Hinata was rudely awakened by Gaara very early in the morning. He rolled her off the bed and let her hit the floor with a thud. Her whole body awoke with a shock and sudden numbness everywhere.
"Get up. It's time to train."
Hinata rubbed her aching body and sore head, which was now throbbing with a splitting headache. She nodded, got up and started to dress herself in the bathroom. She found some gauze in there and wrapped her hands and knuckles with it then looked in the mirror. Finally! She was going to train with Gaara and become stronger and prove herself. Gaara seemed apt to training her well enough but she expected nothing but brutality, but she was used to it. She came out, fully prepared to shed blood in the name of respect and acknowledgement, following Gaara far away into the Konoha forest. The place they went to was an open field in the forest with a lake, a perfect place for training. Gaara stood at ready and struck Hinata with his sand. She was blasted off her feet and propelled backwards.
"Lesson one; always be on guard. Be ready at all times you never know when an enemy is going to attack."
Hinata struggled to get up; she was still numb, weak and sore from Gaara's harsh and violent behavior yesterday and on top of that her stomach was empty, Gaara hadn't allowed her to eat he said food would slow her down. While Hinata was struggling to get up Gaara lashed out his sand again, tossing her about the trees.
"Lesson two; your opponent will not wait for you to regain consciousness or health they will strike at any moment especially when one is weak."
Gaara grabbed Hinata with his sand and effortlessly flung her into the lake then flung her back onto the ground.
"Lesson three; be agile and quick but always be quicker than your opponent."
Hinata tried again to get up and just when she was on her feet Gaara took that moment to create a rising tidal wave of sand. It rose up behind him, ready to consume Hinata.
"Lesson four; expect the unexpected but also be able to predict the next movements of your opponent but don't simply fall back on just what you predict."
The sand tidal wave crashed over Hinata, burying her up to her neck in sand. The sand was thick and hot and smelled like blood all around her; it was difficult to escape it all.
"Lesson five; Pace yourself. Use whatever resources, chakra's you have but don't use them too much or too fast, reserve them until the last moment so as not to tire yourself."
The sand sifted around Hinata and swooped back into Gaara's gourd. He looked down upon the bruised and bloody Hinata.
"Lesson Six; your opponent will be predicting your moves too, surprise them."
He roughly picked her up and flung her well across the other side of the lake. In about a minute Gaara was standing next to the ragdoll that was Hinata.
"Lesson seven; never let the enemy know your weakness for they will use it against you and if the enemy finds out you must find his or hers as well."
His sand whipped out of his gourd and picked up Hinata by her leg. She was suspended upside down in front of him.
"Last lesson, lesson eight; while you must attack to survive you must also defend what's most important."
Hinata opened her eyes slowly because of the extreme pain she was in. Gaara looked straight into them and saw something familiar. He saw a yearning to belong, need of love, need to be recognized, appreciated, needed, wanted, a feeling of hopelessness, despair, anger, fear, and in her eyes was a slight emptiness, a need to be filled…complete…whole. Gaara's eyes widened, her eyes were like his eyes. Those deep feelings that lay dormant in his heart that even he not dare confess, the feelings he swore he never had or needed because of what the Shukaku told him.
"Your eyes…"
He shook the thought out of his head and dropped her on the ground. He walked around the lake to the other side, his mind was a puzzle of thoughts he simply couldn't piece into one picture.
'What's the matter with you boy? You could have easily killed her! She is like a puny grape we can easily squish between our fingers. KILL HER BOY SHE'S RIGHT THERE!'
Gaara looked behind him to see a struggling Hinata. He was split between killing her right there and actually helping her up. He didn't know what was wrong with him and he didn't know what was right. Everything was spinning and he felt sick to his stomach.
"Hurry up back there!"
Hinata tilted her head up toward Gaara. She was still so weak but she had learned so much. She would always remember his lessons and next time they sparred she would actually hit him. Gaara was tough but Hinata had a tough hide; after all that she went through she should. She limped as fast as she could, trying to walk off and block out the pain. She began breathing hard because of the struggle to keep at a normal speed with such a weak frame and blood drizzled out of her mouth.
