Hinata giggled. Was she laughing at him? It didn't seem malicious, just that She was amused by his lack of understanding. Gaara put the notes aside.

Cute.

Hinata went back to her book, and he went back to his papers.

Gaara was pressed with a new question. "Is your clan coming?" Hinata looked up in question. "To the wedding." He finished.

"My father, sister, and cousin are all coming. I have expressed an open invitation to the rest of the clan, but other than who will come with my father and sister, I'm not sure who else will come. Possibly the group who plan to move here when the compound is finished." Hinata answered. "The branch house, though family, don't have much reason to come, so I doubt they will. If I were the heiress, still, they would."

That bothered him. Gaara didn't like the way her family ran itself. His family was far from model, but a clan that was revered as highly as the Hyuga's were, they were dysfunctional. So self-sufficient, they have classes of people within the family.

Gaara understood leadership and passing it through the main bloodline. That was not the only tradition. It was trying to keep traits of a leader through parentage and keeping secrets close and with as few people knowing as possible. Despite his agreement with that, treating the rest of the family as second-class was jarring and proved to be detrimental.

From what he got from Hinata, her cousin tried to kill her years ago because of his place and positional treatment in the family. His father being born second only by chance, and a few seconds caused him and their entire line to be subservient to immediate family. Neji's resentment of her made sense.

Hinata also told him that it explained her little sister's early resentment of her. It was short-lived once Hinata expressed her dislike for the system.

"You don't want them here?" Hinata asked. He twitched. Now he offended her. He looked back over at her face expecting irritation but was greeted with a genuine question.

"Do you?" Gaara asked.

Hinata set her book down and leaned on the arm of the couch, folding her arms on it and laying her head in her arms. It still jarred him how comfortable she was around him. He had to shake the thought. "Honestly, I'd prefer most of them not. I don't mind the branch, but my family, especially my father, will bring anxiety and pressure." She sighed. "My trip back made me realize how comfortable I am here. It's proper, but I have places to relax and be comfortable without the stress of being perfect."

Gaara stared at her. Hinata was going through something he never had to. If anything, he did the opposite. He was a hell-spawn that learned manners. He never felt the need to be proper, though he chose to because it smoothed things over with politics and made his life easier.

His fiancée, on the other hand, had to be miserably proper or was punished. He was treasuring her quick relaxation even more if it was possible.

Hinata tilted her head to the side and laid it down, loose hair draping down. "But I know my place. I'm a Hyuga for one last day."

Gaara felt his face heat unusually. He forgot about that and failed to ask about something rather important. "Suna doesn't have surnames. Don't you take a husband's surname in a Konoha wedding?"

"I thought yours was Sabaku?" Hinata asked, surprised.

"It's part of my name. My full name is Sabaku no Gaara. One name. My siblings don't share that." How many people had made the same mistake?

Hinata thought idly, looking off to the side, and then giggled. "You could take mine." Hinata giggled. "Gaara Hyuga."

Gaara sighed. "I think not."

"Still, even without the name. I won't belong to a clan like that anymore. I won't be 'Hinata of the Hyuga clan' or 'the failed Hyuga heiress' anymore." Hinata laid her head back down and smiled at the floor. "I'll be 'Sabaku no Gaara's wife'."

It filled his face with heat again as he noticed specifically she hadn't said the 'Kazekage's wife.' If someone told him he would have a woman happy to be called his wife, he might have killed them, thinking they descended into madness. Was he? "Thank you."

"Hmm?" Hinata asked. "Oh, Gaara," She whispered as she followed his thought.

Gaara cringed. She knew, and it upset her. He needed to be more careful.

Hinata closed her book as she got up and came toward him. Gaara dreaded her ability to read him.

Hinata came around his desk beside him, gently placing her hand on his shoulder, leaning down, blocking his vision with a curtain of her hair, removing the distraction that hadn't been working. "Gaara, I think you might have lower self-esteem than me."

Gaara was getting nothing else done today. He sighed. He wasn't sure how he didn't fall behind in his paperwork with her. Was it the fact that Shukaku calmed or that he was generally healthier? He was honestly trying to think about anything but his current situation.

Gaara set down his pen, looking up. "I have a good reason."

"I have a counter-argument." Hinata offered.

"You'll be wasting your time." He mumbled.

Hinata gave him a sad smile. "Never."

Gaara raised his hand to hers on his shoulder, capturing it and bringing it in front of him as he leaned back in his chair. She leaned her hip on his desk, smiling at him, curling her fingers in his.

"You are revered as the best leader Suna has had. Your dedication to these people that rejected you is noble and unmatched." Hinata started.

"They still fear me." Gaara countered.

"They fear the idea of you because you think you deserve it. Hiding in here doesn't help." Because he thought he deserved it? His face scrunched in question. "Your perception of yourself shows to others. So you hide away from your people until it comes time to protect them. You think people should fear you because you haven't forgiven yourself."

"You don't think that." Gaara focused on her fingers in his hand. "You never did."

"No, but I'm not a fair case," Hinata explained. "I know Naruto-kun, and people treated him similarly when he was young. Not nearly as violently, but the rejection and fear were aimed at him. I saw him grow up with the pressures of being a beast holder. I saw how it hurt him, and I didn't understand the rejection for something imposed on him, but I was an outlier until he got older. I have had the experience most have not. Hyuga pressure and my low self-worth made it easy to see this."

Gaara felt a possessive surge, a twinge of uncomfortable irritation at how she spoke of his friend. He violently shoved the distaste aside. The connection between his first friend and his wife suddenly bothered him.

Shukaku growled at the idea, expressing his distaste for her known affections toward the boy and possibly his beast. Did she speak to his beast the way she did his? The entire idea made his stomach cold and pained. They were both being ridiculously possessive. This was what would ultimately make her fear him.

As if she read his thoughts. Hinata rubbed her thumb over his fingers. "That's something I should probably mention. You once asked me if I would have rather married Naruto-kun." Gaara tightened around her hand, staring at the joint between them. He didn't like where this was going. "To be honest, at the time, I would have loved to. If he could have let Sakura-chan go, I would have loved to marry him."

"I know." Gaara took note of his tone. It was far too harsh for this conversation.

"How did you know that I didn't…" Gaara stepped in, feeling her embarrassment.

"He did," Gaara explained.

Hinata chewed on her lip, suddenly nervous. Her fingers fidgeted in his hand. He held it still. "I… Uhm…" She didn't seem comfortable with him anymore. Gaara let go of her hand. Hinata pulled both hands to her chest. "I'm sorry I didn't know you knew I should have spoken of it sooner." Hinata revered her eyes, losing their shine as she curled into herself.

Gaara was in a difficult position, wanting both of their discomforts to stop without knowing how. He sighed, pushing aside the angry growling in his head and the papers on his desk. He took hold of her hips and lifted her onto it in front of him. She gripped his forearms for balance, though it was a short trip.

They got past situations by talking about them. They would do the same here even if it was uncomfortable, and this could take a while, so she could at least sit.

Gaara kept his palms comfortably on her sides, laying his arms and elbows in her lap, and leaned forward on her. Hinata curled her fingers comfortably, the muscle her hand latched onto and kept him there.

"Tell me about it now." Gaara opened.