Love's Misconstruities
Author's note: Text between the is a flashback sequence.
Chapter 6
Hinata raced toward the training ground they'd agreed to meet at, trying to think of a suitable apology for being late. She didn't want to lie, but telling the truth would be rude.
"Hinata-sama."
"Neji-nii-san," Hinata greeted, bowing.
"Where are you rushing off to?"
"Eh? Um…training."
"Really? With who? Kiba was assigned clean-up duty for Naruto's mess like me, and I thought you said Shino left on a training exercise with his father."
"Uh…yes."
"Then who are you practicing with?"
"Um…well…uh… Gaara-san…" she whispered.
"Gaara?! Hinata-sama, he's dangerous! He does NOT have good intentions."
"W-why do you say that?"
"Because…!" came his angry, unexplained answer.
"Does it…does it have to do with the other night?"
"What?" Neji asked, clearly caught off guard.
"The other night, I saw you and Gaara-san in the woods behind the estate."
"What were you doing there?"
"P-practicing."
"With who?"
"I-I was alone."
"So late at night?"
"Yes…Neji-nii-san, please don't change the subject. Tell me what happened."
Neji sighed angrily. "How much did you hear?"
"Nothing. I mean, I heard shouting so I came to see, but you were too far away to hear anything clearly. But I saw you threatening him. Why?"
"You're worried about me yelling at him but not why here was here on Hyuuga property so late at night?"
"Neji-nii-san…please just answer me."
"…For you," the older boy hesitantly admitted with a sigh.
"What?" came Hinata's surprised reply.
"He wanted to challenge you to a fight. You remember how dangerous he is. He would have hurt you, maybe even killed you, so I told him to leave you alone," he explained, though he hid Gaara's true intentions from his awkward cousin. It wasn't physical harm that he was afraid Gaara would inflict upon her, but emotional...something his cousin had a far worse time recovering from. "It doesn't look like he listened to me."
Hinata's eyes were wide with shock and confusion. "W-why would he want to challenge me?"
"Because you will be the next head of the clan. As your cousin and a branch family member, it is my duty to protect you."
Hinata understood his feelings, but under these circumstances, or rather, regarding this particular individual, she would not have it. She wasn't sure why, but after last night she just couldn't believe that the stoic Suna boy had ill intentions. "Protect me, yes. …But not shelter me."
"Hinata-sama?"
"Neji-nii-san, thank you," the young girl began with a warm smile. "I appreciate you trying to look out for me, but you should have told me about what happened."
"I…I didn't want to worry you."
"I-It's my decision to worry or not. And it's also my decision with whom I spend my time."
"Hinata-sama-"
"Neji-nii-san, please. You are my cousin and best friend. I need you to be honest with me. Please."
"…Hai. But promise me something."
"What is it?"
"Promise me that if he, or anyone else for that matter, does anything to harm you, you'll come to me first."
"Thank you…but please don't underestimate me. If someone tries to hurt me, I'll be the first one they'll answer to."
Neji finally dropped his scowl and replaced it with a smile. "Just let me know then, so I can be there to back you up…if you need it."
"Arigatou gozimasu." The two shared a peaceful moment before Hinata realized that the conversation had cost her precious time that she did not have to begin with. "Well then, I'm off."
"Hinata-sama,"
"Hai?"
"Don't lower your guard. Especially not around him," Neji warned, cursing Naruto and his drunken mess that he had to help with instead of watching over his precious cousin.
"Please have faith in me, Neji-nii-san."
"I have faith in you. Just not him. Be careful. I don't trust him."
And with those unsettling remarks, Hinata left.
When she got to the training ground, it appeared empty. She quickly scanned the small area with her Byakugan and found no one. Her mind began to race.
'Maybe he's late, too. Or what if he was here but left because I took too long?' Upon weighing the possibilities, she decided to wait a bit longer, then visit his lodgings and sincerely apologize if, indeed, he'd already come and gone.
She sighed, leaning against one of the tall tree stumps they used for target practice in the center of the field. The weather was sunny and mild, and a warm breeze blew carrying the sweet scent of flowers on the spring air. As time passed, Hinata found herself smiling, enjoying the nice day despite her anxiety. She should have known better. She barely had time to dodge the sand shuriken that approached from her right side. She hadn't even sensed a presence. She'd let her guard down after all. Still, she did find some comfort that she had not missed Gaara, though it irked her a bit that he wasn't playing fair and had masked his presence and launched a sneak attack. After all, they were here to practice, weren't they?
