Okay. Um… On with the next request.
Requester: amaineiko
Prompt: GaaHina- Hinata has reoccurring nightmares of Neji's death and Gaara tries to think of ways to help her sleep.
Nightmares
Maybe this wasn't a good idea.
No, he was positive that this wasn't a good idea. At all.
After all, what kind of advice could an insomniac give to a person who was suffering sleeping problems and nightmares? None. None at all.
Gaara scratched his head absent-mindedly, trying to figure out the solution of this reoccurring problem. But it was true, all the same - Hinata was having problems sleeping, and he just couldn't figure out why. And it wasn't like it was anything new, but so far, it was getting worse. And for once, Gaara wanted to help.
Was there anything wrong with a man trying to earnestly help his wife?
He shifted in his seat, his turquoise eyes glancing at the documents situated on his desk. The mahogany desk was cluttered in a mixture of books, papers, and important folders. Normally, he tried to keep his desk as neat and tidy as possible; alas, his problem has resurfaced and there was no way to concentrate on his work now.
Exhaling, he languidly leaned back, tired, but knowing it was futile to sleep. It was miserable; he had to get on with his work. He had to oblige his village; it was a duty, a given for all the Kage around the world. He couldn't slack off, especially not for his own personal matters.
Determined, his grip tightened on the pen in his hand. He felt a cooling sensation by his hand, and he curiously glimpsed down. His pen was broken, and the black ink was dripping all over all the imperative papers meant for the society in Suna.
With a sigh, he casually discarded the mess, and finally started; resolute that would finish by the end of the hour.
Hinata's hand pressed against the cool glass of the window, the one that showed her the view of the outside world. The sands of Suna were swirling beautifully; glinting merrily in light of the shining bright sun. It was truly beautiful; a hot, desert climate that truly was for the fittest of survival. The people dealt with it all: from the arid hot climate to the lack of water. They were so strong. In this hot, sandy wasteland…
That was so much unlike Konoha that it was hard to believe that she once lived there.
When someone mentioned 'Konoha', it garnered a variety of emotions from her. Both good and bad… but it had to be said that for her, Konoha was the start of everything. It was not that she disliked Suna; quite the opposite, in reality. But still… Suna had something missing; it was inexplicable, the effect that Konoha had on herself.
Konoha once held her memories, her life, her dreams… but now it felt like it was emptier that the barren land she was gazing at out the window.
Never once in her life, had she thought that it would turn out like this. She never ever though that she would end up marrying at all… and the Kazekage, no less. She had always dreamed of becoming Naruto's bride - the Hokage's bride - but that was like a faraway hope that might have been wished for, but she knew could never happen. She had always known that he was in love with Sakura; even if he had even a strand of affection for someone like herself, it would never amount to the infinite love he held for Sakura.
But that was okay.
And that was why she never even dreamed of marrying; besides, who would marry her? For some strange reason, back when she was in her homeland, everyone thought that she was going to end up with the last Uchiha - why she didn't know - but they had, and she had abhorred the very idea of it.
She was aware that he had pursued her… but that was probably because he enjoyed the very idea of mixing her bloodline limit with his own. But, even if she felt Sasuke was someone she could stand, she would never be able to forgive him: in the end, back in Konoha, the very idea of forgiving someone who caused her loved ones so much pain was implausible; so she tended to avoid him as much as possible.
In fact, other than Naruto, there was only one person that she had ever considered marrying… and he was dead. Dear Neji… who had sacrificed his life in order to save her; impaled, bleeding to death in front of her eyes, begging her to live on. The blood in the pure white of his eyes haunted her eyen now; she could never, ever forget him, not that she wanted to.
And so, she had timidly acquiesced to her father's decision of an arranged marriage with the Kazekage… and here she was now.
For a time, the nightmares had subsided; Suna bore no resemblance to Konoha, so it was frighteningly easy to try and forget the lush green forests and the cosy little village. But now… as Neji's death anniversary was approaching, the memories she had tried to disremember were reappearing again…
The blood that splattered against her, crimson red, as he faced her with an impending goal of protecting her with his life. The stench of his breath as he slumped against her, lifeless, drained. The feeling of his body going cold as he slowly disappeared from the world.
Shaking her head, she tried to scorn the memories away… but it wasn't working. No, in fact, Gaara might even be worried about her at this stage…
Gaara. At first, when getting to know him, things had been unbearably awkward. It was a good thing that she no longer thought of him as the monster from her memories; of course, she was grateful to him for all that he contributed during the war and against Madara.
But he… had been unbearably awkward, and he even apologized for the fact that she had to marry him, thinking that it must be a pain for her to do so. He was awkward; but it was cute. Really… cuter than she thought. And while he was awkward… so was she.
Turning around, she closed her eyes in serenity, thankful for the rare chance to relax. Normally, her day was busy, filled with the activities she had to do in the hospital (she was the head of it). But today, Gaara had beseeched her to stay at home, saying that she had to rest. Hinata was happy to hear that he had been paying attention to her, even though he had no obligation to do so; Hinata herself wouldn't mind if he chose to be with other women.
She'd understand. If she was a man, she probably wouldn't want to be with herself, either.
