A/N: I'm a sucker for wordless, unexplainable attraction. Anyway, enjoy the awkward interactions of our faves.
By the way, I still don't own shit. R+R
-x-
"A-Ano... Temari-san...?" Hinata addressed the woman as she followed her through the streets of Suna.
"Yes?" Temari questioned. She wasn't sure why the Hokage had sent this girl here for such an important task. She didn't always have the best relationship with her brother, but in recent years, they had grown close as he slowly opened his heart to human experiences after taming his demon. It is funny, Temari thought, that her brother was all of a sudden interested in sleep of all things, but it was to be expected from Gaara at this point. Her brother was entirely inept in the ways of being a normal person, but she could tell he was doing his best to learn. Ever since becoming Kazekage, he made an effort to be just a tad bit more approachable to his people. He knew that most people still feared him, but he was determined to be a good leader, adored and admired, just like his good friend Naruto.
"What happens if... if Shukaku-san takes over the Kazekage's body tonight?" The shy kunoichi ventured. Temari resisted the urge to smile. This girl was polite even when talking about a demon.
"We'll have ANBU posted outside the Kazekage's room tonight. Though if I'm being honest... if Shukaku ever took full control... I don't think all our ANBU combined could take him on." Temari replied, staring straight ahead. If she was being honest, this whole idea seemed crazy, but it was the Kazekage's wish. She would support her brother, because she knew it was important to him somehow, to have this one completely normal, human thing.
Well. That didn't do anything to ease Hinata's fears.
"We're here." Temari stated, coming to a stop in front of a beautiful nicely sized house. Hinata noticed several ANBU at the gates of the frontyard.
"Due to the personal nature of this mission... I deemed appropriate that you stay with us!" Temari exclaimed, clasping her hands together. Okay, so maybe that wasn't the real reason. Listen, Temari had maaaybe used her connections to a certain shadow controlling ninja in Konoha to inquire about the girl. Hinata Hyuuga, heiress to the Hyuuga clan, hopelessly in love with the Leaf's own jinchuuriki. 'Well,' Temari thought, 'If she can love someone like him... maybe there's hope for my little brother.' Temari knew her brother had made big strides when it comes to his emotions, particularly the one concerning the Kanji on his forehead. He'd never said it, but Temari saw it in his actions: he loved his village, even if many of its inhabitants didn't fully accept him yet. He'd grown to love her, and Kankuro, in his own way. But Temari saw it- despite everything, he was still somehow lonely. All Temari really wanted for her brother was real, true romantic love.
"Your room's on the second floor, third door down the hallway to the right. It was nice to meet you, Hyuuga-san!" She flashed the girl a smile. Hinata's kind and shy demeanor was easy to warm up to, she had to admit. If this girl couldn't melt her brother's ice, she wasn't sure who could.
"A-Arigatou, Temari-san! You," Hinata hesitated, before straightening her resolve, "You can call me Hinata!" She bowed. She wasn't sure how long it would take her to complete this mission, and she knew there was a high chance of failure on the first night, so she might as well try to make one friend in Suna.
"Hai, Hinata-chan!" Temari smiled even brighter. This girl was too cute. She turned around and left the girl alone to her devices.
-x-
Three sharp knocks on the door. "Hyuuga-sama?" A male voice could be heard. Hinata opened the door to her bedroom to find a sand ANBU with a snake mask clearing his throat. "The Kazekage is waiting for you in his quarters. Please, follow me." The ANBU said as he turned on his heel and took off.
They arrived at the last room in the long hallway, hidden by a set of two giant french doors, and heavily guarded by 5 well-armed sand-nin. Hinata noted, they seemed just as nervous as her. She knocked softly on the door.
"Enter." That steady commanding voice, again. Hinata inhaled before opening, taking a step, and closing the door behind her. The Kazekage was leaning against a wall, eyes closed, his gourd on the ground next to him.
"K-Kazekage-sama... H-Hello..." Hinata was suddenly stuttering more than usual.
"Gaara." The man opened his eyes and once again, she felt like he was staring into her very soul with those light, azure-green eyes.
"G-Gaara-sama." Hinata corrected. She glanced around the room. It was beautifully decorated in burgundys, browns, and golds, with a giant king-sized bed in the middle that looked like it had never been used before.
"So, how do you do it?" The man asked in his monotone.
"P-Pardon me?"
"How do you sleep?" He clarified.
"Well... first you lie down in bed." Hinata felt awkward standing there, watching the man take a few steps toward the bed and lie down, staring at the ceiling. Once he was settled, Hinata continued, "Then you close your eyes and relax." She supplied and the Kazekage followed suit. Relaxing was near-impossible for him, but he could at least close his eyes.
After 10 awkward minutes, the Kazekage peered one eye open and turned his head to look at her, stll standing frozen by the door. "Nothing's happening."
