smoke, by his wide toothy grin and open arms. Instead, a boy with a small smile on his face, a slow stride and shuttered eyes walked calmly into their village was claiming to be the powerful force of energy that was once Naruto.

Hinata immediately knew something was wrong. She could feel it emanating from him like a wave. Naruto was broken and she didn't know why. He was hurting and she wanted to know what it was that was causing his pain. She knew she probably would not be able to help him but she wanted to know the source of his suffering so that she could suffer with him. Comfort him by suffering along with him. Suffer for his sake. But, as Sakura and all the other ninjas greeted the long absent and much missed member of their circle, Hinata faded into the background and eventually left without a word.

And, as she had expected, no one noticed her departure.

Over the days that had followed, Hinata discreetly made sure she was informed of Naruto's comings and goings around the village. Ino and Sakura were her easiest sources of information. All Hinata ever needed to do to get free flowing information of Naruto from them was to ask a few easily directed questions that eventually led to Naruto being the main topic of discussion.

Hinata had yet to see him face-to-face.

She couldn't bring herself to. He had come back changed. He was torn. Broken. Suffering.

And she couldn't help him.

That, more than anything else, made her afraid of seeing him again. It was cowardly, she knew, to hide until the Naruto she knew and loved from her childhood emerged from the physical shell of the golden ninja. But it was too much for her to see him the way he was.

A shell.

She avoided running into Naruto until the day before his departure. He'd stayed a whole two weeks and since the day he'd returned, she had not so much as had a glimpse of him. She was a better kunoichi than she gave herself credit for to be able to avoid him so efficiently a whole fortnight.

However, she eventually decided enough was enough. She was being foolish and cowardly acting the way she was. So, scrounging up as much courage as she could, Hinata finally concluded it was time to see him. Carefully, she put together a large bento box filled to the brim with the finest delicacies she had ever made for him. It was the least she could give him to express how she felt. The sky was dark by the time she had finished putting the bento box together, refreshed herself with a shower and changed into clean attire.

She went out in search of him, innocent and completely unprepared for how painful her 'encounter' was to be. It turned out to be more difficult to locate him than she had expected. His bedsit had been dark and empty, while her continued search at Ichiraku Ramen Shop and the bookstore (Naruto often went there in search of new scrolls and other sort of books to 'entertain' him) had proven unsuccessful. So, all around the village she searched in vain as the hours dragged on and the moon rose to fill the pitch black sky.

Sitting dejectedly on a bench outside the bathing house, the last place in the village she had thought to search, Hinata felt foolish and disappointed and was well aware that she had no one to blame but herself as she had avoided meeting Naruto until now. It serves you right…She stared at the cold bento box on her lap and wondered if Kiba or Shino would eat it tomorrow. Unfortunately, they hadn't scheduled their training session in the morning as they normally did since Naruto was leaving in the morning, and everyone wanted to see him off. She wasn't sure if the bento box would keep until tomorrow afternoon.

And suddenly it hit her.

She hadn't thought to go find Naruto at his old training grounds!

Suddenly psyched up with the certainty that he must have been there the whole time and was probably still there, she took off towards the training grounds to find him.

Sure enough, as soon as she arrived at team seven's training ground, she saw him sitting on top of his training log, staring unseeing into space. Hinata stood unnoticed, behind him, hidden from view by a tree. Silently, Hinata debated whether she should disturb him when it was obvious that he was having a little 'alone' time before he left the next day.

After having a somewhat heated, if not confusing, internal argument with herself, Hinata decided it was best to just get it over with and give him the bento box she made before excusing herself. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out from behind the tree that sheltered her from view and opened her mouth to greet him. "Ko-"

"So you did find him, huh?"

Hinata froze.

Startled, she quickly scrambled back behind the tree and crouched low on her knees, clutching the bento box to her chest, trying not to hyperventilate too loudly and alert Naruto of her presence.

He isn't alone.

Hinata cursed her stupidity at not having realized it sooner. She had been so excited over having finally located Naruto that she hadn't thought to make sure he was alone.

Silently, she activated her Byaakugan to 'see' who he was with.

Sakura. She sat directly below him, leaning against the log.

