Well here is the 9th chapter, so sorry for the long wait but I hope you will enjoy
Hinata breathed out a sigh of contentment, and her heart was doing jumping jacks. Her hand rested upon her chest, and she heaved in a breath; her long black hair fell over her shoulders, and she flipped it over so it was on her back.
She was going to see Gaara tomorrow.
Her head swirled with emotions, ideas, and possibilities. She was excited but scared all at once. Hinata couldn't wait; she wanted to sleep and wake up at the crack of dawn to prepare for her and Gaara's 'date'. Hinata fell back on her pillow, her hand opened, and her phone fell against the pillow. She gave a light laugh; her heart had never felt so heavy as it did now, and she had never felt such emotion whirling deep inside her.
Never had she ever felt this for someone.
She closed her eyes, hoping, willing, that she could get the much-needed rest for the undoubtedly eventful day she would have with the sea-blue-eyed guy.
The light cracked through the broken window, and the dreadful morning woke Gaara from his slumber. Dreams of him and the pearl-eyed girl had given him a blissful dream for at least a while; the memories and nightmares he usually had were repressed for at least that night.
Snorting in annoyance, he stretched his arms above his head and rubbed his tired eyes. Getting up, he walked over to the kitchen bench; he tripped over Shukaku, who was also in a deep sleep.
"Oh, Fuck sake!" Gaara growled and pushed himself up from the floor.
Shukaku gave a little bark before he moved from under Gaara, plopped himself on the warmth Gaara left in his bed, and closed his tired eyes.
"Fucking little shit." Gaara shook his head and cracked his back, and he walked over to the bench he always climbed over and almost tripped over the boxes that littered the floor before going in to shower.
He stripped himself of his clothing and looked at himself in the broken mirror.
He never did look himself in the mirror, not since he was a kid. He always walked past mirrors of shops, and the dojo had mirrors, but never once did he glimpse himself of his adult life. He didn't want to be reminded of what he was and what he could do.
The scars and gashes that mirrored him were evidence of that, they all had a story, and they all had a purpose. Subconsciously, Gaara reached for the deep and long scar that ran over his heart.
He remembers as if it was yesterday, the event that happened when he was just a boy, just six years old. Just 6, he was not yet a boy capable of hating anyone with a passion or even fighting for his rights, but he proved everyone wrong, even himself.
Closing his eyes at the thoughts that whirled through his head, he braced himself on the wall next to him.
He was always told that he was never loved and that he would find no one ever to love him, and he, in turn, never loved them, that he was incapable of receiving and giving it.
And yet, Hinata, a graceful and pure girl who has turned his life upside down, entered his mind so often more than he could count, giving him such an unfamiliar emotion he has no control. Now he is getting ready for a day when he might be on a date with the pearl-eyed girl.
Clearing his dry throat, he straightened up and opened his eyes again. He wasn't going to let the past affect what was in store for him and this pearl-eyed girl; he wasn't going to back down, not today.
Squeezing his body through the shower, he turned the knobs to his desired temperature, loathed himself with soap, and enjoyed the soothing rain.
Hinata was beside herself; she had gotten up a little early so she could shower, dress, and even style her hair. She had to stop for a few moments at a time; however, Hanabi was amused at how frantic her elder sister was because she was everywhere around the house.
"Elder sister?" Hanabi questioned, laughing as Hinata stopped reaching over the rack that held her skirt and looked at Hanabi, who had amusement written all over her face.
"Y-Yes, H-Hanabi?" Hinata straightened up and gave a light smile.
"What are you doing?" Hanabi looked around the disarranged room that used to be the living room.
"W-What I-is I-it I-I a-am d-doing..." Hinata took one good look at the living room and put one hand to her mouth, clearly not realising the mess she had made, "O-Oh d-dear..."
Hanabi laughed, "Oh, dear sister. Haha, you are on a date, aren't you?" Hanabi wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
Hinata grabbed the skirt on the rack and sat down on the floor, "Y-Yes, I-I a-am. B-But I-I n-never t-thought I-I'd e-ever b-be i-in t-this p-position, H-Hanabi." Hinata looked up at Hanabi; she walked over and sat down beside Hinata, "I-I d-didn't t-think I-I w-would b-be f-frantic a-all o-over t-the p-place l-looking f-for a-an o-outfit f-for a-a... A-A d-date." She bowed her head down low.
"Oh, Hinata." Hanabi waved a hand, "I knew this day would come." Hanabi laughed, "I am more than capable of helping you, Hinata; I am your little sister."