Gaara turned around again and saw that nectar that was Hinata's blood coming out of her rose bud lips. His pupils dilated and the whites of his eyes trembled. He rushed over to her and pounced on her, savage with the need for her blood. Hinata looked up at Gaara with fear, her eyes rounder than dinner plates. She felt his hands grab the sides of her cheek; she felt his warm lips upon her surprisingly cold ones, she felt his tongue enter her mouth and scoop out every drop of blood in her, going deep down her throat, she felt it all but she didn't move.
It was too much shock for her to handle and her pale skin went redder than a newly lit fire. Gaara bit the corners of her lips then got up and left, licking his lips. He wasn't totally satisfied, neither was Shukaku but something told Gaara to stop. When Hinata was pulled back to earth she realized Gaara just swiped the kiss lingering on her lips, the kiss meant for Naruto, her first real kiss with a boy, Gaara stole her dreams and hopes to ever be kissed by the one she loved. It seemed Gaara stole everything and gave nothing in return. When they got to the Hotel Temari and Kankuro noticed how beat up Hinata was and they also noticed her looking very depressed and zombie-like.
"Hey Kiddo we made some maruchan, want some? I don't think you ate this morning."
She looked up at the bowl of delicious ramen. Ramen. Naruto liked ramen. In fact, it was his favorite food. Hinata started to cry, cry all the tears she had been holding back for so long, cry like nobody was there, cry like she had just lost someone important.
"Hey don't cry now! If you don't like ramen, we can make you something else. No need for the fuss!"
"Kankuro is right. What cha crying for anyways? I know it's not because the ramen."
Hinata looked up, drying her eyes. She stuttered but not with shyness with the heaving sobs and hiccups that came with her discontent. She sniffled and sighed then asked for some tea when she could finally stop stuttering. Temari made a cinnamon chai tea that her mother always made to calm her down.
"Here you go. Now, what's all the crying about, Hn? It's Gaara isn't it?"
"Hush Temari, he'll hear you."
"Whatever. He probably already did hear me."
"Yeah with that big, loud mouth of yours."
"Excuse me?"
"Oh nothing…it's just that you have a big fish mouth."
"Why I oughta…."
"Please…no more fighting."
They turned their attention to the small Hinata sipping her tea. She looked dead, all pale and sickly with her hair matted with blood and sweat.
"Damnit Gaara…What did he do to you?"
"Hey I don't wanna go from the three sand siblings to the two sand siblings so would you shut the hell up!"
"Aww Kankuro You do care!"
Kankuro rubbed the back of his head and looked away. "No. Its just women belong in the kitchen and with you gone we'd all starve."
Temari gritted her teeth and whacked Kankuro to the other side of the room with her gigantic fan.
"Now, tell Aunty Temari what happened. Gaara beat the crap out of you?"
"It's not that...I c-can take t-that…"
"Hn? Then what?"
Hinata was silent. Should she tell Temari? Would she care? She didn't want any more fighting. She hated violence.
"Look if you don't want to tell me whatever, I don't care. But just know, there's nothing we or you can do to stop him or fix him or change anything he does. There's no point in even trying to crack through his tough turtle shell. I suggest you leave Konoha, go somewhere where he can't find you because he will never stop treating you like the lower life form he thinks you are."
Temari put the ramen in front of Hinata and smiled as she walked into her room. Kankuro finally regained consciousness and rubbed the massive lump on his head.
"Ahh…What happened?"
Hinata smiled ever so lightly and looked toward Gaara's room. There was no chance at fixing him or changing him…nothing they could do…no point in trying. That's what Temari said but did she know? Hinata was not one to ever give up or back down. The way Gaara acted wasn't because he was pure evil but it was because he didn't understand. What he needed was a purpose in life. After sipping her tea and eating the ramen she walked, with unasked aid from Kankuro, to Gaara's room. Gaara was looking out the window; he seemed to be sneering down at the happy children playing.
"How dare they."
"Huh?"
"How dare they smile and be happy. Their insignificant lives have just started. What have they got to be happy about? There is nothing on this world to be happy about. All that lies is misery and death. Beautiful sweet death, a relief from this disgusting planet and the turmoil it brings and the wretched weaklings that crawl amongst it. Why do they smile? They have no right or reason."
"Y-Y-You w-w-ere them o-once. Y-You s-s-miled once. Y-You w-were h-happy once. W-what was y-y-our r-reason?"