"Yeah… But… We couldn't get him… Or rather, I couldn't get him…"

Sakura didn't say anything. She didn't even move. Neither did Hinata. She concentrated on hearing what they were saying, straining her ears and mentally blocking out the sounds of crickets and rustling leaves.

"Sakura… I did try… After he killed Orochimaru himself right in front of me, he just laughed. I… I didn't know what to do. I just stood there looking at him, frozen. Then he came straight at me an-and… we fought."

Hinata heard Naruto's voice break as he spoke. She knew who he was speaking of. Anyone with half a brain would have known. Sasuke. Naruto held his head cradled in his hands, elbows propped on his knees. Sakura looked up at him. Hinata was sure she was holding back tears, though she was too far to tell for certain, but Sakura didn't make any sound. Nothing to indicate how she was feeling. She just sat there against the log, looking up at Naruto, silently encouraging him to continue his tale. Hinata knew she should leave, knew that she was intruding on an intimate moment between the two ninjas.

But she couldn't. She wanted to know what happened. She wanted to see what was bound happen between the two of them. She needed to see it. So she stayed.

"I… I didn't want to kill him. Even as he was coming at me with all the force in his body, I… I couldn't make myself fight him with everything I had… He told me that if I was going to bring him back, he would have to be dead first." Naruto paused to take a deep ragged breath before continuing. "I'm not even sure how long we were at it... The last time we fought we were just babies, y'know? We didn't have the endurance to go on fighting too long… But now… Now, we fought as men… And it was obvious after a while that… that…" He broke off as though he couldn't go on any more.

"Go on… Please…" Sakura's voice was soft and husky. Pleading. Hinata could make out tears glittering on her lashes, threatening to flow down her cheeks at any given moment.

"….. It was obvious that one of us would die if we fought to the very end." Naruto's tears streamed down his face like an angry river that wouldn't stop. His face etched in pain as the memory of his encounter with Sasuke, a fresh wound, came gushing out of him. "Even if I broke every bone in his body he wouldn't have let me bring him back here alive! I couldn't bloody bear it! It was like the last time all over again… He wanted my head on a damned platter! And it was clear that he wasn't going to give in unless his head was on a platter too! I just… I just… I kept hitting and ducking and trying to make him pass out or something! But damned if he isn't more stubborn than he was before! So… after lord knows how long… I-I just backed off. You should have seen the smug look on the bastard's face. It was like seeing him again and yet, it wasn't him at all anymore…"

Naruto had his eyes closed against the palms of his hands, stopping the tears from streaking down his face. His head shook slowly from side to side, as if doing it long enough would erase the past and everything that had occurred.

"I just left… After almost a whole year of tracking down the bastard… After following every damned lead Jiraiya could get his hands on… After finally seeing him again… I just took off. It was too painful. I couldn't bring him back... Not alive anyway…" Naruto grimaced as the bitter words left him. "And I certainly wasn't strong enough to kill him… So, we lost him… I'm sorry, Sakura. I had promised I would bring him back this time but I couldn't… I couldn't…" Naruto's shoulder shook and his whole body seemed to sag from the weight of the emotional burdens he carried.

Hinata watched the heart-breaking scene, trying hard not to cry. Naruto had been suffering so much pain but he hadn't so much as breathed a word of it to anyone. All the accounts she had heard of Naruto, from Ino and Sakura as well as everyone else, since he had come back was that he was just as cheerful and clumsy and 'Naruto' as before. He hasn't changed at all. That's what they all said.

And they were wrong.

Obviously, his mission to track down and bring back Sasuke had failed with a dramatic ending. A painful ending. Hinata could only imagine the anger, disappointment, hate and frustration that must have been coursing through his soul. She wanted to hold him until the pain faded, until his scars healed and the past stopped causing tears to bleed from his eyes.

But she couldn't.

It wasn't her he needed.

He wasn't baring his soul to her.

He was baring his soul to Sakura.

Closing her eyes, careful not to de-activate the Byaakugan, Hinata swallowed back the sobs threatening to escape her lips. Every square inch of her body shook from the increasing pent up emotions inside her, and still she stubbornly stood her ground as she watched Sakura slowly get up and tug Naruto off the log.