She jumped to her left and assumed a fighting stance, but it could not guard from the earth below suddenly starting to suck her in. Quickly, she reached into the equipment pouch on her thigh and tied a piece of wire onto a kunai. She threw it at the top of the tree stump she had been leaning against, using it to help free herself. She was met by several more sand shuriken once she had accomplished her task, this time from the opposite direction than where she had figured her opponent was.
'He can manipulate sand into various shapes and forms, and it looks like he can keep creating more of it, like with the soil he turned to quicksand,' she deduced. She jumped on top of the block and activated her Byakugan. 'He can't be too far out of my range; not if he's controlling the sand as well as he is.'
She scanned the wooded area which encircled the field, carefully dodging the random sand shuriken which approached from every conceivable direction, clearly meant as a diversion to keep her from being able to concentrate and find him. 'He'll have to work harder than that!' she thought as she detected a figure hidden high in a tree not far off.
With lightning-fast speed she darted toward her target, maneuvering expertly through the projectiles and managing to deflect with her kunai the ones which she could not avoid. As she approached the first line of trees she was caught off guard by a bombardment of sand shuriken that she did not see until the very last second. She reacted, but knew she'd been too slow and was expecting a direct hit to her side. She was quite surprised when it missed her by a small margin. Counting her lucky stars, she continued onward.
When her target saw that she was indeed headed toward him, he retreated, taking to the ground, weaving in and out of the trees.
'The sand makes you too heavy. I'm faster than you!' the kunoichi realized. Hinata took to the trees, and soon had gotten ahead of him. As her opponent slowed down to glance behind for his pursuer, with kunai in hand she jumped down in front of him pointing the sharp weapon at his throat, causing him to stop abruptly. He was now at her mercy.
"I've got you!" she proudly exclaimed, waiting for his acknowledgement that the exercise was over.
"No, you don't," came a voice from behind her. She spun around and met the stoic figure which had managed to sneak up on her.
"A sand clone?" she asked, referring to the figure who she held at bay. "But, how? I didn't see or sense-"
From behind her, she heard sand moving, but too late to react. It quickly wrapped around her legs and snaked up her body, restricting her movements. The figure before her disintegrated into a pile of sand and the figure behind her, the one she'd originally captured, walked around to face her.
"Gaara-san…!" He raised his hand toward her and the sand tightened. Hinata's heart raced. She'd seen this technique before during the Chuunin Selection Exams. It had given her nightmares for a month. Sabaku Kyuu, he called it, followed by Sabaku Sousou - a deadly combination. "Gaara-san, y-y-you win," she acknowledged, her voice trembling.
"This is no game," came his reply. "The winner is the one left alive when the battle is over."
She was struck speechless. 'Was Neji-nii-san right? Was I deceived? Should I have listened to him? …I'm afraid… He's…he's got to be joking, right?'
"Don't worry," the red-head comforted, and for a moment Hinata had a glimmer of hope that he wasn't serious. "You won't feel a thing. By the time your brain registers the pain of your body being crushed, you'll already be dead."
'He is serious… I can't die here! Not after what I said to Neji-nii-san… No. There is a way. There's always a way. I just have to find it! I won't give up! That is my way of the ninja!'
Activating the Byakugan once more, she began to study what she could see of the sand which encased her entire body.
"That won't help you now," he said, raising his arm more.
'Chakra! The sand has an enormous amount of chakra molded into it. That will be your downfall…because chakra is my specialty!!'
"Goodbye, Hyuuga Hinata. Sabaku Sou-"
"No!!" Hinata began emitting concentrated beams of chakra from all over her body, cutting through the sand.
"Impossible…" Gaara watched as the sand lost its strength and gave way as the girl exploded from within and charged at him.
"Hakke Rokujuuyon Shou!!"
Before Gaara's sand could even protect him, the girl began hitting his tenketsu.
"Two strikes! Four strikes! Eight strikes!" Gaara was pushed back by the sheer force of her attack. "Sixteen strikes! Thirty-two strikes!" The ferocity in her eyes excited him more than he had ever thought possible. "Sixty-four strikes!!"
