And here is the 17 chapter! I don't think I would be able to continue this story without the reviews, good and bad, from all that read and review my stories! It is greatly appreciated, and it is the main reason for updating. Of course, I am on break for a couple more weeks until I go back to the real world, I am studying to become a nurse! But I am trying, very slowly, to become more active this year and update and finish my stories. I will go back and re-read and rewrite ALL my stories at some point to fix errors and improve on my writing.

So, once again thank you to all my readers out there that have made this journey as a writer possible and enjoyable. Please R/R whenever possible, as it is a fuel source for my writing.

There is lemon in this chapter!

Gaara gave a genuine smile, a wide one with his teeth showing and lips peeled back to his ears. Tears almost spilled from his eyes, but he quickly composed himself and settled, instead, to pull Hinata in a warm and loving kiss.

She returned the kiss happily, reaching out for his hands to hold in her own. The warmth from the heater above intensified from the heat they emitted from each other.

"Hinata…" Gaara whispered as he pulled away from her embrace, "I… I can't say those words, not yet. But I do feel how you feel towards me, Hinata. I have never felt this way about how you make me feel. And I am so grateful to have you in my life." He put his forehead to rest against her own, and a comfortable silence fell between them as they both enjoyed the silence in the little café.

Hinata suddenly pulled back from their embrace, which earned a slight grumble from the redhead. He looked at her in question as she looked him in the eyes.

"Gaara… Do… Do you think we could go back to the y-your place? For a little while…." She quickly glanced down at the ground as he looked at her with unweaving eyes.

"We still have the whole day…." He shrugged, "But if you would like to return to mine, then sure." He chuckled lightly and held her hand tighter.

Hinata blushed in response and was helped with standing up. She gave a short wave to the girl that had served them earlier and was pulled towards the door of the café.

Gaara adjusted the scarf Hinata had given him and put it around their shoulders to protect them from the harsh cold outside. Hinata smiled warmly at him as he opened the door for them both; being the gentleman he was, he let her go first.

"Oh…" Hinata shivered and snuggled into the warmth of the scarf, "It's cold."

Gaara nodded lightly; his cheeks and ears began to pale pink as he buried his nose in the scarf and hugged Hinata tighter to him.

"I'll keep you warm." He smiled softly down at her as they headed down the street.

They both made it to Gaara's apartment; they shivered and hugged each other tighter to try and ward off the chilling cold. The sky was jet black, threatening to rain at any moment and bringing harsh winds.

Gaara unlocked the door and let Hinata enter first. It wasn't as warm as the café, but it was still warmer than outside.

"I'm sorry… I can't really afford to heat… Sasuke hasn't given me any jobs recently…." Gaara looked down awkwardly.

Hinata smiled reassuringly and grabbed his hand, "It's okay; we can keep each other warm."

He smirked lightly and gave her a warm kiss, spreading warmth throughout her body. She gripped his hands and pulled them both to his bed; it was unmade and messy from when he last lay there.

"Sorry." He said again. Gaara mentally smacked himself on the forehead, he had never apologised for this much since he was a kid, but with Hinata, he never stopped apologising for every little thing. It wasn't necessarily bad, but he still had a reputation for holding. Hinata just seemed to be the expectation.

Hinata giggled lightly and pulled him in for a hug under the sheets. They both laughed at her antics and made themselves comfortable on the bed.

Gaara sat upright with one arm resting on his head and the other wrapping around Hinata, who snuggled herself to his chest.

"Did you just want to come here for an excuse to cuddle me?" Gaara teased lightly.

Hinata blushed deeply and buried her face in his chest, "N-No!" She breathed out.

Gaara chuckled lightly.

"I actually wanted to tell you about m-me." She pressed her cheek again and chest and twiddled her fingers, "I-If you wanted to hear it?"

Gaara nodded his head, "Of course."

"Well, I have only one sister, Hanabi." Hinata began.

"Yes… The little devil…." Gaara rolled his eyes.

Hinata giggled, "Yes, s-she is a handful at times. And it is only my father, Hanabi and I. M-My mother died, too, when I was young. She died before Hanabi turned two; I was nearly 10. It was… Very hard for me, as I knew mother for a little while, and Hanabi never knew her. Hanabi l-looks like mother, but she has f-father's attitude." Hinata sighed dreamily.

"Then you must have your mother's." Gaara rubbed her back reassuringly.

