Hey guys.

First of all, I want to apologize for taking so long to update. I meant to update within a week, seeing as I want to improve my update times, but something happened that made me stop writing for awhile. My golden retriever, Moby, my best friend, was diagnosed with cancer. I spent most of the time I usually spent writing with him. We thought he'd have at least till June, but instead, he died a week and a half ago. I know he wasn't human, but to me he was both a family member and more or less my best friend. I don't think losing him wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't had lost my cat, Taffy, on my birthday in September. She had been in the family since I was three. My family is a bunch of animal lovers, so having a pet-free house was really depressing for all of us. Then a few days ago we rescued a couple of kittens. At first I was worried that we were getting new pets too soon, but I really love my new kitten. We have two: Mickey, a little white furball with one blue eye and one hazel eye who belongs to my sister, and Luna, a little black kitten with hazel eyes (kudos to everyone who gets the name). Having them has brought back some inspiration and made me want to write.

Anyway. Enough whining out of me.

The other thing I want to do is thank all of the wonderful readers who reviewed. Seeing those reviews in my inbox really made me feel better after Moby died. So, thank you to blackirishhawk, Eleoopy, Hyuga09, smile, nina, evil-x-love, LoveOverHate, Jinmi, littlepinkcandy, and LadyOfMist92. You guys rock my socks. :) Also thank you to all that have favorited this story, added it to your alerts, and favorited me.

Finally, I have decided that at some point I will be putting in a lemon. It'll be the first one I've ever written, but what the hell, I'm going for it. For those of you with gentle minds, I'll put in a warning when it happens. Also, I do want to warn that as this is a more grown up version of the Naruto cast, they might act a little different (mature).

If anyone has any questions or comments, especially about grammar mistakes since I did about zero editing, please review or even pm me.

Enjoy!

Temporary Escape

"Can't help myself but count the flaws
Claw my way out through these walls
One temporary escape
Feel it start to permeate."

- The Naked and Famous

"Are you ready, Hinata-chan?" Shikamaru is waiting outside the gates of the Hyuuga compound. He eyes Hinata's formal yukata with a raised eyebrow and he even takes his toothpick out of his mouth to roll it between his fingers.

Hinata swiftly removes the obi and the yukata falls open to reveal her fishnet shirt and dark shinobi pants. She's already wearing her shinobi sandals and she opens her pack to pull out her jacket, shoving the yukata in its place.

"I am now, Shikamaru-kun." She gives him a humorous smile and he rolls his eyes at her but there's a twinkle in his eye and she runs to catch up with him.

He already has their mission scrolls, so they head straight for the gate. She's already said goodbye to Kiba, Kurenai, Neji, Hanabi, Ino, and Chouji, so there's really no reason to delay. But Hinata can't help but glance over her shoulder at the gates and the village she's leaving behind.

"Kurenai's going to miss you." Shikamaru comments as they walk down the road outside the gates of Konoha. His words make Hinata wince. Kurenai threw a fit when Hinata told her of her transference, and Shikamaru is almost as protective of Kurenai as Team 8 is.

"I'll miss her too. You'll take care of her, right?" Shikamaru is intelligent and he doesn't miss the unspoken "if something happens to her, I'll kill you" part.

"You know I will. I'll take pictures of Akio and bring them with me, too, next time I'm in Suna."

"Arigatou, Shikamaru-kun." Hinata seriously loves her sensei's son, and she definitely will miss his little cries of "Hime!" he would make whenever she came over.

"And I guess I'll probably have to bring you stuff from Chouji and Ino," He drawls. "Ino's gonna be a pain in the ass with you gone. I'm going to have to listen to her gossip."

She knows that this is just his way of saying "I'm going to miss you", but she laughs anyway. "She's not that bad! But…" Then she quiets down. "She's still hurting over Sai, Shikamaru-kun, and I think Chouji could really help her. You'll do something about it, won't you?"

"That's really troublesome," He says, tucking his hands behind his head. "But ok. It'll get Ino off my back about Temari, I guess."

"Oh yes, the real reason you're escorting me to Suna?" She teases. She's usually not this bold but it's Shikamaru and he looks so funny when he blushes - like a pink pineapple. Not that she's ever going to tell him that.