Gaara landed several feet away lying on his side and breathing heavily. Hinata, who was also catching her breath, came to stand over him and gasped at what she saw.
"An armor of sand…" she began in disbelief, gazing at the broken shell that covered him.
"Protected me, yes," he said with a cough, repairing it. He sat up and Hinata jumped backwards. "It's over now. I surrender."
"But…you said that this wasn't a game. You…you tried to kill me!"
This earned her a frown. "If I had seriously tried to kill you, you would be dead. I did what I had to do in order to bring out your best abilities. If you knew that your life wasn't in danger, would you have tried so hard?"
"…No, I…I suppose not…" she answered, still keeping her eyes on him.
Gaara stood and staggered, holding his chest. "That's a very powerful jutsu. If I hadn't have been wearing my armor, it would have been you trying to take me to the hospital today." The poor attempt at humor had no effect on the girl like he had planned. He walked toward her but stopped when she took a wary step back. He had hoped this wouldn't happen but understood that it was nearly inevitable. "I wanted to see what you were really capable of. I would never intentionally hurt you. I didn't…did I?"
Hinata contemplated his words before answering. 'So, those sand shuriken didn't mysteriously miss me after all,' she realized, thinking back to earlier. "N-no. I'm fine."
"Good."
"Except," she added.
Though his face stayed as solemn as ever, he could not hide the concern from his eyes. "What is it?"
A blush crept onto Hinata's cheeks and she shifted uncomfortably. "The sand…got under my clothes…"
Gaara's eyes widened and he swallowed a lump in his throat. He quickly performed a simple hand seal and concentrated. Hinata watched him curiously then gasped, jumping.
"Hold still."
Hinata did as he said, trying to suppress her laughter. The little grains tickled as they slowly made their way against her skin and exited her clothing. She watched as it trailed out in a small but steady stream and entered the gourd on Gaara's back.
"A-Arigatou…" she said, bowing her head.
Gaara's chest surprisingly shifted from feeling sore to light and fuzzy. The mere thought that some of his sand had actually touched where he hadn't even dreamed of excited him in a way he'd never felt. He had never been so thankful that he was wearing his sand armor, otherwise she'd have seen just how deep his own blush was.
"Uh…y-you're welcome…" he stuttered in a broken voice. It earned him a questioning look from Hinata and he quickly cleared his throat and looked away. "If you'd like, we can continue training. There are a few jutsu I'd like to show you."
"Before that, I'd…I'd like to ask you something," Hinata shyly asserted. Gaara nodded slightly, waiting for the question. "Neji-nii-san…he said that you had been looking to fight me the other night." She paused, watching the boy before her. After a moment, he realized she was waiting for a response and so nodded, acknowledging the fact. "W-why?"
Gaara turned away slightly, pondering how to answer such an awkward question. 'Her cousin told her about our confrontation. He probably even knows we're here right now. I should thank Shikamaru for volunteering him to clean up the village today. Still, it seems he didn't tell her everything. For that, I am grateful.' Gathering his courage, he spoke softly. "We are similar…you and I," he answered, though by the look she was giving him, he could see that such a simple explanation wasn't going to cut it. "You have been thrust into a position of power and responsibility…and I seek to obtain one," he explained. "I do not believe you are living up to your full potential. I want to help you realize it."
Hinata contemplated his awkward response. Though he did not seem to express himself very well, she could see that his intentions were sincere. Smiling kindly at him, she replied, "Arigatou," the fear completely drained from her eyes. Despite what had just happened, she believed that this boy was someone she could trust. "What jutsu did you want to show me?"
The rest of the week passed by uneventfully. The meetings remained boring to the bitter end when, finally, a draft of the treaty was accepted. With the negotiations having been concluded, it was time for everyone to return home.
"Kankurou, thanks for helping out at the Academy," Shikamaru said at the gate where he faced the three Sand-nin in their usual good-bye ritual.
"Heh. No problem. Hopefully the little squirts learned a thing or two."
"Of course they did! Anything's gotta be better than his lessons," Temari chimed in. "Probably teaching them to give up when they're in a bind."
"This is why women are so troublesome… They don't know how to let go of the past."
"Hmph. I'll let go of the past when you get over your 'men and women' crap."
The two shared a smirk before the Sand-nin turned to leave on their three-day journey back home.
