Hinata thought of many ways her father could have gotten rid of her: marrying her off to a diplomat, sending her away to a permanent ambassador mission, or locking her in a room to never be seen again, but she never thought she would be traded for shelter.
No one told her why Hiashi was transported across the desert. It wasn't planned well if they crossed through in storm season. Hinata was only told that the price for their stay was for her to return to stay with their 'gracious host.'
Now the sand whipped through her hair as the sunset. Who knew that the desert could feel so cold? Hinata wondered briefly if her escorts were just going to walk her out into the desert to strand her because it took so long to see the single building standing alone in the hills of sand. It was a castle made of sand which would have been funnier to her if she wasn't going to be living here. Hinata was led in by the sibling set that picked her up as part of the deal, a man and woman who looked more than concerned about this arrangement. They didn't say much though Kankuro tried to crack a few jokes that didn't land all that well on Hinata in her state.
"We set you up a room at the end of the hall. There is a bathroom in there." Kankuro pointed. "Kitchen is through there, and uh..." He looked at his sister to finish the sentence he hadn't planned.
"Stick to that for now," Temari added. "We'll be here for a few days to help you settle in." And then they were leaving to leave her here alone, with a stranger that locked himself away in the farthest reach of the desert.
Hinata couldn't dwell on the implications anymore. She was too tired. Trekking through the sand was somehow worse than trekking through mud. Her calves hadn't been this sore in years.
"Why don't you head to bed, and we can do introductions in the morning." Kankuro waved his hand at her room again.
Hinata bowed her head and disappeared into the room quietly. She dropped her bags behind the door to look at her new life, four sand walls, and a single window that only looked out at more sand. She walked to the window and placed the poor potted plant she carried with her through the dry hellscape before padding to the bathroom to collect some water.
How did Shino think that she was going to keep it alive here? Maybe he didn't think about it. She hadn't really thought about it until the trees were long behind her. Hinata poured water into the pot and rested her head and arms on the window sill, laying her head down to look at the progression to the darkness outside.
To most villages, the beast of Suna was only a legend. Not everyone believed the story of the bloodthirsty monster that was so dangerous his own village banished him to the furthest sand hills, but Konoha knew it was true. They helped Suna make the decision to isolate the poor boy from the world.
Hinata couldn't say she liked Konoha's track record on handling tailed beasts, and now she was going to have to see what the decision did to that little boy. She ran her hand across the roughness of the wall and sighed, pushing off to get into her bag to get ready for bed.
Sand particles jittering made the air thick and anxious as Temari opened the door to Gaara's usual hiding place. His eyes slid up to her predatory. "We're here." She announced. "We sent her to bed."
Gaara tightened his crossed arms and closed his eyes with nothing to say, as usual.
"Did you eat?" Temari asked, knowing the answer. "I'll bring you something."
"The girl." Gaara ignored her offer. "... Is she scared?"
"She's…" Depressed. Resigned. Detached. Quiet. Temari was expecting her to be scared, too, but Hinata seemed to have shut down before they met her. To be fair, her father told her that he was sending her off to live with a hermit beast. Not a lot of options for reactions, but Temari was expecting anger. "She's processing."
Gaara's non-eyebrows became tight, putting a deep crease on his forehead. What was he expecting? Did he think she would be happy to come here? Temari knew that he was going to regret this decision the moment he made it. He was going to trap someone else here with him. To suffer the same fate he had.
"How did you sleep?" Kankuro attempted small talk as he put breakfast in front of her.
The night was cold and long and didn't give Hinata the rest she hoped it would, leaving her trapped in her thoughts and the animalistic howl of the wind. By the time she fell asleep, she was woken by a knock on the door. Her legs ached, and she could feel a sunburn spread across her face when she splashed her face with water. "Fine." She didn't know what he had given her to eat. The only thing she recognized was rice. She scooped it into her mouth anyway.
"You'll have to tell us if there is anything you need," Temari explained. "We come every month with supplies."
There were only three chairs at the table. They weren't used to having a fourth person. "Does he not eat?" Hinata flinched as the thought came out of her mouth. She scolded herself and shoved more food in her mouth, so she couldn't say anything else.
Kankuro picked at his plate. "... No, not a lot." Kankuro and Temari looked at each other, and Hinata could feel the redness of her cheeks under her sunburn. Hinata dipped her head down to finish the meal without saying anything else stupid.
Temari sighed as Gaara paced around his usual spot like an animal in a cage. "I don't know what you are expecting." Gaara acted like he didn't hear her. It's possible he hadn't. "You're going to have to control yourself. If she's not scared now, she will be if she feels everything in the air." With that, it felt like a vacuum sucked the life out of the room as all the sand retreated, and Gaara glared at her. "You can't wear all your emotions. Normal people monitor how much they show."
"I wouldn't know." Gaara huffed. His face didn't hide his anxiety well either. He was doomed. He was going to scare the poor girl off. "Where is she?"
"She went back to her room after breakfast. I don't think she is eager to meet you," Temari explained. Gaara's frustration flared, sending some of the sand to stretch around the edge of his pacing area. "If you want her to like you, then you need to try to meet her on her level."
"I don't need her to like me." Gaara's non-eyebrows knitting betrayed him.
"Yes, you do." Temari crossed her arms. "Because otherwise, you are going to be stuck out here with a daily reminder of what you fear the most."
Gaara's head whipped around. "Or a corpse."
Temari rolled her eyes. "Please. Don't talk to her like that." He was going to screw this up, being childish. Gaara proceeded to sit behind his large sand chair. A throne for his castle with no one to rule. Until now. Temari rounded it, resting her hand against it. "She's feeling abandoned. You know what that feels like."
Gaara's eyes darted to side-eye her. Maybe she should have taught him to act a bit more normal when he was young.
Temari sighed, coming down to his level and sitting far enough away to not make him uncomfortable. "We're only going to be here for a few more days. Is there anything you want me to bring back?"
"Anything the girl needs," Gaara answered as the sand started swirling in patterns in front of him. His eyes watch the sand idly.
"All she asked for was tea from home." Temari tilted her head to the side. "Apparently, she's not used to spiced tea."
Once more, Gaara acted like he didn't hear her. If he was going to have someone here to talk to, he should learn how to hold a conversation.
Hinata lay awake on her bed. It was possible that the wind was what was keeping her awake or the gnawing feeling that she was going to be left alone soon with a man she had not yet met. He still had not come out of the room his sibling periodically disappeared to. Despite their trying, they couldn't get him to come out, and she was told not to go in.
What kind of man demands a housemate and then doesn't even have the courtesy to welcome them?
The whole complex was unwelcoming, with halls of empty rooms. What was it built for? Why keep one man in a building made for thirty? Was it all they had? Would it feel more lonely knowing all that space wasn't filled?
"Hinata." Kankuro knocked on her door. "We'll be leaving in the morning. Do you want to try again?"
"If he hasn't come out yet, then he doesn't plan to," Hinata called back. She was going to be trapped here with someone who couldn't even decide if he wanted the company he requested.
Kankuro sighed from the other side. "Good night."