It was spring in the village of Konoha and the spring festival was going on. During this festival there were lots of fun games, rides, and plenty of vendors giving out delicious foods. This was also when the Kages met up and the important people of the villages. At this particular moment the Hokage was chatting away with some of the prestigious people in his village. One of those people happened to be Hiashi Hyuga, his wife Hiromi who was holding a baby girl, Hanabi, her cousin Neji right next to Hiashi and Hanabi's older sister Hinata was standing shyly behind her parents.
Somewhere not that far away was the Kazekage and far behind him were his brother, Yashamaru, and his three children. There was Temari the eldest who liked wearing her blonde hair in spiky pigtails and loved fans, Kankuro who looked very much like his father and loved puppets and then there was the smallest and youngest, Sabaku no Gaara but most called him Gaara. He was a strange and misunderstood child with a ferocious demon locked inside of his small child frame. Perhaps it was destiny, perhaps fate, perhaps a chance that was folded within the cards of life but the Kazekage and the Hokage came face to face as well as Hiashi Hyuga.
"Ahh Kazekage-Sama so pleased to see you at this year's spring festival," Greeted the Hokage.
"I feel the same and pleased to meet you all as well," He looked at Hiashi and his wife, "Mistress and Master Hyuga what a pleasant surprise."
"Indeed it is. I am so sorry to hear about your wife's passing. Our prayers go out with you Kazekage-Sama."
Hiashi put an arm over his wife and looked sternly into the Kazekage's eyes, which reflected a cold loneliness.
"Thank you very much Hiromi-San. I see you have given birth to a baby girl. The youngest right?"
"Yes, this is little Hanabi and her sister is…" Hiromi looked around for her and sighed when she found little Hinata clinging onto the back of her skirt. "You can come out Hinata."
Hinata peeked her face out and blushed shyly.
"Ahh so this is young Hinata-Chan. You look so much like your mother. I can tell she will be strong with much training but Hanabi will be fiercer and tougher. Little Hinata-Chan will have to be trained hard."
"You can tell all this by looking at her?" Hiashi questioned.
"The motions, the movements, they all betray her even her eyes."
Hinata closed her eyes and hid behind her mother. This man was looking into her soul where nobody needed to go into and it was making her feel funny.
The Kazekage looked at Neji and smiled. "This one too will be very, very strong; A good choice to bring up your Hyuga lineage and carry on the Byakugan to the next generation."
"Yes, he and Hinata are betrothed. As you know this is how we carry on our bloodline through arranged marriages within high ranking Hyuga clan members. So of course, ours being the highest, Neji follows right after with being Hinata's and Hanabi's cousin."
The Kazekage looked up then heard something and looked back.
"Are those your children Kazekage-Sama?"
"Hai, Hokage-Sama and my brother Yashamaru."
Yashamaru finally caught up with his brother who seemed to edge himself away from him. Their eyes darted toward each other and for a split second a story of hate and betrayal and anger flashed between the eyes and then a cool, calm understanding.
"Please introduce us to your children Kazekage-Sama."
Yashamaru cleared his throat. "Allow me to do it Hokage-Sama. For reasons I won't tell our beloved Kazekage can't tell you."
Everyone stood confused but let Yashamaru go on.
"This is Temari, the eldest and has a practiced style of fan fighting."
Temari stepped forward and bowed politely before taking place beside Yashamaru.
"And Kankuro, the middle child who has his own style of puppetry jutsu and fighting."
Kankuro followed suit with his sister looking bemused at the moving object behind Hiromi's skirt.
"Now this shy boy is Sabaku no Gaara."
The crimson haired boy stepped forward out of the shadows then stepped halfway into it again. Everyone knew just by his name what he was and his story. Naturally the people edged back in fear.
"Well…nice to meet your children. Shall we continue on to the meeting?"
"Yes let's continue on Hokage-Sama before the night closes out. Neji why don't you come with us and see this for yourself? I think you're old enough to understand."
"Hai Oji-San but, what about Hina-Chan?"
"Hinata will stay here with Temari, Kankuro and Gaara," Said Yashamaru.
Hiromi flashed him a look of concern at Yashamaru. Unspoken fear of Gaara and his demon locked within him hurting her child were located in her lilac colored eyes.
"Don't worry Mistress Hyuga, Temari and Kankuro will look after your young daughter. You have my guarantee that nothing bad will happen," He turned to Temari and Kankuro who were flanking their young brother, "You must swear to protect the young Hyuga heiress."