"Y-Yes..." Hinata gave a light laugh.
"Come on." Hanabi tugged on Hinata's arm, making her stand up, "I know what you could wear!"
I sure help. It's good. Hinata thought as her little sister pulled her.
"See, what did I tell you?" Hanabi crossed her arms and gave an appreciative look at Hinata.
"W-Wow...H-Hanabi, I-I l-look... I-I l-look g-good." Hinata twirled.
She was wearing a two-piece outfit and had a light blue skirt with black stockings and a white singlet top with a grey cardigan.
"What can I say? I am the mastermind." Hanabi chuckled.
"I-I h-hope G-Gaara w-will l-like i-it..." Hinata whispered under her breath.
"So it's Gaara you are going on a date with! I knew it!" She waved her hands excitingly in the air, "He will love the outfit, even if I have to make him." She smirked.
"Y-You a-are n-not c-coming o-on t-the d-date w-with u-us, H-Hanabi." She walked up to her and gave her a light hug.
"Why not?" Hanabi questioned, hands still by her side.
"B-Because i-it's m-mine a-and G-Gaara's d-date, n-not m-mine, y-yours a-and G-Gaara's." Hinata laughed and shook her head.
"That's unfair!" Hanabi cried.
"I-It i-is c-completely f-fair, H-Hanabi." Hinata let go of Hanabi and walked over to her bed. Picking the phone on the pillow, she pressed the middle button to see the time, only 9:45 am. She let out a little breath and fell back on the bed.
Hinata felt the other side of the bed weigh down, "You're nervous." Hanabi laid down with Hinata and put her hands behind her head, "Don't be; he's probably just as nervous as you are."
"H-His p-probably f-forgotten b-by n-now, o-or c-calm, o-or b-busy... O-Or..." Hinata trailed on.
"Or stop making excuses." Hanabi got up from the bed, "You might want to go. You don't want to be late."
"Y-You're r-right." Hinata got up from the bed and grabbed her purse and phone, "I-I a-am g-going o-on m-my v-very f-first d-date." She smiled, walking out of the room and downstairs.
"H-Have f-fun," Hanabi called from the bottom step of the stairs, waving.
"T-Thank y-you." She waved back and walked out the door.
"Where is Hinata going?" Hansuke walked out of the hallway; he had an apron and was mixing something in a bowl.
"Just a date with friends." Hanabi shrugged, turning around and skipping up the stairs.
"Well, good for Hinata going out with friends, real proud of her." Hansuke cheered.
From the top of the stairs, he could hear the faint laughter of Hanabi.
Hanasuke shrugged and walked back into the kitchen.
"Hey, Gaara!" Naruto yelled from across the dojo.
Gaara growled, "Can't you just come over instead of yelling from halfway across the room!" He was on the steps stretching his legs out.
"Wow, don't get your panties in a tight knot." Naruto laughed, walking over to Gaara.
"What do you want this time?" He asked.
"Oh, it's not what I want; it's what you want... Well, no need." He snickered.
"And what is it I need?" Gaara stopped the stretching and sat down, a towel on his shoulder.
"Here you go." Naruto handed him a box wrapped in silly paper with the words 'Happy Birthday'.
Gaara gave him a questionable look before shaking his head and tearing the paper, "You're a fuckwit, you know that." Giving him a dreadful face.
"What? You may get lucky tonight." Naruto held his hands in the air, "I'm just trying to help a brother out."
Gaara tossed the condom packet on the seat beside him. He placed his hands on his head and looked down, "How did you find out, anyhow."
"Sasuke has many friends who talk in more ways than one." Naruto laughed, sitting beside him.
"Let me guess; you fucked Ino." He crossed his arms, stretching out his legs.
"Oh, I fucked Ino, alright. Surprising, too, I never sleep with the same woman twice." He laughed.
"Doesn't she have a boyfriend or something?"
"I don't know, maybe, didn't stop me." He winked, punching Gaara in the arm, "Anyhow, what's with the long face?"
"I don't have a long face." Gaara scoffed.
"Gaara, I've known you far longer than you care to admit; now, tell me, what's up?" Naruto wrapped an arm around Gaara's shoulder.
Gaara shrugged off his arm, "Just... Waiting for Hinata to come by." He looked down at the ground, not wanting to look Naruto in the eyes.
"Oh!" Naruto's eyes widen, and a broad smile spreads across his face, "You're nervous, haha." He laughed.