"Foolish ignorance and naivety. I didn't know what a cold, cruel world this was but I was awoken to it. There is no such thing you people call 'true love' or 'happiness'. Only depression."
"G-G-Gaara-semp-p-ai, e-everyone h-has a r-reason f-for e-e-xistence, a r-reason t-they k-k-keep moving o-on in l-life d-despite the t-trouble. N-Naruto's is b-b-becoming t-the Hokage."
The thought of Naruto hurt her heart. Would she ever see her crush again? Did she make the right choice in staying here? Was she, in fact, foolish like everyone said? Even so, where was her family? Why hadn't she heard of any search? Did they honestly not care? What about her friends, did they care?
"Reason for existence?"
"H-Hai! It k-keeps them h-happy. T-the whole w-w-orld isn't corrupt and a-a-a-weful like y-y-ou t-think. O-Only s-sometimes."
"You know, you should really control your stutter, it irritates me."
Hinata put her foot down. Enough was enough.
"Gaara w-we are friends, h-hai?"
"I don't know. I've never had any before. I don't know what to do with one."
"I'll t-teach you. Friends don't t-treat friends like this. They don't hurt them or b-bash them o-or call them names. If a friend has a-a f-flaw then the other t-tries t-to f-fix it and h-help not b-belittle. Friends stick together t-to the e-end forever. Always having e-each others back. Always p-protecting and caring for t-them. Friends l-love each other."
"So if we're friends…that means I have to protect you and be kind to you and…love you?"
'Don't listen to her boy! She's planting seeds of lies in you. You know nobody cares about a scrawny nobody like you!'
He held the sides of his head and started convulsing slightly.
"G-Gaara?"
He looked back at her, one eye twitching, mouth slightly foaming.
"Don't you understand? I can't love, especially when nobody loves me!"
"I l-love y-you Gaara, as a f-friend."
"How could you? Part of me wants to kill you and has tried numerous times. How can you love the monster I am?!"
"I don't s-s-ee a m-monster."
"How can you not see it? I'm a hideous beast!"
A part of him started to form into the demon Shukaku. One half of his face was Gaara and one had was a distorted, devious raccoon demon with golden eyes set into black instead of white. His fangs were monstrous and dripping with foam and saliva. Hinata could of screamed and fainted, she thought she was going to but she mustered up all her courage to touch Gaara's Shukaku side. The touch of her soft skin against the rocky roughness of the Shukaku's skin was more than Gaara could bear. She was so gentle and showed such kindness.
"I s-s-s-see no m-monster. O-only a p-poor boy c-controlled b-by one. H-He needs to l-let Gaara go."
"I'LL NEVER LET HIM GO! YOU CAN'T STOP ME GIRL! WE WILL KILL YOU AND DRINK YOUR DELICIOUS BLOOD THAT WE CRAVE SO DEARLY! YOU THINK YOU'RE NOTHING NOW? WAIT TILL YOU'RE DEAD!"
Hinata trembled but swallowed all fear. Now was time to put her courage to the test. She hugged the half demon-half Gaara creation and whispered something in its ear.
"Y-You c-c-an control it Gaara. F-find y-your purpose. F-f-ind the means to l-love and y-you can do it."
"I need help. Help me Hinata."
His voice was cracking and somewhere between Shukaku and Gaara's voice. It sounded desperate like a child in trouble and like a mother a maternal instinct in Hinata switched on as she decided once and for all what to do.
"I w-will h-help you. B-Be my f-friend Gaara, not my e-e-enemy."
She looked directly in his eyes, one was Gaara's signature aqua eyes and the other was the deathly poisonous glare of Shukaku's golden and orange eyes. She took his hand, uncorrupted by the Shukaku, completely normal yet convulsing. Gaara's whole form started convulsing and all that could be heard was Shukaku screaming in anger as Gaara's body fell to the ground. Hinata gasped as she saw sand falling from one side of him, his skin cracking. He reached out to her neck, about to grab it then let his hand fall. Normal Gaara was back, tired, weak and full of questions but he was back.
"How…How did you do that? You controlled Shukaku just with words. How? I've never been able to. What force did you have that I don't?"
Hinata looked at him and smiled very gently. She answered Gaara's question with perfection, no stuttering at all.
"Love, Gaara. Love."