"Oh, Gaara. Naruto wanted to say 'thank you' for offering to help pay the debt he owed the village for his clones eating so much. He'd be here himself but he was sent on a mission and I got the bothersome job of messenger."
"He owes me no thanks," Gaara replied over his shoulder. In his eyes, he was the one who owed Naruto for using him to his advantage. At Naruto's expense, Gaara had had a very pleasant week.
"Heh. Another troublesome thing about women: they cost a guy a lot of money." The chuunin and Temari exchanged playful glares before he turned to leave. "Have a safe trip," he bid over his shoulder.
"Gaara, I've been thinking. Now that the new treaty will allow us more military power…maybe we could develop an Academy of our own, like what they have here," Kankurou mentioned as they turned to set off on their return home.
"Hey, that's a pretty good idea! I'm surprised someone like you could've thought of it."
"Ouch. Give me a little credit, Temari."
Gaara, paying no attention to their bickering, replied, "We can talk with the Council about it when we give our re-"
"G-Gaara-sensei!" came a timid shout from behind them.
Temari and Kankurou both turned, and seeing who the call came from, looked to their youngest brother and grinned.
"Gaara-sensei, huh?"
Ignoring them, the boy in question turned around to find Hinata running toward the gate.
"Gaara-sensei…" she repeated, catching her breath and stopping at the gate. Not wanting to give his siblings any more ammunition, he turned back toward the village and quickly closed the distance between them. "I…I just wanted to, um… I…well…uh…" she stammered, her eyes darting everywhere else but his own as she tapped her index fingers together.
Gaara placed a hand on each of her wrists. She stopped her nervous habit and began to blush. "Look at me," he requested. "Don't be ashamed to look others in the eye." She did as she was told, her blush growing even deeper, and was rewarded with the faintest of smiles. "You are strong. Never forget that."
"Th…thank you…for everything," she replied, smiling back.
When the moment became awkward, he let go of her and took a step back. She bowed deeply as he turned to leave once again.
"Hinata…" he began, waiting to hear if she would react to his omission of an honorary suffix on her name. When she made no protest, he continued. "Stop calling me 'sensei'."
"Hai…Gaara-san."
"Just 'Gaara' is fine."
"G-Gaara…" she repeated, sending a thrill through his body. He looked over his shoulder one last time at the young blushing girl then proceeded back with his team.
"I'm surprised Neji didn't see you off, too," Temari teased.
Neji had paid Gaara's room a visit the night after he and Hinata had first started training. Temari had asked him about it the next morning but all her brother had said was, "He made it clear that he does not approve of me. Nothing more." She'd replied that he should have told him to screw off, to which she received a disapproving look.
"So, what now?" Kankurou asked once they were a ways from the gate.
"What do you mean?" he replied.
"I mean, what now? You like her, right?"
"…Yes," Gaara finally admitted.
"Does she like you?"
"I don't know," came an irritated reply. This was still not a topic he was comfortable discussing.
"Kankurou, leave him alone. It's bad enough that he fell for a Leaf kunoichi, much less the heir to the Hyuuga clan. It's not like it's going to be an easy romance."
"Uh…Temari?" Kankurou warned, motioning to their scowling little brother.
"Oh, eh…sorry, Gaara."
Indeed, there was much for Gaara to consider over the upcoming month, which would be when the two would meet once again.
Translations/Term Definitions...in no particular order:
- -nii-san: The nii means 'brother,' and adding –san to it makes it more respectful. While Neji and Hinata are not siblings, but cousins, Hinata still feels close enough to him to refer to him as such.
- Hai: "Yes."
- Kunai: Throwing knife/dagger.
- Sabaku Kyuu: "Desert Coffin," one of Gaara's techniques.
- Sabaku Sousou: "Desert Funeral."
- Hakke Rokujuuyon Shou: "Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms"...an attack of the Hyuuga clan that can be quite devastating to the target.
- Arigatou: "Thank you."
- Kunoichi: A female ninja/shinobi.
- -sama: An honorary suffix added to the name of someone either higher in rank than yourself or someone you greatly admire and/or respect. It is often said to be equivalent in english to saying "Lord/Lady" before the person's name. Neji uses it toward Hinata because, while he may be older than her, she is still a member of the head Hyuuga family and he is but a branch member, so that earns her more respect.