"….Troublesome."

She laughs again.

Hinata absolutely loves Suna.

It's currently winter in Konoha, where the temperature hovers around 36 degrees. And it's winter in Suna, too, but that means it's a pleasant seventy six degrees with a slight breeze. The warmth feels wonderful and Hinata lifts her face up toward the sun, letting her eyes close.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Hinata's eyes fly open and she flushes at Shikamaru's smirk. But really, she is enjoying herself.

Shikamaru has his sleeves rolled up and Hinata has her jacket off, tied around her waist. It's their second day of traveling and they're about a mile from Suna. She can see the rounded roofs of the buildings from their current location.

"I'm so excited to see Temari!" Hinata exclaims. She can't help but be happy - she'll blame it on the weather, but she really did need to get out of Konoha and she actually is excited to see her friend. "She wrote that she's going to take me on a tour and that we're going out for dinner tonight - you too, Shikamaru-kun!" She struggles not to burst out in laughter at the sight of Shikamaru's face, which had fallen slightly when Hinata told him she'd be monopolizing Temari's time.

Suddenly Hinata feels like being serious and she tilts her head. "Do you love her?"

"Yes."

"How much?"

"…A lot."

"How much is a lot?"

"You're asking a lot of questions."

"It's a valid one."

"…I'd kill for her."

She's satisfied with his answer and she turns her head forward again.

"I wonder what Naruto's going to do when he finds out you've left." Shikamaru thinks out loud. Hinata knows he's just pushing her buttons now, but she can't help but tense up.

"He probably won't even notice." She murmurs, kicking at the sand beneath her feet. It's going to stick in her sandals and she subconsciously decides to invest in a pair of closed toed shinobi shoes. These really aren't going to cut it. Actually, she should probably just get a whole new outfit, but Temari can help her with that.

"That's doubtful. I think you underestimate how much he cares for you."

All smiles are gone now and Hinata keeps her eyes focused on the Suna gates. "I think you underestimate how much he cares for Sakura…and overestimate whatever feelings he might have for me. He never even spoke to me about…a-about it, Shikamaru." She stutters over her words and it almost physically hurts to speak." It's been almost three years. And yes, we were at w-war for one of them…But he c-can hardly l-look at me! Do you know how much that hurts? I…I need to get over him. I don't think I'm ready to fall in l-love again…And this isn't a-all about him."

"I still think you're being a little rash."

That makes Hinata stop completely, and Shikamaru stops too.

"When did you fall in love with Temari?" She asks. All signs of her stutter vanish. If she needs to bash his head in to make him understand, she will, but that works better verbally and so she has to be in control of herself.

"Probably after the Sasuke Retrieval mission."

That sounds right to Hinata - that's about the same time Temari fell for Shikamaru. "When did you tell her how you felt?"

"…About three years later."

"And what did she say?"

Shikamaru's blushing again and Hinata tries not to laugh. Really, Shikamaru's too tan to blush, and his eyes look a little lighter too, like watery hot chocolate instead of amber like usual. "Ano, she said it was about time and…ah…kissed me."

She knows this is code for 'we made out' but she ignores that. "What would you have done if she had ignored your confession? Not rejected you - just ignored you."

"I probably would've cornered her and demanded an answer." Shikamaru starts walking again and Hinata nearly trips catching up with him.

"And what if she kept avoiding you? What if she kept dodging the subject?"

"Hurt. I get what you're saying, Hinata. But Naruto doesn't even know what love is. How do you think he feels?"

"He knows enough about it to be in love with Sakura." She snaps. Hinata is known for her abnormally even temper, but Shikamaru is a special case and he's poking at wounds that haven't even begun to heal yet. He's just making her angry now and she fights back tears. "You can't say he knows nothing about love, because he does! He has Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei and Tsunade-sama and Sakura-chan and Sai-san and…and he's just being a coward. I'm ok with rejection, Shikamaru, and I would actually prefer it to this!"

"Hinata."

The ice in his voice freezes her where she stands.

