Yachiru-san: yawns…still editing 7/14/08

Yay! The whole GaaraxHinata thing was cute, ne? So basically they travel back in this chapter. Read on...

Y: Lately I'm really obsessed with Kankuro. Hmm...I wonder why?

G: ...

Y: Maybe it's b\c of all those Shippuden episodes I've been watching. I finally figured out that:

Kankuro – face paint – shirt – weird hat equals Hot Kankuro!

...Or maybe I'm just weird XD

G: Probably.

K: Yo, Gaara!

G: Hey, Kankuro.

K: On the schedule it says I'm supposed to do the disclaimer this week or something like that? (Flips thru check board)

Y: (Glomps Kankuro)

K: Nandayo? (Turns around)

Y: I'm your newest fangirl!

K: What happened to torturing Gaara? (Sweatdrop)

Y: Uh...good question...I don't know...

K: Can someone get this girl off me please?

Y: (Lets go) You guys are mean :(

G: Weirdo. How can you flirt with the characters in your own story?

Y: Shut up.

G: (smirk)

K: Do you guys wanna stop it?

Y: Nope.

G: No, not really.

K: (Ahem) Anyways this annoying girl here! (points)

Y: Hey!

K: And her accomplice, don't own the story, they just act like it. Copyright Masashi Kishimoto.

G: I am not the accomplice!

K: Sure...

G: Do you want me to close that mouth of yours for good?

K: I'd like to see you try.

Y: (Begs) Guys please don't fight!

K: Karakuri Engeki!

G: Ryusa Bakuryu!

Y: Heh..heh (scrathes back of head) So basically here is ch. 5, just ignore the fighting in the background.

Song: Houki Boushi (Third Bleach Ending)

Artist: Youhna

Chapter 5

Hinata woke with a start. She blushed when she realized that she had been resting her head on Gaara's shoulder this whole time. Strange thing was...Gaara was actually sleeping, and... he hadn't exactly pushed her away either. She watched Gaara sleep; he looked so calm and peaceful. She smiled to herself. Hinata noticed he had some grains of sand stuck in his bright red hair. She leaned over and ran her fingers through his hair. He continued to sleep. Hinata sighed.

Gaara-sama is so different from Naruto-kun, yet so...

Admit it! She though subconsciously. You like him, don't you?

No I don't! Well...he did save me and he's nice once you get to know him, but I ...I don't like him like that. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and took a deep breath.

Is that why you blush every time he talks to you? Hmm...? Her subconscious reminded her. And...what about that kiss?

Gaara-sama was just being nice...that's all. She flushed a darker shade of red.

Maybe I do like him, but not the same way I like Naruto-kun. She reasoned.

Gaara was so different but in some strange way he actually appealed to her.

Do I love both of them? But...I can't...I...

Gaara sat with his arms folded and his head slightly down, his left knee was still up. He woke up fifteen minutes later and managed to startle her out of her thoughts of him.

"Ohayo Gozaimasu, Hinata-san." Gaara said. Hinata felt the familiar pink tinge on her cheeks.

Completely oblivious to her uneasiness, he yawned and ran a hand through his red hair. "Umm...let's get going, okay?" He said standing up and adjusting the gourd on his back.

"Hai, Gaara-sama." Hinata replied standing up.

See? He's just being nice...

"Hey." She looked up. "You can just call me Gaara. You don't have to be so formal." He answered.

"D-demo, you're...you're the K-kazekage...I..." Hinata stuttered.

"It's okay." Gaara interrupted her. "I don't want my friends to call me Gaara-sama, besides for the exception of my brother, Kankuro." He said with a slight grin.

Hinata blushed and then smiled. Gaara had been having this effect on her lately.

Wait. Was he saying that maybe, just maybe...he considers me his friend?

These thoughts ran through her head as they hiked. At noon they came to a small village.

--

Hinata and Gaara were greeted warmly there. The village was very hospitable especially since Gaara was the Kazekage and all. About an hour later after they became acquainted with the village, and found themselves in a small home.

Gaara hungrily finished three bowls of rice in less than five minutes. (Y: This is possible! I've seen my brother do it!) Hinata sat across from him drinking some tea. She was only able to eat one bowl of rice. The hot weather left her feeling more thirsty than hungry. She giggled as he finished his fourth bowl. The red head looked up.