She tormented herself as her Byaakugan allowed her to 'see' them both embrace behind close eyelids.

She bit down hard on her lower lip and refused her anguished cries escape, as she listened to them whisper words of comfort to one another.

Hinata made herself listen to Sakura, as she told Naruto that she didn't want him to cry for disappointing her, because he hadn't. He had come back to her. Naruto. Hinata felt the tears fall from her eyes, all the while hearing Sakura's voice soothing Naruto, assuring him that that was why she was crying. She cried because she was happy because he has returned despite the fact he had not managed to bring Sasuke back. And that was what mattered. That the man she now loved has returned. The man she needed was here in her arms.

Naruto was clinging to Sakura. No. They were clinging to each other.

Hinata couldn't hear what Naruto was saying to Sakura. She didn't want to anymore. She could only hear her own muffled sobs that escaped from behind the hand she covered her mouth with. Her heart was ripping open and she was sure that her chest was about to explode.

And still she watched them.

She watched them as they embraced each other. As they held on for dear life together. As they kissed one another. As they forgot all their sorrows in each others arms.

Hinata wasn't sure when she had stopped crying, or when she de-activated her Byaakugan, or how she managed to get away without being noticed or drag herself home. Everything had blurred until she was finally lying on her empty cold bed. Dry eyed and worn out, she tormented herself by replaying the image of Sakura and Naruto together over and over and over and over.

She didn't cry anymore.

She had run out of tears for Naruto.

She had run out of tears for herself.

She had run out of tears for the dreams she had had of an 'us' consisting of Naruto and herself.

There were no more tears.

In her hearts of hearts, she had always known that there was never going to be an 'us' or 'we' or anything with Naruto. His obvious love and affection of Sakura had never wavered.

Still, Hinata had hoped.

But she couldn't hope anymore. Not now. Now, that Sakura and Naruto were together. Not when she had witnessed it herself. She couldn't lie to herself anymore.

Naruto would never love her. And who could blame him? She had never told him how she felt, had never really gone out of her way to express the emotions she kept hidden beneath the surface. And she knew, that even if she had, Naruto would never have reciprocated her feelings. She would have just embarrassed herself.

Miserably, she wondered why she had allowed herself to carry a torch for him as long as she did.

Strangely enough, she knew that it was for the best. Sakura would make Naruto happy. Sakura completed him. Hinata was, in a twisted miserable way, happy that Naruto would find happiness with Sakura now. What else could she feel? She loved Sakura as a fellow ninja and comrade. How could she hate a girl who had only ever been nice to her? She couldn't.

Naruto needed Sakura. And now, Sakura realizes that she needs him too. The golden ninja that could show you the silver lining through the darkest storm. The incredible boy that lit up a room he walked into. Who laughed, when others would cry. Who strived to be better, when others would give up. Who changed people for the better, when others just walked away.

Naruto…

Hinata closed her eyes and prayed to an unknown greater being to fulfill Naruto's every wish. To ensure his smile would never fade. To continue to bless him as he deserved after suffering so much, undeservedly.

And to take the pain from her heart away.

Help me forget.

Morning came quietly as the sun slowly filled Hinata's room with light. She had not slept. She felt numb. After checking the time, Hinata got up and silently made her way around her room, preparing for another day. She had to go see Naruto off with the others soon. For the first time, Hinata was happy she had never had a problem with dark bags under her eyes due to lack of sleep. Staring at herself in the mirror, she tried to smile a little. A girl with clear white eyes, pale – almost translucent – skin, straight shiny black shoulder length hair and a shy demeanor smiled back uncertainly.

Nobody will notice anything wrong with me at all.

But then again, when had anyone ever noticed?

The large village entrance was already crowded with people who had come to see Naruto and Jiraiya off. Hinata hurried to join everyone as they gave their blessing and said goodbye to the duo.

"Hey Hinata-san!" She blushed as Naruto greeted her loudly. Grinning, he pushed past Tsunade, who was warning Jiraiya not to embarrass Konoha, and Shizune to approach her. "Ohayo, Naruto-kun." She wasn't sure if he could hear her with everyone talking around them simultaneously. Staring up at him, she noted that he was looking a little more like his old self again. His eyes were filled with genuine happiness and excitement and he was grinning – all teeth – just like he used to. Sakura was obviously good for him, Hinata thought, trying to be positive.