"I am not!" Gaara growled, glaring slightly at Naruto.
"Oh." Naruto nudged him in the rib, "I know you are. No use trying to deny it. And don't worry." He came closer to Gaara, put a hand to his mouth, and whispered, "I won't tell anyone how nervous you are on your date with Hinata." He snickered.
"Oh, piss off." Gaara punched him in the rib; hearing a slight 'huff' from him, he got up from the bench and wiped the sweat from his 'brows'. He walked to the locker bay and put on a grey singlet and some deodorant.
"Oi, Gaara," Jiraiya called, one of his trainers in the dojo. He had pure white hair, aged had caused lines around his mouth; he always had on shorts and long red t-shirts.
"Yes." Gaara acknowledged him; he was his trainer, after all.
"There is a gorgeous lady at the front desk. She is waiting for you." Jiraiya shook his head, "Did I hear correctly?" He questioned.
"Yes, Jiraiya, you heard correctly." Tossing the towel and deodorant back in his locker and locking it, he walked passed Jiraiya towards the front desk.
"There is a pretty lady here. To see Gaara?" Jiraiya questioned himself, not understanding the information one bit.
"Yep, that is very hard to believe. But Believe it." Naruto smirked when Jiraiya gave him a confused and odd look, then walked off, mumbling his thoughts.
Hinata waited patiently at the front desk. She was agitated and worried. She was worried that Gaara didn't want to meet up with her after all, and she just came here all for nothing. She was starting to get cold feet. This was the first time she had done something so daring and unimaginable, the shy, timid little Hinata going on a date with a very handsome-looking guy; it was beyond her.
Hinata let out a long breath and decided to sit down before she fell or, worse, fainted. She twirled her fingers on her lap and looked up at all the health and safety posters littered the wall; she wondered if the dojo followed any of the health and safety rules.
Hinata was so lost in the posters that she didn't notice the looming figure that stood in front of her.
"Hinata." A soft voice said from in front of her.
Hinata put her hand on her heart from fright. "Ah." She squeaked.
"Sorry." The figure mumbled under their breath.
"I-it's o-okay, G-Gaara." She breathed, "I-I j-just w-wasn't a-aware o-of m-my s-surroundings."
"It's alright." He put his hands in his pocket pants, "Shall we go?"
"Y-Yes, l-lets g-go." She smiled at him, and they walked out the front doors of the dojo.
"Where would you like to go?" Gaara questioned, dodging the people that walked past him. He usually walked on the opposite pavement where he wouldn't be touching anyone, but with Hinata, he decided against it.
"T-there I-is a-a w-wonderful c-cafe d-down n-near t-the a-abandoned p-park," Hinata suggested, twiddling her fingers.
Gaara's 'brows' rose, he'd been at the abandoned park at least half a hundred times, and he'd never seen a cafe near there, "Sure." He shrugged.
The walk between the two had been filled with silence; neither knew what to say to the other. They stood by each other, comfortable but silent. The silence didn't usually bother Hinata. However, she wanted Gaara to like her, not think her weird.
"S-so." She began, "D-do y-you a-always s-spend y-your t-time I-in t-the d-dojo?" She questioned, trying to think of anything to break the silence.
"Yes." He nodded his head.
"Y-you m-much e-enjoy I-it... T-then?" she smiled.
"I enjoy the thrill it gives me." He looked at her from the corner of his eyes; she gave a little pout to the side. "I have been fighting my whole life." He started again; she was trying to start a conversation with him. The least he could do was elaborate more, "Since I was as young as five, but back then, in my household, you start when you can walk."
"F-fighting?" Hinata's eyes were wide.
"Yes." He nodded, "I grew up in an unpleasant family with an even unpleasant neighbourhood; fighting was what protected me." He sighed slightly, "It's what served its purpose for me all these years."
"S-so, y-you j-just j-joined a-a d-dojo, w-when y-you w-were o-only f-five?" She edged closer to him, wanting to know more about him.
"It's... much more complicated than that..." He shook his head, "Why do you always stutter? You seem to stutter in front of everyone, including me unless I am making you nervous?" he asked, changing the subject.
"O-oh." She twiddled her fingers again, she wanted to know more about Gaara, but he brought his story to an abrupt halt and asked about her, "W-well, I-I a-always b-been a-a l-little s-shy t-towards e-everyone... I-I e-enjoy y-your c-company v-very m-much, G-Gaara, I-it j-just t-takes s-some t-time t-to b-be c-comfortable a-around e-everyone." She gave a little nervous laugh and looked at Gaara.