"Y-Yeah." She smiled brightly, "W-We were the best of f-friends, mother and I; we did a lot of things together, as I d-didn't have many friends before Sakura or Tenten; mother made sure I didn't feel left out or lonely. She was… Truly w-wonderful. She was so kind and lovely and truly good." She shook her head to the side, "I guess that's why it broke father when she died."

Gaara's eyes narrowed in sorrow; he knew a broken father more than anyone else. Watching a parent fall apart after their spouse dies was able to break anyone down to tears in fear and sorrow.

"After mother died… Father hired maids to look after Hanabi and me. He never really had much say in our upbringing other than when it directly affected him. Such as our behaviour or if we did something that was not 'acceptable'. He was very disappointed when his only children were girls; he wanted an m-male heir more than anything. But he n-never found another woman b-besides my mother." She snuggled closer into his chest.

"I-I was very… Lost when my m-mother died. I didn't have f-friends till high school. I met Sakura and Tenten after school. S-Some guys were in my way at the s-school gates and wouldn't let m-me pass; Sakura and Tenten came to the m-my rescue and showed them b-boys a thing or two about messing with a g-girl. they and I-I became best friends right away, Sakura b-became my second mum; she looked after me, made me feel less lonely and was there for m-me to talk to, whereas Tenten was almost like a second." She sighed happily, "I appreciate Sakura and Tenten as m-my friends."

Gaara nodded silently. They both had similar pasts. He never found that either till he fought with Naruto, and he became the best friend he ever had.

"I-I don't have a very challenging life. E-Especially compared to you. But it was still hard. My father was and is always disappointed by everything I-I do. I was supposed to be the next heir. I was prepped for it. Till I-I turned 15 and all the lessons I had in business analysis and finance were suddenly c-cancelled, and all the prepping me for taking over were suddenly n-not important anymore. My father had his eyes set on Hanabi. H-he ignored me, missed all m-my school events, and n-never said he loved me." Hinata sniffled and put a hand to her mouth to stop herself from sobbing.

Gaara scooped her up in his arms and held her as she lightly cried. Tears flew freely from her eyes and stained his jumper, but he didn't care. As long as he was able to wrap his arms around her and be the one to comfort her, what mattered was a wet jumper?

"All my life, I have felt like a constant disappointment. I have never been good at anything. I've been timid and soft-spoken, I-I-I have always had a stutter, sure I've gotten A's in school, b-but that was because I was good at the test rather t-than the remembering the actual content." She sniffled into his shoulder and pulled herself closer to Gaara, "But then… W-When I met you, my life changed. I-I have never felt this way before towards anyone. You m-make me seem like… Like there is nothing wrong with m-me, t-that I can do anything."

"You can."

Gently, he lifted her chin to meet the looks in his eyes. They were filled with hope, longing, and love. Slowly, he brought his lips down to hers and captured her lips in his. It was for only a moment, but at that moment, he gave her all the love and admiration she needed.

When she pulled back, she looked in straight in the eyes and bit her lip, "I want u-us to make love…." She looked down to the ground, the blanket wrapped securely around them both, "I want y-you to make love to me…." She breathed.

He made her look at him again, staring into her beautiful pearl eyes, "Are you sure?" He asked, "I… I want to, but I… I won't be able to stop if you decide later…."

Hinata shook her head quickly, "N-No, I won't want y-you to… I want this, to give you my f-first time…."

"I don't want to hurt you… What If Rasa- "

She quickly sealed her lips to his, melting his worries with it. His warm hands began to rest upon her shoulders as he peeled off her thick jacket, which made goose bumps appear over her skin from the cold. Quickly, his hands began to explore all the parts of her under her thin t-shirt.

Her hands settled around his waist, brushing off the scarf and jacket he wore; she could feel the ridge muscles under the fingertips. He had such thin clothing that she wondered if she should buy him clothes for his birthday.

His tongue entered her mouth, enticing a moan from her lips and stopping her trail of thought. Slowly, his fingertips ghosted on the hem of her t-shirt, sending shivers of anticipation through her. She groaned as he lightly skipped around her waist that was showing from riding up.

Out of frustration and partly out of the hot feeling she had pooling in between her legs, she helped herself out of the thin t-shirt and was left with only her bra and pants. She blushed at realising what little clothing she had in front of Gaara and the bold move she had just made.

Gaara gave a throaty chuckle, and he, too, helped himself out of his t-shirt, allowing Hinata to see his relaxed, ridge muscles and the terrible scars he had to bear. Slowly, she brought a hand to each scar and traced over them; leaning over, she kissed each one she traced.