"I never saw you after you left all of a sudden, the day I came back. Glad to see you looking good." He ruffled her hair, making her blush more, as she yelped in protest.

"You look good too, Naruto-kun." Her voice was soft but loud enough to be heard over the commotion.

If it was possible, Naruto's grin became even wider. "Hey Thanks! It's been really nice to come back for awhile." Looking around quickly, as if to make sure no one was paying attention to them, Naruto pulled Hinata aside a little away from the crowd.

"Listen, I just wanna ask a favor from you. Nothing big but it would mean a lot to me." How in the world was she expected to say 'No' when the largest, sweetest and fakest puppy dog eyes in the world were looking at her that way? She nodded slowly, almost sure she knew what was coming. "Thanks Hinata-san! Its just that while I've been back, Sakura and I kinda, y'know, hooked up." Hinata watched in wonder as Naruto's cheeks turned red.

"So, well, I was hoping you could, y'know, look out for her for me. I woulda asked Ino but she has such a huge mouth she'd probably blab to Sakura about my asking, so yeah… So I thought, Hinata would be a better choice and I know her a little better than Ino…" He trailed off uncertainly and then looked at Hinata imploringly.

Hinata's smile widened a little more in response. "Of course. I would be happy to look out for Sakura-san for you, Naruto-kun." Naruto flashed her the biggest grin she had ever seen and ruffled her hair again, still ignoring her protesting yelps. "Thank Hinata! You're a real pal y'know that? I'm just so worried Sakura will realize she could do a lot better than a loser like me and go out with some other guy while I'm gone so its really great to know you will be looking out for her…." and on and on he went for awhile assuring her that he would write so she could write back telling him about Sakura (and the village of course) and he will forward his address every time they moved and so on, until all the goodbyes were said and done and it was time to leave.

It was a touching scene when Naruto and Sakura held hands and leaned their foreheads against one another's, looking into each other's eyes. They exchanged a few whispered words while Jiraiya waited patiently for Naruto and the rest waited for Sakura. Hinata watched them, still sore from her broken heart and feeling teary but no longer in danger of falling to pieces at the sight of Naruto and Sakura together.

At last, they were gone and one by one everyone dispersed to get on with their lives. Sakura stood there, staring at the horizon, with a wobbly smile gracing her lips until Ino pulled her away insisting that she train with her, Shikamaru and Chouji later that afternoon. Hinata followed Kiba and Shino to have breakfast and then train. The day was nothing more than a blur until she got home late in the afternoon, exhausted and still feeling the sore after effects of having her heart broken.

She had climbed onto the roof and stared the sinking sun, replaying the images from the night before in her mind yet again. It wasn't as painful to remember, but it still hurt.

Time heals all wounds.

Did it? Hinata certainly hoped so. It was going to be very uncomfortable if she felt like a knife was stabbing her through the chest every time she saw Sakura, received a letter from Naruto or thought of them again.

The day grew darker as the sun continued to sink into the horizon. Hinata stared at it, remembering the boy that she had once considered to be the sun in her life. He had warmed her with his presence, praise and smile. But no longer. Like the setting sun would warm other people in other parts of the world, leaving the rest of them cold - Naruto would now warm another person's life with his smile. He will now fill Sakura's life with light, laughter and love.

Leaving her cold.

-----------------------o0o-----------------------

The sudden gust of cold wind snapped Hinata back to the present.

Night had fallen and the wind was much stronger and colder than it had been a few hours ago. Winter was around the corner. In the distance, she could hear people laughing as they continued preparing for the celebrations to come. She stared straight ahead, unseeing, thinking. Memories of Naruto and Sakura once made her feel as though the world would collapse around her.

But not anymore.

No longer.

Hinata smiled with satisfaction. Over the months, she had gotten used to the idea that she was Naruto's 'friend' and that Sakura was the one he loved. Every letter that she received from Naruto, she would read carefully and then burn after replying. She couldn't keep them. Mementos such as those would only taunt her. And she knew, that if she kept them, she would re-read them all over and over, looking for a sign that hinted at them being more than friends. More than just 'pals'. She would have tortured herself. And to what end? So, after doing that for months and making an effort to become closer friends with Sakura, she has come to a point where she is at peace with herself and the Hinata that had once adored Naruto.