"I enjoy your company too, Hinata." He looked straight into her eyes, so pure and white, he was lost. She had got him hooked in her eyes, filled with a story; he suspected she could see his too.
"Hm." He cleared his throat, looked up and realised that, indeed, there was a café and that he was near the old park. The sign wasn't nearly visible; you'd have to be close up to the café to see that there was a building at all.
"I-I l-love t-this p-place." Hinata smiled, "Let's go I-in." She offered; Gaara just nodded and followed her lead.
The café room was mostly bare of customers, save the two people who were reading a newspaper or drinking coffee on opposite sides of the room, then Gaara and Hinata, but it wasn't overly large, but seemed much more extensive. There was only one register, and the bench space was minimal; there was only one small doorway at the back of the store counter, and an even smaller door that Gaara presumed was the freezer. The bell on the door rang, signalling that a customer had come in.
"Ah." A brown-haired woman gasped as she put the coffee beans in the coffee machine, "Hinata!" the woman stopped her task and jumped over the counter to hug the timid girl.
"T-Tenten." Hinata hugged back.
"I have missed you so much, ah. What have you been up to? How have you been? What would you like to eat?" Tenten then looked to the companion beside her, "Whose... this?" she looked to Hinata in question.
"T-this I-is, G-Gaara." she started, "W-were o-on a-a..."
"Date." Gaara finished for Hinata.
"Oh..." Tenten gave Hinata a side look, "Well..." she smiled, "Welcome to café knives; what may I get for you today? Unfortunately, all the food has spoiled, the coffee sucks, and the sweets have all but rotten because we work in a crappy neighbourhood where no one knows about this place, and my boss doesn't care about this place no more."
"o-oh." Hinata gave Gaara an apologetic look, "W-what I-isn't s-spoil o-or d-doesn't t-taste w-weird?"
"The ice cream does taste mighty delicious." Tenten laughed, "It's the only thing in this place that doesn't suck."
"We will have some of that then," Gaara stated.
Tenten gave him a side look again, "Well... what flavours would you like? we've got 12 flavours, I'm guessing though Hinata would like some bubble-gum and mango." she flashed Hinata a smiled, then looked at Gaara, "And you would like...?" she raised a perfect brown brow.
"What flavours don't suck and taste appealing?"
Tenten snorted but walked over to the counter again and jumped over, "We have mint and black sherbet; those flavours go nice together, I reckon." she went out the back to the freezer and came back with four big ice cream tubes. Reaching over the register, she grabbed the ice cream scoops that were in a container; she looked up to see Gaara's questionable look; she shrugged, "The only thing people are buying these days is the ice cream and the coffee if they tolerate it, I keep the scoops next to the register and the cones underneath, it's a small place and even less storage." She grabbed the cones that she said were under the register and put two decent size scoops of flavours she knew Hinata liked and two impressive sizes for Gaara's.
"Here you both go." She handed the ice-creams to them both; Gaara reached into his pocket for his wallet, "No, no, anyone who comes here with Hinata has the meal on the house."
Gaara grunted but gave a polite 'thank you'; Hinata smiled at Tenten and walked with Gaara to the table.
Gaara and Hinata walked out of the little café; it was a bit chilly and cold; Hinata hugged her cardigan closer to her body, and Gaara just stood there unfazed by the cold.
"I-I h-had a-a g-good t-time t-today." Hinata smiled.
"I did too... Your friend is... strange." He shook his head, "She just glared daggers at me the whole time we were eating the ice cream; I was weary of talking to you, let alone sitting with you."
Hinata giggled, "Y-yes, a-all m-my f-friends a-are a-a b-bit o-out t-there I-I s-suppose."
"A bit." Gaara shook his head, "Well, whatever you think, Hinata." He looked her in the eyes again.
"I-I s-suppose, I-I s-should g-go," Hinata suggested.
"Maybe..." He walked closer to her; he could hear Hinata's breath catch in her throat. He reached to touch her face, caressing her face and then tucking a loose string of hair behind her ear. His hand inched closer to the back of her neck, his breathing was heavy, and he felt his heart throb. He led down to her face; her eyes were closed.
"Gaara."
So sorry for the long wait, turned out internet was down, but now here is the next chapter. I am sorry for not really writing much about their date but I felt like I would of made it a bit cheesy, and I wanted it to be an ice breaker were neither of the two knew what to say or do, next time it will be more detail and I will focus on them more, bu for now R/R