Gaara closed his eyes as he felt her warm, tender kisses on his bare skin. Pushing her hand away, he leaned for another kiss and pressed her body down with his. He kissed the corner of her cheek, moved down to her chin, and slowly worked his way to her neck and collarbone. He placed soft and short kisses, leaving a cool trail as he went.

Hinata closed her eyes in pleasure, the warm heat between her legs coiled and spread all over her body. She no longer felt cold but rather hot all over.

Vaguely, she could hear the tapping of the window of his window seal, and the soft padding of rain was heard from outside; it was dark and damp, and the fog slowly merged, covering the buildings out.

She moaned when he reached the top of her breasts; he gave each one a wet and long seething kiss. He looked her in the eyes and gave her a slight grin as he reached over to her back, tickling her slightly; he unclasped her bra.

Out of reflex, she quickly brought her hands to her front to abstract Gaara of the view of them. Gaara frowned in displeasure and pulled her hands away.

"You're beautiful… Let me see you. Let me see all of you." He whispered.

Hinata trembled slightly but allowed him to take her all in. Her nipples were somewhat perked from the little attention Gaara gave them, to which he reached over to tug, very gently, on both of them. Hinata looked away in pleasure; she had never delivered this much attention to her own; she never really pleased herself.

With one hand playing with one nipple, Gaara took the other nipple in his mouth, giving a couple of licks and then sucking gently on them. Very quickly, they became hard and ridged under his touch; they were a decent size, didn't take up an awful lot of space on her breast, weren't enormous, nor were they tiny. They were two perfect peaks.

Hinata brought a hand to her mouth to cover the moans that wanted to escape her; her nipples hardened with the attention and affection they were getting from Gaara. She was self-conscious of them in public; perhaps she never appreciated them because she found no love with them. How on earth had she not tried playing with them herself?

"I want to hear them." He gave a soft kiss to the nipple he played with, then slowly returned to provide her with another kiss, "I want to hear all your moans. Let them all out…."

Hinata released a surprised gasp as Gaara's thumb hooked around her underwear and pants and pulled them off from under her; he tossed them to the other side of the room and gave her a smirk.

She was completely bare to him.

Feeling brave, she scooped below him and pulled his pants off, allowing his member to spring out from constraint. She gulped as she saw the hardened member; she remembered vaguely how he looked when he was soft, but now, he was hardened under her gaze and had clearly doubled in size.

Tenderly, she reached out with both hands and lightly stroked him. Gaara swung his head back in pleasure, and his mouth opened in surprise. Clearly, the little woman underneath him was a tigress in the sheets, he chuckled slightly at that thought, and his heart swelled somewhat, knowing he was the only one to see this side of her.

Looking at his ridge member, she tossed and turned in her head if she should give it a little lick or place him all in her mouth. She vaguely remembered Sakura telling her of such a thing to please men; of course, she never really paid that much attention to her pink-haired friend, which she wished she had because now she was at a complete loss for what to do.

Gaara brought a hand to her head to tangle his hand in her lengthy hair; he tugged gently at each stroke and gave a suppressed moan. Determined to hear him moan, Hinata led down; placing a coat behind her ear, she put her mouth over his member.

He let out a suppressed moan; it was loud and damn sexy; his grip on her hair tightened and his eyes were closed shut. Hinata sucked lightly on the tip before moving her mouth up and down his shaft; Gaara brought his hips up to match her rhythm, she slightly gagged, but she kept her hands in a tight fist to stop herself from gagging anything up.

Abruptly, Gaara stopped her from pleasing him, but instead, he flipped her over to rest her head on his pillows and came fast, fast with her wet core.

Although he hadn't touched her, she was wet and leaking on his bed sheets. She had a patch of black curls, but she was kept clean. It was indeed a beautiful sight for Gaara.

He placed one finger to draw around her core, teasing her; his fingers lightly passed her nub of pleasure, to which she gasped and moved under his light touches. His fingers wrapped themselves around her curls and gave a slight tug, then, very slowly, he moved his finger to circle around her opening, getting her wetter and hungrier for more before placing one finger inside her.

Hinata closed her eyes at the slight intrusion, and after a couple of thrusts of his finger, she began to feel the waves of pleasure. It wasn't long before her stomach began to tighten, and her core was hotter and wetter with his thrust; he placed a second finger in her as she balled the sheet underneath her in a tight fist. His mouth suddenly descended onto her core and gave a couple of sleek, warm licks. She came into his waiting mouth.