"No matter how far you run, this will only be a temporary escape. You know that, don't you? No matter how far away you are from him, from what he's done and what he hasn't done, this will catch up to you. You can't escape yourself, Hinata."

It doesn't even sound like Shikamaru speaking.

Then she silently thanks Kami because they're at the Suna gates now. She hands the guards her mission scrolls and move quickly toward the Kazekage tower.

Shikamaru is barely caught up with her when she knocks on the door to the Kazekage's office. The brunette sends her a look, which she pointedly ignores.

The doors swing open by themselves and a voice growls at them from within the confines of the office.

"Temari, I already sent the scroll so stop pestering me. It's probably not even at Konoha yet, and aren't you supposed to be on a mission?"

"Ano, I'm not Temari."

The redhead at the desk looks up from his work and his eyes widen a fraction for a second before he smiles tightly. "You must be Hyuuga Hinata."

"It's Yuuhi Hinata now." She corrects him softly. She's still angry at Shikamaru's words (no matter how much truth might be in them) and it's easier to keep her voice low than to betray her feelings to a stranger and the Kazekage at that. "I was adopted by my sensei." Which is true. After her emancipation, Kurenai offered Hinata her own last name, since she technically wasn't a Hyuuga anymore. The Hyuuga had put up a shit fit about it, of course, but they couldn't do a thing.

"…Yuuhi Hinata, then." The Kazekage corrects himself, and he has an odd look in his eyes that Hinata can't identify. "Welcome to Suna. Although we weren't expecting you for at least another week."

Hinata is unpleasantly surprised and she's immediately flustered. "Ah, I'm so sorry! I though Tsunade-sama had already sent along a response and-"

"It's fine, Yuuhi-san. Your apartment, however, is not ready yet. I will see to it that you are given proper accommodations until then."

Hinata has never been addressed as 'Yuuhi-san' and she doesn't really like it. "Please, call me Hinata-san."

"…Hinata-san." He says slowly. Hinata wonders if he's uncomfortable with that. "And I am Gaara."

"It's nice to meet you, Gaara-sama." Now he really looks uncomfortable. "Ah, do you prefer something else?"

"Just Gaara would be fine." The redhead brushes back a stray stand of hair and Hinata almost giggles. For someone who was once one of the most bloodthirsty shinobi alive…the Kazekage is actually kind of adorable. He reminds her a bit of Akio whenever Hinata wakes him up from a nap.

"Wait a second…Why do I have to call you Subaku-sama?" Shikamaru whines, reminding them he's still there.

"Because I don't like you, Nara." Gaara replies tersely. Now Hinata really does laugh.

"Speaking of, you can leave now, Nara. Temari is on a mission so there is no reason for you to stick around."

Shikamaru groans, running one hand over his head. "Damnit." He looks so miserable Hinata has to forgive him, and she tentatively places a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll miss you Shikamaru-kun." They are close so she places a chaste kiss on his cheek and he hugs her, ruffling her hair when they part. "Take care of Kurenai and Akio and Ino for me."

"I'll miss you too." Then his warm smile tightens. "And seriously…think about what I said. Take care of yourself." Then he disappears behind the red doors of Gaara's office.

Her eyes linger on the spot where Shikamaru stood another moment until Gaara speaks. "You are close with Shikamaru?"

"Hai. His sensei was involved with my sensei before he died. Our teams grew close after Asuma-sensei's death, as my sensei revealed she was pregnant with his child."

A stricken look crosses the Kazekage's delicate features. "I…I am sorry. I was not aware."

"It's alright. Shikamaru doesn't like to talk about it."

The silence afterwards is not uncomfortable, but apparently the Kazekage feels the need to break it. "As I said, we were not expecting you for another week. Neither your position nor your lodgings are ready, so you will have some time to yourself. Have you been to Suna before?"

Hinata shakes her head. She became friends with Temari because the Suna kunochi was constantly in Konoha, not the other way round.

