A/N: If I owned Naruto I would have kept Gaara's first haircut forever,
Sorry, not that much direct Gaahina interaction this chapter. Things will speed up soon. Or not. We'll see :)
-x-
Sabaku No Gaara, a Kage level Jinchuuriki, had let his guard down because of a little girl playing masseusse. 'What the hell is wrong with me...' He really almost fell asleep, but at the last second, he just couldn't do it. He was... scared? He'd never felt like that before, completely relaxed, at the mercy of someone else's hand. This girl was special for some reason, but he'd rather chalk it down to her innocence and calming demeanor, instead of trying to figure this out. He'd had enough of trying to figure out all these annoying feelings.
Now that he thinks about it, he was expecting Shukaku to go crazy at her presence, if the first time he'd seen her at the Chuunin exams was any indication. But Shukaku was strangely quiet... it was like he was waiting for something, or trying to decide something. Honestly, he seemed to be just as confused as Gaara was. Still, there was no guarantee Shukaku would remain dormant if given the chance. The Kage brought a hand to his temple. sighing. In the end, the girl only did what was asked of her, and it was him who couldn't follow through. At his dismissal, he thought he saw hurt in her eyes. Maybe he was harsh? He didn't want her going home. He really wanted to know what rest, true rest, feels like just once in his life, and this strange girl and her soothing aura might just be the one to help him. Ordinarilly, this is when people would apologize...right? How does one do that again?
-x-
Hinata buried her face in her pillow as she replayed the events of the night in her mind. She wasn't sure why she was so affected when he flinched away and told her to leave. She thought, just this once, maybe she was really doing something for someone. Something that mattered. The way he relaxed, and leaned a little into her touch, it made her stomach do funny things.
But then he pushed back. The way he looked at her... the tone of his voice. It was like the despair and loneliness in his soul started to leak. She felt so horrible... had she done that? Maybe her touch made him realize how alone he truly was? In that moment, Gaara had reminded her of Naruto. So similar, yet so different. Her Naruto-kun would have put a smile on his face, and pretended everything was fine, and been cheerful, yet Gaara... his loneliness only made him push people away.
Hinata looked up, suddenly determined. He needed help. She wouldn't let him push her away, anymore. Even if Naruto-kun never noticed her, even if she couldn't help him... maybe she could help this strange man. She wasn't going to give up on him.
-x-
Temari looked from the girl, who was looking down, eyes dead locked on her breakfast plate, to her brother, staring at a spot on the wall like it was the most interesting thing in the world. She suddenly wished Kankuro was back from his mission, he'd know exactly how to make this situation less awkward. What the hell happened last night? Well, the village hadn't gone down in flames, so either Gaara slept peacefully or he didn't sleep at all. But if the girl had completed her mission with no issues, why did she feel like the could cut the tension between the two with a kunai?
"So..." Temari started, a small inflection in her voice signifying that she was treading carefully, "Did you sleep well last night, little brother?"
She only received a grumpy, murderous look in response.
"Ah well! Guess I'd better get going then! The duties of a Kage's sister aren't going to do themselves! Ha...ha..." Gulp. Temari excused herself and quickly left the room, unsure that it was a good idea to leave the two alone, but she could care less at the moment. Her little brother was still really scary when he wanted to be.
Tick. Tock. Two minutes went by and the tension only seemed to grow until Hinata couldn't take it anymore. She gathered up all her courage to look at the object of her troubles.
"K-Kazekage-sama..." It felt wrong to call Gaara by his first name as he had requested now, "Gomen! I am so sorry! I don't know what I did to offend you... but please... give me another chance. I..." The man looked up to meet her eyes, but this time, she couldn't see a thing in them, "I only want to help." She finished, voice hushed as their gazes locked.
He was the one who turned her away, after she had simply performed her duty as requested, yet she was apologizing to him? Strange girl. He supposed it made things easier, though. He had never apologized to anyone before and he wasn't looking forward to trying, but accepting hers should suffice. This is what people called making up', he concluded, nodding internally.
"Hyuuga-san, it's fine. We'll take a break for the day, and try again tomorrow." The girl's eyes lit up at his response. That funny feeling was back. Why did she look so... happy all of a sudden? Gaara couldn't remember ever making someone truly happy, except for the time when he had managed to allow his siblings to give him a 'group hug', as they called it.
This was great! She hadn't failed her mission- the Kazekage was giving her another chance!
"Arigatou, Kazekage-sama!" The girl offered him her brightest smile, before bowing and leaving the room, plate half-eaten.
Her smile was addicting. Gaara wasn't sure why, but he wanted to see it more. Pushing the foreign thought aside, he finished his plate and stood up, ready to make his way to the Kage tower for another day of serving his village.
-x-
'What to do now...?' Hinata stared at the clock on the wall of her bedroom. Still early morning. She'd have to find a way to kill time for two days, and she also had two days to think of a way to allow the Kazekage to fully relax in her presence. Training was always a surefire way to kill time, but she supposed she couldn't just do that for twenty four hours straight. She wondered if she would be allowed to help at the hospital? She was starting to miss her medic-nin work, it truly made her feel happy knowing that she was helping others in such a direct way.