"Hai Oji-San! We swear to protect the young Hinata as best we can!" They said in unison with a bow.
The Hyuga's nodded to each other and both headed their way with Neji in tow. Yashamaru and the Kazekage followed suit with the Hokage along with some other prestigious people of the sand and leaf village. Neji looked back at his shocked, dismayed and shy cousin who was looking down at her feet then he gave a death glare to Gaara. His cold lilac eyes warned, "If you hurt her…you're dead."
Gaara's eyes reflected slight fear but were so much like his fathers with a deep icy loneliness and despair along with the desire to feel wanted, needed, loved, and unrejected. Temari and Kankuro looked from each other to their brother to the lone Hinata who was blushing and twiddling her thumbs then back.
"Well we've never been to Konoha before so why don't you give us a tour Hinata-Sama."
Hinata nervously looked up at Temari and blushed a salmon pink, she had never had the suffix "Sama" added onto her name before and it was like she was someone important like her beautiful mother or her strong father. This Temari girl was very pretty with her blonde hair and matured, sharp features and the brother looked like a clone of his father with his spiky brown hair and narrow eyes but his sparkled with mischievous mirth while his fathers were dead and angry. Then there was Gaara and what a strange thing he was. He looked like his father with the spiky hair and narrow eyes but the dark circles, like eyeliner, around his aqua eyes made them look wider and this boy had red hair which neither of the siblings had and to top it off he had no eyebrows!
Hinata looked up shyly and only found that Temari was bent in front of her with one hand on her hip.
"Helloooo! Aren't you going to show us around?"
Temari poked the shy girl on the forehead and made her turn redder than a rose bush in full bloom. She opened her mouth to talk but all that came out was stuttering.
"H-ha-ii! G-Gomen! I-I'll s-s-how you!"
Hinata hadn't been around Konoha that much but she had seen some of the marvelous things the spring festival had offered. She walked in lead with Temari and Kankuro in the rear and Gaara close to Temari. Both of them had a cautious and suspicious eye on their brother who was cuddling his teddy bear.
"H-he-ere at the K-K-Konoha S-s-pring fes-s-stival we h-have plenty of v-vendors."
Kankuro started salivating when he passed a vendor selling fish and steak with rice. The vendor was a young lady who was stirring the meat and rice in a wok and smiling to each passerby.
"Want some young man? Ty lee's stir fry is the best in town!"
Kankuro pulled some change out of his pocket and bought a small bowl and devoured it happily. Temari bought her own stir fry with pork and vegetables and was quietly eating them with chopsticks while looking around the area. Hinata's stomach grumbled watching them eat and as it did, she blushed and touched her stomach.
"You hungry Hinata? You haven't eaten anything this whole time!"
Hinata looked bashfully from Temari to her growling stomach. "Kekkou Desu! I'm fine Temari-San!"
"Cut it with the formalities Hinata! We aren't used to them."
"Yeah, like Temari said. Plus, just because you're all noble doesn't mean you have to starve in front of us. I don't care how polite or proper it is not to pig out in front of a guest you should eat or else you'll never be strong."
"Strong…" Hinata looked up at the food and Kankuro and a memory flashed; The Kazekage poking and prodding his way into her very core just by looking into her pupilless eyes. His eyes had pierced into hers and had pulled out information she herself didn't know. He had said she would be strong with training. Hinata longed to be strong like her father and Neji-nii-san, so if training and eating would make her strong then she would do that.
"Hai! Arigato Kankuro-San! I will eat!"
"Hey you know…you're pretty cute kid!" Kankuro leaned down and tousled Hinata's short indigo hair making the poor girl turn a sort of fuchsia color.
"Yeah, I'll have to admit the little squirt is kinda cute."
Hinata blushed even redder starting to turn a brick color. Cute? Nobody ever said she was cute except her Neji-nii-san one time when he was younger and her mother and the occasional passerby. She stopped at a vendor selling meat on a stick along with a few other odd things she never tried before. She pulled out her little white coin purse with black floral print that matched her obi and was about to buy something when her eyes roamed to a lonely and confused looking Gaara. He was standing there almost in the shadows looking downcast at his teddy bear. If ever a person looked like they were lonesome and needed a friend it was him and Hinata, though shy, was a good choice to show him kindness and besides that he hadn't eaten anything either.
"Um…Gaara-San w-w-would y-you like s-something t-too?"