The Hinata of the past.

Now, Hinata did not adore Naruto. She loved him, of course, in a special way reserved for people that helped change her to become a better person, ninja and woman. But she did not love Naruto as a woman loved a man.

In fact, on hindsight, Hinata wondered if she had ever really loved Naruto. She had had a crush on him since they were children attending the Ninja Academy and later she had somehow convinced herself that she 'loved' him.

But had she really loved him?

She was more mature, less romantic and more sure of herself now. Looking back, she was beginning to understand that the reason she had loved Naruto because he was everything she had wanted to be but was too timid and self-defeating to ever become.

He was loud and commanded attention. She was quiet and shied away from the limelight. He would pick himself up and smile every time he stumbled and fell. She would lie down and admit defeat before she even came across a barrier. He smiled and kept moving forward when everyone sneered at him and put him down. She cried when anyone criticized her.

She had not truly loved him.

Hinata smiled a little now. Odd, how she hadn't seen it before. She had cried and felt so much pain over the 'loss' of Naruto. But, then again, 'loving and losing' was a part of growing up. Sakura could, Hinata was sure, certainly relate. Once, Sakura had believed she loved Sasuke and that there would never be love after Sasuke. But after time passed by, she too realized that it was not so. Love had blossomed in her heart for Naruto.

Hinata was happy for them both.

She was honestly happy that they had finally found peace in one another and loved each other without reserve. The smile on Sakura's face at the mention of Naruto and the obvious happiness in every letter she received from him, always put a smile on Hinata's face. Perhaps, one day, I would be so lucky. Hinata looked up at the star filled sky and sighed, certain that she did not possess nearly enough beauty or luck to be as fortunate as Sakura.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Hinata suddenly caught sight of a shooting star. She hesitated for a moment. Just for a moment.

Then she made a wish.

She didn't care if it was childish to wish on a shooting star. It certainly couldn't hurt. And she didn't care if what she had wished for counted as more than one wish, because even if only one of her wishes were granted, it would make life a lot easier to bear.

Let me find true love. Let me be happy. Let me finally find peace in my soul.

Aquamarine eyes, hair the color of hot molten sand, smooth tanned skin and a sensuous mouth flashed in her mind as she made her wish.

Gaara…

Author Note

LW : Awww… Poor Hinata:hugs: A breaking heart is always going to hurt even if it wasn't 'true' love ne? Anyways! I'm soooooooo sorry about the lack of and Gaara/Hinata interaction or 'action' in this chapter! I just soooooooooo needed to get this out of my system. It took me quite a bit of time and internal debating as to whether or not I should bother writing a chapter about Naruto/Hinata and how he is no longer the golden ninja of her world. I mean, of course, in my mind I would consider the story smooth and undisturbed cause I would know how she got over Naruto but I am not writing this for me. I'm writing it for you! ;-) So, hopefully, this will clear things up for all of you who are asking yourselves "What happened to her humungous crush on Naruto?" ;-P Well, this is what happened. AND I apologize if any of you thought the ending of this chapter didn't quite fit but I really couldn't continue cause it was REALLY weird, in my opinion, if I continued after that. So, I wrap up this chapter with her thoughts stuck on Gaara! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I am ebil am I not:-) Now… Lets see if Hinata will get any of her wishes come true in the following chapters, ne?

Hinata : Ohhh… Now I have Gaara stuck in my head until the next chapter! How ebil… :sits in a corners and cries while pointing at ebil author:

LW : B-Bu-But! You like him! Don't you...! O.o Uhhh… And who you mean ebil author...? O.O :runs:

You Guys Are All Amazing!

You all really are! All the reviews! All the favs and alerts! It really helps me through the day! I am going through a seriously demented depressive stage right now wondering what the heck I am doing with myself, and my life and all that angst... But I am so thankful for and all of you guys because I seriously love this place. Its the one place I can write and express myself and so far, I have gotten wonderful feedback and support from all of you:hugs: I just want you guys to know you all mean alot to me ;-) So Thank You!