"G-G-Gaara…" She breathed out, riding the waves of pleasure.

He came back up to meet her in another seething kiss; she could taste herself on his lips, it was an odd flavour, not something she would go and try for herself, but she welcomed Gaara's kiss all the same.

He placed his forehead against her head and looked her in the eyes.

"Are you ready?" Came his throaty reply.

Stilled, trying to get over her high, she simply nodded for him to continue.

Gaara placed himself between her legs and pushed them apart to allow himself to settle between her; grabbing his member and placing it near her core, wetting it with her juices, he gave her another look in the eyes. He put his lips over hers as he thrust himself into her.

She gave a rattled cry in pain, but his mouth covered hers to shuffle the cry.

He was still inside as he waited for her to adjust to him; when she wiggled underneath him, he started slow and short thrusts.

The feeling he felt inside her was nothing compared to all the women he had first experienced, he was hitting himself mentally for being with them and not waiting for the angel beneath him, but then he would have been a clueless fool who wouldn't know to please the woman he was now.

She was so tight and hot; her core welcomed each thrust and tightened around him, wanting, no, begging for more. He complied with her, thrusting fast and harder with each moan she gave him. Her nails racked his back, breaking the skin and leaving little cuts along his back, but he paid no attention.

Hinata's moans were louder with each thrust, hitting the inside of her that no fingers could reach; her mouth was hanging open from the pleasure Gaara was giving her; it was indeed an extraordinary experience.

Feeling the tightness and pulling of her core and stomach, Hinata brought Gaara closer, her breast brushing against a thin layer of sweat covering them both.

"Oh…Oh…Oh…" She moaned into his ears, tightening her grip.

Gaara, too, felt the familiar rush inside him; he only had a couple of thrusts left before he would be spent. He grabbed her legs and pushed them as far back on the bed as they could as he thrust madly into her.

She came moments later, and he pulled out from her warm core and spilled himself on the bed sheets, rolling over to the other non-occupied part of the bed.

Tried and panting from the lovemaking, they both lay there in silence as they both gave down from their high.

Hinata lent over on her side and cuddled herself towards Gaara's side. Lazily he shifted to drape an arm around her shoulders, hugging her closer. He then placed a soft kiss on top of her forehead.

Hinata closed her eyes to the warmth and affection he showed her, feeling a warm fluttering feeling in her heart as she opened her eyes to gaze at him.

"T-That was… Wonderful…" She smiled as she leaned her head on his shoulder, "I-I enjoyed that…."

"I did, too," he nodded his head and gave her another rare smile, "And I would be happy to do it again." He gave a throaty chuckle as she blushed under his gaze.

His eyes turned in all seriousness, "How are you feeling, though?" He placed a hand on her thigh as he soothingly patted her thigh, "Are you hurt?"

"N-No, I am fine." She smiled reassuringly.

Gaara nodded and settled by rubbing her thigh.

"I am glad my first-time w-was with you."

"I am too."

They sat in the comfortable silence they were often found in. Both enjoyed the other's company, the heat and warmth emitted from them made Hinata slightly tired.

"You want to take a nap in the middle of the day?" He teased.

She looked out of the window. It was hard to tell it was the day with how dark it was outside; the rain poured down harshly from the black and blue clouds. Lightening flashed within the small apartment, lighting the room up slightly.

"N-No…" She looked at her lover, "I want to go again…." She smiled shyly as she gripped his member in her hands; it hardened and stood up for attention.

"Well, then I mustn't disappoint…." He smiled before shifting himself between her legs again.

Sasuke sat in his office; the rain outside was tapping against his window, and the lightning illuminated the dimly lit room.

Besides the rain, his pen sounded like scrapping against the paper as he signed and crossed out the words on the form. His mind was going a million miles a minute. He had so much paper stacked against his desk.

He needed it all done to file it all and do more paperwork to find the little job he had in mind for Gaara and his little girlfriend.

He couldn't afford distractions.

He still had to remember Gaara when he first beat him up. The red-haired probably thinks all is forgotten because he gave him jobs to have money after Itachi upped and left him. On the contrary, he found an opportunity to make money off the 'red sand' or 'rasa' or whatever he or anyone else liked to call him; Gaara had money on his heels wherever he went, and Sasuke cashed in.