"Huh?" He asked perfectly oblivious to the fact that he was acting just like Naruto.

"Umm…you have some rice stuck on your face, Gaara-kun." Hinata flushed as she handed him her napkin.

He's just so cute. Hinata thought. No wait, I'm not supposed to be thinking that! Hinata's face turned an even brighter shade of pink. Why is this even happening to me? Why do I only feel like this around him?

"Uh…thanks." He said looking away.

Why did she just call me Gaara-kun? Or did I just imagine that?

"Um…I-I…think I'll go t-take a shower." Hinata stuttered. She stood up and pushed her chair into the table.

"Okay." The young Kazekage considered. "I'll finish eating and get some directions so we can head back."

Hinata nodded and took off in the direction of the bathroom ignoring the emphasis on the word 'we'.

It's not even like that. She consoled herself and shook her head.

An older couple with two grown-up married daughters had lent the young Kazekage and his assistant their house for the entire day. The wife had prepared a bunch of food for them and nice rooms to sleep in, too.

Do I make her that nervous? Gaara thought to himself. He paused between bites. Being male, as he was made him completely clueless to the situation at hand. Forget it. He finished his meal, took a quick shower in the second bathroom and went for a walk. It was so hot out that his hair dried quickly. He then asked one of the villagers where the village was located and what was the fastest and most efficient route back to Sunagakure.

Hinata let the refreshing cool water run down her back. What is wrong with me? I like Gaara-kun, but…I like Naruto-kun. Or maybe, she thought, I only like Gaara-kun, but I just think I like Naruto-kun. She couldn't help thinking how kind the young Kazekage had been to her during her entire stay in Suna and now on this impromptu trip how he had even saved her life. Hinata was so confused - she didn't even understand her own feelings. The young Hyuuga sighed, turned off the water, dried herself off, and changed back into her clothing. Her hair was still damp, so she tied it back into a high ponytail.

Hinata packed her bag with some of the leftover food. She ventured outside into the small village. The air was warm and dry and it tickled her nose. The lavender-eyed girl looked around curiously. She was about to ask where Gaara was before she accidentally bumped into him.

"Gomen-nasai, Gaara-kun." She apologized embarrassed.

He must think I'm so clumsy. She thought.

Her pretty lavender eyes looked up into his ice blue ones and he felt a sudden warm touch in his chest. It was only for a single fleeting moment but...he liked it.

"Hinata-san, I was just looking for you." He alleged before sticking his hand in his pocket. "I have directions and now I know how to get back to Sunagakure."

"That's great." Hinata replied giving him a small smile. "I…I packed my bag with extra food, so I'm r-ready to leave."

"That's good. I'm tired of traveling," Gaara admitted, "but, my village is in danger and we need to get back as soon as possible so…we're not going to stay the night". Hinata nodded. The two teenagers bid farewell and thanked the villagers for helping them. In a mere three hours after entering the village they were back on their journey.

--

Hinata took a deep breath as she climbed over some rocks. She tried to hold her balance.

Just focus my chakra to the bottom of my feet. This shouldn't be too hard. She reasoned.

The sound of rushing water pounded in her ears and the air smelled faintly of fish. Gaara hiked with agility. This wasn't hard for him; he was just tired of traveling.

When are we even going to get there? How long does it take? He wondered impatiently.

"Uh Oh! Aah!" Hinata felt these warnings escape her mouth before she almost slipped. The rocks were wet and slippery.

"Be careful." Gaara said and grabbed her arm before she managed to fall.

"G-gomen." The young Hyuuga blushed.

I…I have to be more careful. Why am I so clumsy? She silently scolded herself.

"It's okay. Let's just go." The red head said a little annoyed.

Why does she have to apologize all the time? Even for stupid things like that? He wondered.

Personally, he never even made use of the word 'sorry' unless absolutely necessary.

The young Hyuuga picked herself up and steadied as he let go of her arm. His grip wasn't hard just firm – so she wouldn't slip, but still it made her flush at the cheeks.

"Doomo." She said a little embarrassed standing up.

He just shrugged – her thanks wasn't exactly needed.

But still…she was so nice about everything to him. Even the small things. People around him would just shrug it off but she felt that she had to genuinely thank him every time he did something for her. He just didn't understand it.