Gaara looked up with heavy confusion. This girl, with her strange eyes just like her mom and dad, had talked to him, had recognized his presence and not just as a monster but she was talking to him friendly…did that make her his friend? Did she really talk to him? Was there another Gaara out there? He couldn't believe his ears that this pretty little girl was talking to him when everyone else just backed away and called him the demon of the sand village. Stunned, Gaara didn't speak. His siblings looked from him to Hinata to each other and just asked themselves, "How is Gaara going to react? Is Gaara going to react? Will this end well?"
Hinata smiled softly and realized he must be as shy as she is so she took a big, bold step and walked toward the ruby-haired boy. Temari and Kankuro tensed up and prepared for the worst. Temari with her hand on her kunai pouch and Kankuro already pulling on the strings for his puppet jutsu. Gaara's aqua eyes got wide with fear and already sand was forming around his feet. His sand was his defense mechanism installed so the sand never allowed him to be hurt or more so the vessel of the raccoon demon. Hinata slowly but gently grabbed his hand making everyone except Hinata go stiff with fear.
"C-Come on Ga-Gaara-San-shii, Y-y-ou don't h-have to be shy l-like me. Let's e-eat, Hai?"
Gaara was speechless. This girl meant him no harm at all she was just being kind and he had never been shown any kindness so it felt weird to say the least but still the child let this strange-eyed girl lead him over to the vendor with his teddy bear in the unoccupied hand. Her hand was so small and fit perfectly into his and it was so warm…it felt…good. The smell of cooked meet wafted up to meet Gaara's nose as he and Hinata walked up to the vendor. And once again Hinata took out her coin purse and picked out a delicious looking lamb and vegetable kabob then looked at Gaara. His eyes were glued onto something that the vender had.
"I want that," he said with round eyes. His Hand slipped from Hinata's to point at what the Vendor had. It looked like it was a lizard on a stick.
"Oh you want the roasted newt? You have strange taste boy not many people order that but I admire your bravery."
Gaara had tried roasted newt before and quite enjoyed it so he thought he might try it again because it had been a long time since he had this treat. The person behind the counter gave Hinata her kabob and Gaara his roasted newt on a stick. Gaara licked his lips and his eyes glowed with joy as he nibbled on the crispy tail. Hinata looked slightly disgusted and intrigued.
"D-Does it t-taste good? It looks…creepy!"
Gaara looked up and nodded quickly. He wanted to tell her that just because something looked creepy didn't mean it was…like him. He looked at the newt and back to Hinata and smiled a soft, small smile.
"Wanna try some?"
Hinata nodded her head "no" but Gaara was persistent and pressed the head of the newt to Hinata's tiny lips.
"Come on try it," he said eagerly.
His eyes and smile got wider as he saw her unwillingly part her lips and bite off the crunchy head of the roasted newt. At first she clenched every part of her body and closed her eyes as if she was preparing for something terrible to happen but then her baby doll face melted into surprise and then bliss.
"Gaara-Kun, it's good! Arigato!"
Gaara smiled his widest and happiest smile he could muster and then it was his turn to blush when Hinata fed Gaara some of her kabob. Temari and Kankuro watched the two happily laughing and talking and for a precious moment in time they let their guard down around their brother and let him be a real kid for once. Hinata continued with her new friend Gaara, hand-in-hand until Hinata saw something that caught her eye.
"Look Gaara-Kun A playground!"
Gaara's attention turned from Hinata to the playground which had a swing, slides, monkey bars, and Gaara's favorite; The sandbox. Hinata ran with him to the playground laughing all the way. Temari and Kankuro sat on bench looking bored because they had nothing else to do but watch a couple of kids for an hour. Temari filed her nails while Kankuro put some new additions on his mini puppet while they were sharing secret smiles with each other and stealing glances at their brother with a friend for once in his small life. Hinata situated herself comfortably in the swing seat and held onto the chains tightly.
"Come o-on Gaara-Kun push m-me!"
Gaara placed his precious teddy bear in the baby swing and pushed it first before he pushed Hinata as hard as he could push. Hinata felt like she was flying with each push, her boyishly short hair flew back, her legs swung forward, and she swore she could touch the sky. Hinata took a chance and leapt out of her chair and hoped to land on her feet like a cat and she thought it would work because she had seen Neji do it and a few other people so maybe she could do it too. She was wrong.
Hinata landed on one leg and her weight crumpled underneath her making her fall and scrape her knee. The pain shocked her tiny frame as the reddened area on her knee turned into a bleeding cut and she began to cry. Gaara ran over to his friend in a heartbeat then leaned down next to her knee. He firmly shook his head and closed his eyes and his sand started swirling about his feet. Hinata forgot her pain and watched the flecks of sand turn into a whirlwind around his toes then move like a snake over to her knee. The sand roughly caressed her knee and felt like sandpaper going across her. The grit of the sand made Hinata feel uncomfortable but after the sand was gone so was the blood of the cut.