The girl stood up, smoothening out the creases on her clothes, and quickly checking herself in the mirror to make sure she looked presentable. She had no clue where Sunagakure's hospital was, but she supposed she'd never find out unless she started looking. Excited, the girl just about ran down the steps and out into the Suna streets. Most of the buildings were so similar in their circular shapes, it felt like walking through a maze.
...
Okay, this was ridiculous. It'd been about an hour and all she'd managed to do was complete a full circle around the center of the city, ending up back at the house. Maybe she should ask someone. Glancing around, she saw a boy with brown hair and carrying some weird large object, and... was that makeup? He was heading this way! It'd be easy to get his attention, and he seemed approachable enough.
"Excuse me! Makeup-san!" Hinata yelled out, and instantly covered her mouth, regretting her words as she caught the boy's attention. 'Makeup-san? What is wrong with me... There's no way he will help me now-'
"Makeup-san?" He snorted out, face threatening to spill with laughter, "What's a cute little thing like you doing here? I don't remember hiring any girls before I left for my mission..." He pondered, bringing a finger to his chin to show he was thinking hard.
"G-Gomen... I am staying here." She supplied and pointed towards the house, flustered at his implication that she would be a hired girl. Innocent as she was, she wasn't dumb, and it was obvious that he thought she was some sort of prostitute.
"Uh... lady? This is my house." His brows furrowed in confusion. He glanced at her again, finally noticing the Konoha headband around her neck. "Ah! You must be here on Konoha business! How rude of me..." He suddenly looked sheepish, scratching at the back of his neck with his hand.
"Hai! My name is Hinata Hyuuga, I'm here to help Kazekage-sama." She brightened up, happy that the misunderstanding was cleared.
"Pleasure. Name's Kankuro, I'm Gaara's older brother." The boy stepped closer, grabbed her hand and kissed it, causing Hinata to blush. She didn't feel any particular way about the gesture other than embarassment, men in Konoha were rarely so gentlemanly. "Now what could my little brother possibly need help with, from a pretty little thing like you?" Kankuro inquired, wiggling his brows.
"A-Ah! I... I'm afraid that's confidential, Kankuro-san." She wasn't sure she should be saying anything.
"Come oooon! I'm his little brother, I have a right to know why he is bringing a woman from Konoha over to stay at our house." He pressed on.
"W-Well..." Hinata was never good with peer pressure, but missions were supposed to be confidential, and if he didn't know already that meant Gaara hadn't told him. Maybe he was embarassed? She decided she'd settle on something vague. "Stress relief."
"Oh? OH! I see." The man nodded, a devilish grin appearing on his features. "And how is that going, Hinata-chan?"
"Well... the first time... didn't really go as planned, but we'll try again soon." She supplied. Why was he looking at her like that?
"Oh my. I'm sorry Hinata-chan, my little brother's not very...experienced. Don't worry though! I'll have a talk with him to make sure the next time you guys do it, he'll perform much better!" Kankuro was grinning from ear to ear, further confusing Hinata. She wasn't sure what he could say to his little brother that would magically erase seventeen years of loneliness and forced insomnia, but she was happy he was trying to help.
"Arigatou, Kankuro-san!" Hinata attempted to thank the boy, but in a flash, he was already long gone, heading towards the direction of the Kazekage tower. In her confusion, she completely forgot to ask the boy where the hospital was. Hinata sighed. She'd just have to start her search all over again.
-x-
Gaara didn't even bother to look up at the intruder. Only one person would dare barge in his office like this.
"Kankuro. I haven't called in for your mission report yet." He monotoned. He was used to his brother's antics, so he had fully braced himself for some stupid emergency.
"Gaara! How could you? What the hell?" Kankuro panted out, catching his breath from his dead sprint to the Kazekage tower.
"What are you talking about?" He had Gaara's attention now. The man supported the side of his face with the palm of his hand, elbow on the desk, simultaneously bored and intrigued.
"Listen man, I know you're at that age, but you should have talked to your little brother first. She said it wasn't good, Gaara. You're my blood, we can't have my reputation being tarnished like that. But don't worry, little brother's come to your rescue!" Kankuro flailed his arms about as if in desperation. Okay. Now Gaara was just confused.
"I haven't the slightest idea what you're saying. She? Who?" Gaara asked.
"THE HYUUGA GIRL! The one you took to bed last night! Listen Gaara, pleasing a woman is a science, but your big bro here's got it down, so I'll impart my knowledge onto you-" Kankuro wasn't allowed to finish his sentence before a wave of sand shut his mouth up for him, and another wave nudged him out of the office, closing the door behind him and retreating through the door crack.
'Just what the hell is that girl telling people?!' Gaara rung the bell for his assistant. Not a moment later, he heard a knock, and Matsuri entered.
"Gaara-sama! You called?" Matsuri didn't look him in the eye. That was strange. She was one of the few people who was never afraid to look at him. He'd have to ask her about it later, but he had a more... pressing matter to deal with at the moment.
"Find Hyuuga Hinata and bring her here." Gaara was angry. He'd had women claim they had some sort of connection to him before, seeking power or fame, but he really wasn't expecting that out of the timid girl. It was completely and utterfly disrespectful. Gaara was no longer a sadist, but he'd make sure when he was through with this girl, she'd give him the proper respect he deserves.
-x-
A/N: Uh oh... Gaara's maaaad