Why is she…so nice…to me? He mulled over. It wasn't that he didn't like it…it just was so different for him. He used to be a monster after all – he killed people, he was essentially a murderer. True, he had changed, but people still gave him the cold shoulder occasionally, especially the council of Suna.

How can she just overlook that? He contemplated silently as they got to the other side.

The pair hiked over rough terrain until they reached a clearing.

"Is this it?" Hinata asked him quickly.

"Yeah, I think so…but I'm not sure if we go straight over this hill, or if we make a right down by the creek." Gaara said and pointed to a small creek.

"Looks like you won't need to decide. Your future is death." Smirked a green haired shinobi. The pair froze in their tracks.

Gaara took a step forward with his.

Okay…this really pisses me off. We're supposed to be getting back and those Kumo idiots send someone else after us? Those bastards! Don't they know that I really don't have patience for this? The young Kazekage cursed silently.

"What do you want with us?" Gaara said angrily.

The green haired shinobi smirked again.

Hinata bit her lip. Gaara-kun is the Kazekage after all. He had already taken out the Raikage, the most powerful ninja in all of Kumogakure, so this guy shouldn't be too much for him, but still…Hinata was worried. What's with this guy? He was attempting to single-handedly take on the Kazekage and he didn't so much as flinch.

"Are you here to assassinate me? State your business." Gaara began in a condescending tone.

"Since you're going to die anyway, I mine as well tell you." Aoi sneered. "My name is Aoi, I'm a rogue ninja. I don't really care who I kill," He paused for effect. "But, you really piss me off kid! How is it possible that someone like you could take out the Raikage?!" He demanded. Aoi's tone then returned back to its calm demeanor.

"For that you will die."

Hinata bit her lip harder, this guy really creeped her out.

Gaara stared down the rogue ninja and cursed. Ksoh! What is he using to attack? What are his ninjutsu? He shouldn't be a problem to take out, but I have to make sure he gets nowhere near Hinata-san. He silently resolved. Wait, why do I care about her so much? He asked himself. She's a fellow shinobi…and…my friend, why not protect her?

Aoi or whoever this guy said he was seemed to be all talk and no action whatsoever. Unbeknownst to Gaara, Aoi was a traitor through and through. He was a former Konoha shinobi who betrayed Konoha to get Nidaime's Rajin sword. He then teamed up with Amegakure and now he found himself doing the Raikage's bidding. The tall, green haired shinobi wore navy blue pants, black ninja sandals, and a sleeveless navy shirt. He had intense blue eyes and some sort of weapon strapped to his back. He pulled it out and yelled: "Kiri Senbon no Jutsu!." Suddenly, his umbrella weapon opened. Long needles of water vapor seemed to form out of thin desert air. A hurdle of needles descended upon the two teenage shinobi. Hinata became frightened. What do I do? Am I supposed to help Gaara-kun? Or not get in the way of his fighting?

"Jin, Ne, Saru, Ne, Tatsu, Saru." Gaara said quietly while making various hand signs. A hard sand barrier surrounded him as the needles of mist seemed to bounce off. They were unable to penetrate Gaara's absolute defense. A fortress of sand surrounded Hinata on one side. The fight continued.

I just hope Gaara-kun is all right.

She could make out Gaara's voice, the sounds of Aoi's needles flying and the swooshing sound of Gaara's sand blocking all of Aoi's attacks. The intense fight went on for a while; until suddenly the sand barrier protecting her began to thin out and dissipate.


Y: Mwahaha! Another cliffhanger, sorry guys I couldn't resist ;)

G: Stop being so lazy! Where's the next chapter?

Y: Gomen! I have a paper due next week and finals. The next chapter can wait!

G: How long?

Y: At least a week.

G: Fine. But everyone knows I win, right?

Y: I wouldn't be so sure about that.

G: Nandayo?

Y: Heh..heh You'll have to wait till next chapter! Ja ne!

Japanese words

Doomo: thanks

Kono Yaroh: 'Those bastards' or 'you bastard'

Amegakure: Hidden Village of Rain

Nidaime: The Second Hokage

Nandayo: What the hell?!

Ohayo Gozaimasu: Good morning

Ksoh: Damn it!