Deaths Little Angel Thank You! I'm glad you think it is cool! And I will definitely keep it up as long as you continue reading:-D

Mars Cutie You are sweet too ;-P If more is what you wish for, then it is more that you shall have! Hope you like this chapter! Promise the next chapter will have Gaara in it! Hang in there!

captain jimmy Hahaha! Your welcome! I'm sorry this chapter took a little longer to be posted. Look out for the next chapter next week okay? ;-) I hope it was worth the wait.

BladeSaturn Ohhhh :hugs: I love it when you fav my stories! And thank you for the compliment - I'm happy that you like this coupling and story. And yes, I am trying to keep the characters as close to the original ones we love so much in the Manga ;-) Happy you enjoyed it so far. Hope this chapter wasn't too boring for your tastes.

Universal Hope Updated! Who am I to deny a person who obviously has good taste in stories ;-P I hope you feel that this chapter was as good as the last one.

Emily Okay ;-) This is the longest chapter yet! Hope it isn't too long! As for my History test - I think I blew it... But let us not dwell on my boring daily life :-P Hinata's is so much more interesting, ne?

blackkeyblade Awww... Thanks for finding my story romantic. I'm trying not to make it too mushy and sugar coated (wouldn't want any of you getting sick now, do I?) but trying to balance it with other aspects of their lives like family, friends, daily life and love. Maybe a totally sugary piece of work will be reserved as a one-shot piece for the future ;-) Do keep reading! & Thanks again!

KUURI26 Hahahaha! Happy to oblige a fan ;-P No Gaara in this chapter-sorry! Do keep reading though! Thanks!

Galaxya Another favvie! You are all soooo good for my ego, y'know:"P Hope you found this chapter as likable as the previous ones.

Kikei-kii I write to please you all! Hehehe... Glad to know! Im not sure if this chapter flows quite as well as my previously posted chapters but I had a bit of trouble with it... So yeah! Hope it isn't too bad! > Please keep reading and I will improve for you! Ohhh... 99.9 percent? Thats great! Now I just gotta worry 0.1 percent:-P And I think Gaara/Hinata are very good personality-wise too X-D Thats a big reason why I like the pairing! Thanks again!

Chisai As you wish! ;-) More written and more to come - I promise! And Im not quite sure how I stumbled across this pairing but I instantly loved it as soon as I realized how well they complimented each other given the right opportunity and storyline! Hehehe ;-P And btw, 'cute' muse you got there! LoL! I should get one of those!

juliagulia1017 Ohhhh... i didn't even think of the line in 'that' way! X-D LoL! Naughty naughty! But good point :-P No wonder he made it sound more sexy than i expected! And yeah, I didn't want this to just be another "Gaara falls in love in an hour for no real reason" fic so... This makes the process more believable X-D I'm sooooo sorry they havent interacted yet! I know you can't wait but patience k? The next chapter will provide you Gaara/Hinata ;-) And THIS chapter should clear up your question about her crush on Naruto :-) Do drop a review and tell me what you think! Feedback is always good even if its bad ne? ;-)

Demeterr Awwww! That is sooo sweet! Thank you dear! I hope this chapter was to your liking! Do stay tuned for the next one ;-)

KyuubiPandoraChan Hope you didn't wait too long for this! Had a little trouble making it flow and all that! Hope it is all good! Well, if you do continue writing your fics you drop a line and I will definitely go check it out yeah? ;-) And you are such a sweetheart for the little message you sent me! it just bruightened my day! I will do my best as long as there are fans like you out there! LoL!

Limit Ohhh... It is reviewers like you that make all the frustration of writing fanfics worth it! LoL! I can't tell you how pleased I am to be able to widen your horizons with unlikely couplings like these ;-) Hope the story is to your liking!

Mariagoner LoL! Yes you did and now another:-D Thanks for the positive feedback lurv! Its always nice to know people appreciate the effort I make when Im writing. I am doing my best to make sure they stay in character and that changes are slow and the process smooth. It is difficult sometimes because at times I just feel like "ARGH! He/She cant do THAT! Thats sooooo NOT Hinata/Gaara! Why am I even bothering?" y'know:-P LoL! Hope you like this chapter!

