Disclaimer:I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.

Forward: Just so you know, my shippings are very loose in this series and a lot of the couples are couples that I don't really ship. That being said, I like how this chapter turned out and I hope you will too!

"Before we continue, did anybody else lie?" Ino demanded angrily, glaring at Shikamaru and then the rest of the students. "If you lied, just say you're answer and get out of here." She continued, her glare getting lethal. Nobody moved. "You'd better not be hiding or I will hunt you down." She finished, sitting back down and crossing her arms.

"Oh, I'm so scared." Konkuro snorted, rolling his eyes. "Aren't you scared you might break a nail fighting me?" He sneered.

"Why you little…" Chouji had to practically tackle Ino to make sure she didn't kill Konkuro there and then. Konkuro smirked at the proceedings and raised an eyebrow at Ino mockingly. "Oh, don't worry. I'll get you later…" Ino muttered. With that being said, the room grew silent once more. No one was willing to give their answers away. Finally, it was Gaara who spoke up.

"This game bores me." Gaara stated in a monotone, looking around the room impassively, making his feelings clear. "This is a waste of my time. I voted for Hinata." He finished, sneaking a glance over at the timid girl. Hinata's eyes shot up to meet his in complete surprise. Gaara, the cold and silent kazekage of the sand village, liked her?

"I…I'm very…f-flattered." Hinata stuttered, feeling her face heat up. She had never thought of Gaara in that way before and she felt shocked to know that she had been on his mind. Sure, it was flattering, but it caught her completely offguard. What could she offer someone like him? Did she want him? Sure, he was kind of cute in a dark and brooding way, but he wasn't really her type and she always thought she wouldn't stand a chance with him, either. "B-but I d-don't understand…"

"I'm not in love with you." Gaara began, trying to make his feelings clearer. "I just like you more than I like the rest of this room." He shook his head at himself. This wasn't coming out the right way at all. "When I saw you at the chuunin exams, fighting your cousin, I thought it was admirable. Temari destroyed the weapons girl and the other two girls seemed shallow and foolish. You fought well and proved yourself to be more than you appeared. At first, I thought you were a nothing- the weakest person in the room. But you surprised me. That is all I meant by putting your name down." Once he had finished what he wanted to say, he looked to Hinata for a response. The whole room looked at Hinata for a response, all of them feeling as shocked as the quiet girl felt. Hinata struggled not to faint under the pressure and her emotions, for she knew this was one of the few moments when it would count. How could she crumble after Gaara had said all of those kind things about her?

"I…I…d-don't know what t-to say…" Hinata began, meekly. "Thank y-you, b-but…I d-don't, I mean, I c-can't…" Kiba interrupted her, taking a protective stance, slightly in front of her.

"Look, I know Hinata. She's too sweet to say this to your face, but what she's thinking is that you're a creep and she doesn't like you like that. But thanks anyway." Kiba stated bluntly, trying to look out for the girl whom he thought of as a sister to him.

"T-that's not…" Hinata started, but Kiba interrupted once again.

"I know. You wanted to say it in a nicer way. But it's better like this, okay? Don't worry. I've got your back." Kiba smiled reassuringly. Gaara just raised an eyebrow at Hinata.

"Hey, why don't you let the girl speak herself instead always interrupting her?" Temari blurted out, getting annoyed. Who did this guy think he was anyway? Did he think he was doing her a favor, not letting her say what she felt? Temari hated guys like that.

"Hey, I'm doing what's best for her-"

"It's okay, Kiba. It's o-okay." Hinata interrupted, smiling gently at her friend. "I c-can speak. Gaara…" Hinata began, taking a deep breath to settle down the butterflies in her stomach. "I am h-honered that you think of me this way, b-but I would like to g-get to know you b-better before making any decisions. I would very much like to b-be your friend." Everyone turned sharply to watch Gaara, as though they were watching a very intense debate and couldn't wait to hear what the opponent would argue back. Gaara, for his part, looked impassive as ever.

"I would like that very much as well." Gaara stated, a hint of a smile creeping up at the corner of his lips. Looking at his siblings and the room once more, he stood up. "Now that that is out of the way, I will be heading back to my room. It looks as though no one has voted for me, so I see no reason to stay. Goodnight, everyone. Goodnight, Hinata."

"Goodnight." Everyone echoed, as Gaara left the room. That last response had been a shock to everyone, but to no one more then Hinata. If every response had been like that one, they were all going to be in for a very long night.

Ending Note: I hope you liked that chapter! I hope Gaara and Hinata and everyone came off as in-character (if they didn't, don't hesitate to tell me!) And that this surprise made up for the last chapter. Thanks! :)