Gaara stands up and Hinata realizes how truly…pretty the Kazekage is. She's seen him before, of course, but not close up since the Chuunin exams. He isn't tall, about the same height at Naruto, though that's still two inches taller than her. His skin is extremely pale despite the Suna sun, almost as pale as her own. His features are almost elfin, but there's something…dangerous about him that keeps him from looking girly. He reminds her dimly of Neji. But unlike Neji, whose eyes terrify her, Gaara's eyes are probably what makes him so pretty. They're the prettiest shade of green, sea green rather than Sakura's grass green, but more jade than blue. And his tattoo is still there, crimson red against his pale, pale skin, though his equally red hair covers most of it up. His hair has gotten longer since she last saw him at the beginning of the war, and he has it haphazardly pulls back into a short ponytail. It's almost…dare she say it, hot.

She honestly feels a little silly, looking over the Kazekage like this. But it's not a crime to find a man physically attractive, right? Even if she's the "innocent" one, she still thinks certain male specimen are, as Ino puts it, fine.

"I am done for the day. Would you care for a tour of Suna?"

Hinata immediately begins waving her hands in front of her chest in protest. "I-I couldn't impose, I'm sure you-"

"I'll take that as a yes."

He's a bit annoyed that she's early, but it's not like it's her fault. And besides, it means that the Nara doesn't stick around - he really can't stand the man who will probably take his sister away from Suna.

Also, taking the…Yuuhi on a tour gets him out of paperwork.

He finds himself weirded out by her last name. Yuuhi Hinata sounds awkward and he's glad she allows him to call her Hinata-san, because Yuuhi is honestly an unattractive last name. Especially since the Konoha kunochi is quite attractive. Her skin is a shade paler than his, something he doubts will change under the rays of the harsh Suna sun. She's a tiny thing, about two inches shorter than him, though he can't really tell what her body shape is; she wears a pair of pants several sizes too big for her and a heavy jacket that, while the color compliments the lavender flecks in her eyes, completely swallows her body. But still, her lips are an appealing shade of light pink, like the cherry blossoms that grow in his private green house. His mind wanders to Naruto's talk of her confession, and why Naruto would ever pass up a woman like this, if only for her looks.

"Your village is beautiful." Hinata says in respectful awe, keeping her hands clasped behind her back.

That's another nice thing. She seems to seriously like Suna, which is a surprise. Every other Konoha shinobi, Naruto included, has found Suna to be stifling, too hot and too red. He's glad someone besides himself finds the desert land beautiful.

"I'm glad you find it pleasant. How long do you intend on staying here?"

She looks surprised, though not offended by the question. "I don't really know," She raises her gaze to the sky. "It'll have to be a minimum of a year just to get the Academy back off the ground. A permanent transference may be in order for it to truly work – to get at least one class to graduation, I would have to be here for around for at least six years."

"You would do that?" He knows the shock is evident in his voice. He doesn't understand why someone would willingly give up their life, family, and friends for another village. He, certainly, would never give up Suna for Konoha. Then his eyes narrow and he thinks he was right to be suspicious.

"Well, yes." She gives him a quizzical look. "I requested the transference myself, Gaara-sa-, sorry, Gaara. Konoha…held nothing for me. I had achieved what I needed to and I wanted more than endless ANBU missions."

He knows there's more than that but he doesn't press the issue; he hardly knows the girl after all. "I see."

He doesn't.

"That is the Academy," He points out the building with a rounded top, effectively changing the subject. "It is a short walk from your future apartment and from Central Suna."

"About how many students will I have?" She questions.

He frowns, trying to remember the rosters. "It's a class of about thirty, I believe. They are all between the ages of six and eight and have varying levels of training. Several of them are orphans."

Something in his words must have caused her pain, because her eyes flicker between lavender and silver. "How many orphans do you have in your village?"

"I believe it is a figure in the forties. The war left many children alone." He says bitterly. The worst part, he thinks to himself, is that since ten of them are over the age of eight, they cannot become shinobi per Suna's laws. They will be forced to attend civilian school and take jobs in the civilian workforce. He knows many of them personally and it breaks his heart.

"Could you take me there?" The question snaps him out of his thoughts and he turns toward Hinata, confused. "Excuse me?"

"The orphanage. Would you mind taking me there?"