Galance Ahhhhhh! Another favvie:hugs: Hee hee hee! I'm not entirely certain if Hinata will get any attention... Do you reckon she should:-P Muahahahahaha!

LaDyPnAi Thank you! I'm glad you think this is a good story:-D Here is another chapter for you to enjoy/review/flame! Its all good!

dreaming-freak Yay! You again! LoL! And no I don't mind the familiarity, sis ;-) I am sorry there isn't any Gaara/Hinata in this chapter for you to enjoy but I promise that in the next chapter I will have more Gaara/Hinata interaction (and maybe 'action' ne?) to quench your thirst k? And thank you so much for complimenting my writing style! It means alot to me! Hope this chapter doesn't make you change your mind though!

Twistedmemories I don't know how I ever manage to continue my love for writing short stories without reviewers like you! LoL! Do watch out for the following chapter around next week k? ;-) I will try to continue to live up to your expectations as an 'awesome' writer!

Gaara'sOtome Hahaha! Glad you 'wuv' it ;-) Cause I 'wuv' writing for you! Continued for your reading pleasure! Enjoy! And stay tuned!

rx79guntank Eh heh heh heh... Yes yes. Aren't you a clever fellow :-P I'm in a sort of comfort zone right now... LoL! I DO intend on writing other fanfiction genres and pairings and stuff but for now I want to contribute a few good (at least, 'okay') fanfics on unusualy pairings ne? Hahahaha! Wow... 'Standard Writing best'. Thats a compliment right:-P I am putting in ALOT of effort into this fic so it is nice to know it pays off. Hope this installment wasn't a let down :-P And thank you for taking time to read and review this for me:hugs:

Crazy-as-hell I have written more and shall continue to do so ;-) OMG! OO U slapped him! LoL:hugs: Hope you liked this chapter! Do come back and read the next chapter due next week! ;-)

Namiko321 Wow! That is a real big compliment! 'One of the best stories Ive read yet'. My ego is so happy:hugs: Watch out for next weeks chapter k? ;-)

naraku93 Hahaha! Strange + Cute Good ne:-D Enjoy yourself!

Maiyuko-chan Wow! Alert + Fav! I lurv u:hugs: Sorry Gaara and Hinata didn't get any interaction in this chapter! Promise the next chapter will be good! ;-) Remember, good things come to those who wait! LoL! Thank You!

Nami-chan Awwwww...! If you do draw something inspired by my fic do show me k? ;-) I'm flattered! And thank you for calling me 'talented'. It is very encouraging :-D Do watch out for the next chapter!

xHonokax Hahaha! If you thought chapter 2 was long, I bet you thought this was like 'Wow!'. LoL! Thank you for supporting my decision on making Gaara a Sand nin rather than the Kazekage. Sometimes I doubt myself so it is nice to know you all think I made a good call! And yes, Gaara is 'dark'. He is soooo sexy that way:drools: Hope you liked this update! Next one will be better (at least I HOPE it will be better! LoL!) ;-) So stay tuned aite?

kitty demon You are such a good reviewer to have! LoL! As much as I love every review, a 'long' one always makes me feel loved cuz you obviously took time to type out what you thought:hugs: I'm glad you liked the Gaara point of view and Hinata's reminicing bit! I wanted to capture both of their 'personalities' (for lack of a better word) so that all of you can really appreciate why they feel the way they do, why they do what they do and say what they say. Ohhh... I wondered who might comment on the 'goodbye' thing! LoL! Well, I like to think that they are both more alike than they expect so I guess she partly 'imagined' and partly actually 'heard' his goodbye accurately :-P And yeah, I forsaw a bit of a problem trying to come up with a plausible reason for him to be away from his own village for long periods of time if he was Kazekage thus, a Sand nin he must stay. And yes, Hinata is a Chuunin. :-) Hope this update was to your liking! The next one should be up sometime next week:hugs: Thanks again!

sAsukE's gUrL Wow! Talk about enthusiastic! LoL! I'm sooo flattered both you and your friend liked my fanfic so much! And do thank your friend, Christine. It means so much to me that you all appreciate my effort and work:hugs: Hope this chapter wasnt too disappointing! More Gaara/Hinata interaction in following chapters though:-)