Sure, he did it for Naruto, who saw something good in him and was simply trying to help him out, even if Sasuke's business was abrasive. The blonde insisted that Gaara would be a great addition to the team, and he was, in a sense, Sasuke didn't have to lift a finger. He simply sent Gaara and Naruto to do all the work and just got the money.

But he also got the paperwork.

But he also got a smoking hot secretary who did most of the work for him anyway. But the point is, he still remembers Gaara and what he did to him, and his done everything he could to make things just a little bit harder for the redhead.

He was simply waiting patiently for the day he could get back at him in the most painstaking way the redhead did when he humiliated and beat him.

He was just biding his time.

Sasuke took a swig of the whiskey that stood near him as he continued the paperwork. He wished Ino was here to finish it for him, but after hours she was nowhere to be seen or heard from till the following day. She made that very clear enough.

He never paid her for overtime, nor will he, and she simply could not afford to work overtime for someone who couldn't keep up with simple paperwork.

He never had an easy time making or maintaining friends; Naruto is the longest friend he has ever had. Although he sticks just like cancer, it is tough to get rid of once it gets to a particular stage and sticks to you.

Perhaps he wasn't the most approachable bloke, nor did he give off friendly vibes, not to mention how he treats those around him; well, he doesn't treat them well; he at least had his good looks to go off, which made him somewhat famous and still somehow approachable.

He was intelligent, too, maybe not crazy bright, but still smart enough. He groomed himself very well, with clean shaving and short hair. He trains daily, just like Gaara and Naruto, so his physic is still top-notch.

Frankly, he saw himself better than the redhead.

He had everything a girl could dream of and more. And yet he got the girl, and Sasuke did not.

His grip on the pen tightened as he trailed in thought as if a monster like that and a background of misery could get a girl like that!

His door opened abruptly, shifting Sasuke's eyes from the paperwork to the door.

Black eyes met black eyes.

"Hello… Little brother." Itachi smiled faintly, his arms opened wide, "It has been a too long little brother. How have you been?"

Sasuke ground his teeth together as he looked at his older brother in disdain. He placed his pen down and folded his hands together, resting his chin on his hands.

"I have been well, brother," He spat as he eyed him cautiously, "And you?"

Itachi smirked, "I have been very well myself, thank you for asking." He looked around Sasuke's spacious office. It was sleek and modern, costly yet a humble sort of expensive, "I see you have done very well for yourself… With Gaara, of course…." He laughed slightly to himself.

Sasuke flinched, "No thanks to you…."

"Yes…" Itachi said vaguely, his arms clasped behind his back as he paced the room, "Very nice, very nice indeed." He said softly under his breath.

"What are you doing here, Itachi?" Sasuke spat; his patience was wearing thin with the older man in the room.

"I have a proposition to offer you," He stopped pacing and walked by Sasuke's desk, eyeing the younger man, "One you would be very interested in." He smiled softly, sitting down on the vacant chairs by his desk.

Sasuke sighed but nodded for him to continue, "I am listening then…"

"I have heard of Gaara's new little girlfriend." He lent back into his,

offering a causal pose in the chair.

"Yes, Hinata Hyuga." He nodded.

"Yes, her father owns a multimillion billion, actually, the company that I would love to get my fair share on."

"So, what's the problem?" Sasuke questioned.

"Her father simply isn't selling," Itachi shrugged, "And It is really pulling the legs at the Uchiha corp at home…."

Sasuke stiffened, and the Uchiha corporation was being affected by another business. How was that possible? It is the best business distribution in the country; the Hyuga business couldn't likely be making his family's company a run for the money.

"How is this possible?" Sasuke sneered.

"Yes, I tried reasoning with him, offering to pay a share or even become business partners. But nothing reasons with a family business." Itachi sighed, "I guess we can relate to and admire it. However, not with how our company is being affected by the sales. Just a few short years and Hyuga could possibly topple the Uchiha corporation, maybe less."

"How can we fix this?" Sasuke's attention extended to his older brother, his paperwork forgotten.

"Well," Itachi licked his lips and smiled," All we would need is someone from the head family, the main branch, to persuade the head branch to… reconsider my offer."

"Such as Hinata." Sasuke nodded, a thumb to his chin in thought, "But it would need to be non-conspicuous?"

Itachi nodded.

Sasuke smiled widely and looked at his older brother, "I think I have the perfect little mission."

Well I hope you liked that chapter; I hope you all are enjoying my story as much as I am. Please R/R as always.