He certainly doesn't mind and it's close enough to the Academy. The building isn't in shambles or anything – he takes care of his children as he thinks of them – and there is a playground out front. Several children are still playing on it, despite the fact that it is starting to get dark.

"Kiyoko, it's my turn for the swings!" A young boy cries.

"Takao, stop pushing! I just got on!" A girl's voice snaps. "Go bother someone else."

"Hey guys, stop fighting! Gaara-sama is here!"

The children all look up at the same time, and a small boy who looks like he is on the verge of tears breaks into a grin. "Gaara!"

Gaara smiles himself when the boy runs over and latches on to his robes. "Gaara-sama!" He squeals.

"Hello, Takao." He ruffles the boy's shaggy black hair. "How are you today?"

Takao begins rambling about how he beat the others at playing ninja today, and when Hinata giggles – an extremely adorable sound, Gaara notices – he suddenly quiets down.

"Hello Lady-san." He says shyly. Gaara is unnerved by this behavior. He has known Takao since he was a baby and has never known him to be shy.

"Hello!" She smiles sweetly at Takao and kneels down so that she is on the short six year old's level. "What is your name?"

"T-Takao." He stutters out, slightly hiding behind Gaara's leg.

"It's nice to meet you, Takao. I'm Hinata, and I just moved to Suna."

"Really?" Takao's eyes widen. "Where are you from?"

"I'm from Konoha. It's a two day walk from here – have you ever been there?" She answers him like he's an adult and Gaara finds himself with a growing respect for the former Konoha kunochi.

"Wow! Konoha? I've never been there but I want to go some day! Did you ever meet Uzumaki Naruto? He killed all the bad guys! I want to be just like him! I have two of his trading cards from the Heroes of the Shinobi Wars collection!" Takao says excitedly.

Hinata stiffens and her eyes do that flashing thing again, going grey before returning to silver. She's very good at masking her emotions and Gaara is impressed yet again. "Yes, I knew him. I was one of the Konoha 12." She smiles and it almost looks genuine to even him.

The Konoha 12 are notorious for being the ones who helped end the war and for being the strongest shinobi of their generation. And of course, Takao is impressed and his eyes widen. "Wow! Then…that means you're Hyuuga Hinata! You have the longest Byakugan range in history! I have two of your cards too!"

Hinata nods, blushing lightly (again, she keeps doing things that are irritatingly adorable) and she doesn't correct him when he calls her a Hyuuga. Gaara is curious now; does she really have the longest range in history? If that's true, why did the Hyuuga let her go?

Ha! Suspicions affirmed. His 'drama-radar' is going off the charts now.

"Hi Gaara-sama!" An older girl joins them, her long blonde hair flapping in the wind. "Is this your girlfriend?"

He wonders if he looks as red as Hinata does when he shakes his head. "No, Kiyomi. This is Hinata-san. She will be the new Academy teacher when class starts up next week."

Kiyomi's face darkens at the mention of the Academy and Gaara knows why. Kiyomi is ten years old, and she is one of the orphans who will not be able to attend the Academy.

But apparently Hinata doesn't know this, because she just turns toward the ten year old and smiles. "Are you excited to start training, Kiyomi?"

"I'm too old to go to the Academy." Kiyomi mumbles, eyes downcast. "I go to civilian school."

Hinata looks confused and before Gaara can explain she's speaking again. "What do you mean, too old? Any child with the will to become a shinobi can attend the Academy, regardless of age."

"Maybe in Konoha, but not in Suna. I'm ten." Kiyomi continues to look more and more miserable. "The cut off age is eight."

"Now, that's not right," Hinata stands up straight and now Gaara is the one confused. "If you want to become a shinobi then age is not a factor. You are still young enough that your chakra network is still quite flexible. If you want to attend the Academy, then you will, regardless of what some silly law says!" She says fiercely.

Gaara has known this woman for only a few hours, but he finds himself extremely interested by her. She asks Kiyomi how many other children think they're too old for the Academy, and she isn't happy with the answer. Hinata tells the golden haired girl to tell everyone to be at the Academy next week ready to train, and Kiyomi bounds off with a quick "Goodbye, Gaara-sama!", Takao trailing behind her.