Smiling lightly, she looked up at the ceiling. Gaara was bound to come home soon, but it would be late, and they'd have to go back to bed – and somehow, Hinata didn't find herself looking forward to a restless slumber.
Upon entering his home, Gaara felt himself inhale in relief. Her scent was here; and it was probably strange that he could smell it, but he couldn't help himself. She smelled of lilacs and lavender, and it was incredibly soothing smell that never failed to ease him.
But he suddenly frowned. Hinata was still having nightmares, and because of this, her amount of decent sleep had drastically decreased. So while he was relaxed, she was probably tired and just wanted to sleep but couldn't - he wagered he could understand that better than he thought.
But then again, he'd never slept to begin with, so he supposed he was used to it. But that wouldn't help her.
Prior to returning home, he had called in Temari, and questioned her on what he was supposed to do. Shrugging, she had coldly replied that it was a thing that he had to deal with himself; he was the husband, after all.
It wasn't one of his best ideas to call Temari; her boyfriend had recently broken up with her, and she was still suffering from that even. Next time Gaara saw Shikamaru, he would make sure that that idiot knew the terror of his sands.
And so, he did think about his choice of action. After quite some time of deep thought, he had managed to come up with several solutions to conclude the problem; none of which sounded particularly appealing, but he hoped they'd work, nonetheless.
Not one to yell, he promptly appeared wherever Hinata was; his sands carrying him across with ease. Being a sensory ninja, she immediately noticed his silent entrance; she briskly turned around to face him, a light smile showing on her delicate features. Always observant, he could see the deep bags she carried under her eyes… the exhausted way in which he moved… her paler-than-usual skin… It was time for this problem to end.
Never one to dodge around the topic, he decided to get to the point. "How can I help you sleep better?" His deep baritone voice resounded across the room, and Hinata tilted her head back, as if to see him better.
"No hello then, Gaara?" It had taken quite a while for him to manage to get her to refer to him as 'Gaara'. She had always insisted on Lord Kazekage; it was only after he reminded her of her position did she begin calling him by his first name.
Instead of answering, Gaara chose to stare at her intensely. It was this that made Hinata realise that he really was more worried about her than he'd ever let on. "It's o-okay, Gaara," her damn stutter saw the opportunity to come to life again. "I… there's n-nothing you can do to h-help me."
It was almost as if that hard stare could see through her completely. Pondering whether or not to ask her what the nightmares were about in the first place, Gaara decided not to. If it were him in that position, he'd rather not share his feelings… at all, or unless he was feeling ready to talk.
"You can tell me," he decided it to be the best course of action. He couldn't exactly say that he'd always be there; that wasn't true… complications could arise, and a Kage could be killed at any time... but he hoped this to be the best possible reassurance that he could give her.
"… Thanks, Gaara," Hinata smiled, and he felt a slither of relief, although his worry had not yet subsided. Embarrassment was a common experience, and he felt it just then, so he preferred to look away as she expressed her gratitude.
Following on from that conversation, it was time for them both to get ready for bed. Even though Gaara wasn't exactly going to sleep, he used the time at night to fall into a serene state; it was almost like meditating, except he easily snapped out of it in the morning.
And yet, he couldn't help but worry for her as he looked at her dark purple eye bags. Abruptly, he stood up from where he was lying in bed, and proceeded to walk towards the kitchen. It was a distant memory, but he could vaguely recall a time where Temari had trouble sleeping, and his father had made her drink a hot cup of milk.
It wasn't much, but maybe it would help her sleep, like it helped Temari so long ago. "Gaara," Hinata called out hesitantly. "W-where are you going?"
He stopped, his hand already twisting the knob on the door. Should he reply? Well, if he didn't, Hinata might assume unnecessary things, so… "To the kitchen."
Hinata was startled, her eyes widening in alarm. Was he hungry? She thought that he'd have enough to eat… if he was still hungry, she could always make something to appease his appetite; it was the woman's job to do so… "Why?"
Gaara ignored the question, deciding that she would see later anyway. He quickly went downstairs, and efficiently grabbed a glass of milk, warming it up easily with a jutsu of his which he never though was going to be useful (but it ended up being, in a situation like this). He was back in the bedroom quickly and Hinata could just blankly blink.
"What did you…?" He shoved to her the glass of milk, sure that it wasn't hot enough to burn her fingers. She stared at it for a second, before angling her head to the right in bewilderment. "What's this for?"
"Drink. It'll make you sleep better." Gaara replied, as if in an explanation to all the previous questions he asked that she had not answered.
Staring at him, Hinata laughed softly. Lifting the glass up to her lips, she drunk it obediently, leaving the glass on the nightstand next to her, allowing him time to get back in bed, with her.
"I appreciate the sentiment," Hinata informed him, leaning back on her pillow. He nodded in acceptance, his eyes darting to the ceiling. An insomniac shouldn't be trying to help make people sleep. He knew that… but…
It wouldn't stop him from trying.
? Again, what is with these horrific oneshots? Oh well, I tried. Dudes, I'm sorry about my inactivity. It's a myriad of excuses, but if you want to hear them, sure: the keyboard on my computer at home is malfunctioning (thank god for school) and it's exam week right now. This is the first time I've written a GaaHina, so it turned out more horrendous than I thought I could possibly make it.
Busy, busy busy
Review, Aurora