"Ahh…Arigato Gaara-kun! That was amazing!"
Gaara lightly blushed as the sand settled back down into its area. Hinata offered that they play the Kishi to Hime because it was her favorite game to play. She would be the princess and Gaara would be the knight and his teddy bear would be ferocious fire breathing, 100-foot monster. Hinata walked up the stairs on the play area and took her place in her "tower" while Gaara grabbed a stick to be his "sword."
Gaara ran up the stairs yelling, "I'll save you Princess!" while Hinata screamed, "Oh Help me!"
It was a funny little show they put on for Temari and Kankuro, who were watching without choice. Their brother, the aspiring young hero and Hinata, the beautiful, helpless princess. Temari snorted to herself.
'My brother? A hero? Nobody would give him the chance.' She thought. However, Kankuro did not share her thoughts. He thought that their roles seemed to fit somehow. Little did he know how right he would be.
Gaara smacked his bear with a stick until the bear toppled over then grabbed Hinata and began his descend back down the stairs.
"Okay so I saved you. Now what?"
"Well…Mother says they live happily ever after."
"How do we do that?"
"Hmm…We do what father and mother did! We get married!"
Temari laughed so hard she thought she'd cry. Marriage, what a waste of time and it certainly didn't always provide a happily ever after. She learned that from her mother and father and numerous other children whose parents fought and split apart. Marriage wasn't always the final answer to eternal happiness. She watched as Hinata and Gaara with his teddy bear left the confounds of the playground to go across the street. What a pair they made. The bloody-haired kid with dark circles around his eyes, the demon of the sand village, feared and despised and the crème-skinned, soft lilac-eyed heiress, the future of her clan, revered and respected, loved by all. Complete opposites in every which way even in appearance and yet here they were, two peas in a pod, best of friends.
Hinata pulled out her coin purse and placed two quarters in a gumball machine and watched the two pods carrying her prizes inside roll down to meet the opening. She took the pink pod which had the girly prize in it and she gave the blue pod to Gaara. When she opened hers, it beheld a plastic pink ring with a yellow painted flower and when Gaara opened his it held a dark gray metal ring with a white swirl running through it. The rings were placed on the proper fingers when Gaara asked,
"What now? Are we married yet?"
"N-No…w-w have to…," Her face was turning as red as Gaara's signature hair, "K-kiss."
"Kiss? What's a kiss? How do you do it?"
Kankuro laughed this time. He had his first kiss before Gaara was born but then again, the child was sheltered away from the real world. Hinata demonstrated on the bear then closed her eyes and pursed her lips for Gaara to kiss and when he did, and it was a tiny peck, it made them both feel funny and warm. The feeling of tingly warmth spread out to their toes and made them suddenly giddy. Right after that moment of smiles and light blushes, Yashamaru came out with the Kazekage not far behind and with him was the Hokage and the Hyuga's.
"Time to go kiddo," Yashamaru said with a smile then took note of Gaara's hands intertwined with Hinata's. "I see you made a friend."
Gaara shook his head violently, a smile to rival the Cheshire cat was placed upon his lightly tanned face. Hinata giggled.
"Can I take her home with me?"
Everyone burst out in a laugh except for the ever serious Kazekage who didn't let out not even a snicker or chortle.
"No, of course not. Hinata needs to go home with her family."
"Yashamaru is right. She belongs at home with US…our kind."
Yashamaru looked back to see the response had come from Neji and it sounded more like a threat. Hinata sighed and let go of Gaara's hand.
"No come back!"
"Don't worry Gaara, we'll see each other again."
"Promise?"
"Yeah! And you have to promise to never take the ring off."
"Okay. You too!"
Hinata nodded as Gaara was led away by the Kazekage and Yashamaru. Temari and Kankuro waved to Hinata who shyly waved back.
"Promise you won't forget me?"
The shout had startled Hiromi, Hiashi and Neji for Hinata's voice level was always at a soft whisper, like the wind. Gaara looked back with hope and happiness in his eyes.
"I will NEVER forget you!"
Hinata smiled. "And I won't forget you!"
It was the beginning of something wonderful for Hinata but unfortunately this also marked the beginning of hardships for Gaara which also meant that this friendship, which was supposed to never be forgotten, would be.