"They're sweet kids." Hinata watches them go and there's a light in her eyes he finds rather attractive.

"Yes," Gaara immediately agrees. "You handle children well."

A small smile creeps up on the girl's face. "I have a younger sister. She's thirteen. And after the war, I worked with the orphans in Konoha for awhile before I joined ANBU."

Then suddenly the color drains out of her face. "Oh my Kami. I am so sorry. I just told them they could attend the Academy, but your laws are obviously different and I-"

"Calm down, Hinata-san." He interrupts her smoothly. She's right, and quite frankly he's very pleased. "I've never understood the law myself, but I never thought to do away with it. By tomorrow morning the law will be gone."

"I…" She stares up at him and her eyes change once more. Except this time, they seem to glow as if lit by a light inside her. A smile stretches across her cheeks and the color returns to her skin. "Thank you, Gaara."

Suddenly, a loud noise startles them both and Hinata looks sheepish, as the noise had come from her stomach. "I'm sorry, we didn't really stop to eat when we traveled."

"There is an excellent BBQ restaurant around the corner. We will eat there." He takes her by the hand to lead her there and he doesn't understand when she starts protesting and turns red.

"Ah, I d-don't want to impose, I c-can get something by myself-"

"You are my guest here," He seems to be interrupting her a lot today. "And I believe Temari intended on taking you here anyway."

She falls silent and the walk to the restaurant is quiet. It's kind of nice and he doesn't feel the need to make conversation. It's a pleasant sort of silence.

When they arrive and step inside, Hinata takes a deep breath. "That smells delicious!" She exclaims.

Gaara nods to the waiter who seats them quickly and takes their order. He orders for both of them and then returns to Hinata.

"After you begin working at the Academy, I would like weekly reports on how the students are progressing." He says after taking a long drink from his water. Despite rumors that he is impervious to the sun, the heat does get to him and he gets thirsty.

Hinata nods and goes into what he assumes is her business mode, sitting up a bit straighter and tucking her hair behind her ears. "That's fine. Now, for resources for the orphans, has a budget been put aside for their supplies?"

She really is as good as the reports say, getting to business right off the bat. "It's not enough, especially since you will be accepting the older orphans. That will increase your class size by about ten. I will speak to my council about adjusting their budget. In your first report, I expect a final roster and a list of supplies each you still need."

"Hai, that's fine. And-"

"Gaara-kun!" A girlish squeal interrupts Hinata and something slams into his side.

"Hello, Matsuri." He says dryly. Matsuri has been somewhat of a pain since she stopped being his student. She suddenly is constantly touching him, something he is uncomfortable with (his sand is trained not to attack her anymore, something he finds a little annoying) and she is always asking him 'out'. He really doesn't understand it.

"Who's this?" Matsuri asks, her eyes narrowing when she sees Hinata.

"This is Hinata," He doesn't give her last name to avoid more Yuuhi-Hyuuga confusion. "She is the new Konoha transfer. She will be serving as the Academy teacher."

"Well, why are you having dinner?" She asks, a bit rudely in Gaara's opinion.

"Because we are hungry." Gaara says slowly, as if he were speaking to a toddler. "Is that not what people do when they are hungry?"

Matsuri sighs exasperatedly and Gaara just becomes more confused. "Oh, whatever. I'll see you later, Gaara-kun!" She places a quick kiss on Gaara's cheek before rushing out of the restaurant.

"Is she your girlfriend, Gaara?" Hinata asks. Gaara frowns at the question. Why does everyone ask him that?

"No. She was once my student and she has become a bit of an annoyance since I put her on her own team. I don't understand it."

When Hinata laughs, her eyes light up. Gaara subconsciously notes to make her laugh more often. "I think your student has a crush on you, Gaara."

"A crush?" He repeats,

"She's romantically interested in you." She explains.

Suddenly it all makes sense and he wonders why no one explained it to him before. "Ah. I see. I am not romantically interested in her." He doesn't know why he makes sure to add the latter part of his statement, but then there are no more words, because the food has arrived and he realizes that he too, is hungry.

fin.

Please review! I hope to update this weekend.

~ dreameratheart