"A-Ah..." The girl looked down at her twiddling fingers. She knew it couldn't have been this easy. Time for plan B, which involved getting close to the Kazekage, something she really wasn't looking forward to. "I can... I can put you to sleep, if you'll allow me." She continued.
"How exactly do you plan to do that?" He inquired, suspicious. The girl seemed completely harmless, and she was sent by Tsunade herself, but Gaara's suspicious nature came from years of assassination attempts and would not crumble so easily.
"W-Well," Hinata took a small step forward. Then another, "I'd need to block a few tenketsu in your brain." She heard the Kazekage inhale.
"No." He replied, automatically. Even if Gaara himself could ever manage to let his guard down enough for this girl to perform such a dangerous thing, the sand would never allow it, that he knew.
"G-Gaara-sama," His name still felt strange and far too informal coming out of her lips, "I'm sorry but... isn't that the reason I was sent here? For my unique uses of the Byakugan?" Hinata dared to ask, closing her eyes. She hoped he didn't think she was defying him.
"Find another way, or you fail." He deadpanned. Hinata winced at the familiar threat of failure, and could feel the anxiety coming on. If she failed her first jounin mission, her father would deem her a disgrace. He almost seemed... proud when she was promoted. She couldn't afford to fail now. 'What would Naruto-kun do...' He wouldn't give up, that's for sure, she concluded, and the very thought of the man she had admired for years seemed to put a stop to her oncoming panic attack.
Another way to put the Kazekage to sleep... A lightbulb went off in her head! Maybe if she could just make him relax a little... maybe that could work. A massage!
"Gaara-sama... would you... allow me to give you a massage?" Hinata blushed. Okay, maybe that idea seemed way better in her head. Massages were... they were something you paid to get professionally done, or something that lovers did. She turned redder as the finished the thought. 'Professionalism, Hinata!' She mentally scolded herself.
The Kazekage seemed completely oblivious to the implications she had in mind, and thought for a second before giving her one swift nod and sitting up and turning his back to her direction. He'd had a professional massage before, when he attended the inauguration of the Suna hot springs. It felt... nice, though he could never bring himself to relax during it, his sand ready to attack the masseuse in case of any sudden movements. He was supposed to take his shirt off, right? He grabbed the fabric behind him and took it off with one switft movement. After a few silent moments, he threw a glance over his shoulder at the girl, who was still frozen to her spot, eyes wide. She looked sickly red.
"Is... something wrong?" The Kazekage inquired, rare confusion showing in his features.
"N-Not at all sir! I mean- Kazekage-sama! That is, G-Gaara-sama!" Hinata wanted to mentally slap herself. She had seen shirtless men before, I mean she worked with two male ninjas on Team 8, but this felt much more intimate, and she couldn't help but notice the details of his muscled, well-defined back. She gulped her thoughts down the drain and slowly stepped closer to the bed, before sitting down behind the Kazekage. This isn't what she thought her mission would be like, at all.
Hinata tentatively brought a hand up to his shoulder and saw the Kazekage flinch slightly at her touch. Suddenly she realized, that with his sand defenses and his demeanor, he could probably count on one hand the times he's been touched in his life, and the thought made her feel special. Maybe he was just as nervous as she was. Hinata took a deep breath. She was a medic-nin, she knew how to massage. 'No reason to be nervous!' She told herself. She brought another hand to his other shoulder and started to feel around, lightly, for any knots or spots of tension, quickly finding a few that she could alleviate and pressing down harder with her fingertips in circular motions. She heard a small, deep noise that seemed to come out of the Kazekage's throat at a particular press, and she froze.
"I-Is that okay, Gaara-sama?" She inquired, afraid that she may have hurt him.
"...It's fine." He responded quickly in his deep monotone, prompting the girl to continue. 'Her touch... it's different than the masseuse.' He noticed. Something about it... so pure.. so relaxing. He let his shoulders drop slightly and his eyes were half-lidded. Was she some kind of witch? How was the sand even allowing this? The girl let out a contented sigh, realizing he was accepting her touch. He felt something weird in his stomach, and suddenly, his eyes widened and he moved away from her.
"G-Gaara-sama?" She asked. She saw some foreign emotion flash in his emerald eyes, and just as quickly, his trademark expressionless face was back.
"Leave." He commanded. Hinata wasn't sure what she had done wrong, but she wasn't going to stick around to find out after hearing the tone of his voice. Wordlessly, she stood up and left. 'My chest... why does it hurt?' She questioned, clutching at her heart. Had she failed her mission? Would he allow her another chance? She didn't know this man. She didn't particularly care for him. So why did it feel like she had been rejected somehow?
The ANBU watched the girl run from the Kazekage's room, puzzled but relieved that nothing serious had happened.