A/N: Taking inspiration from the anime wherein the Sand Village establishes an academy that is based off the Leaf Village's own. I figured it would make sense then that they would have needed something to compare it to. Well non-canon and entirely filler, I thought it made for an interesting idea.

Chapter 3: A Stay in the Leaf

After completing their mission to support and rescue their allies in the Leaf, Gaara and his siblings expected to head home promptly after a day of recovery. Instead, they found themselves in the Hokage's office with her assistant and what appeared to be a very small pig wearing pearls. Somehow, he found it hard to focus on anything Tsunade was saying without staring at the pig. Her last request, however, had managed to break his fixation on the small animal who seemed to be staring back.

"The academy is also short on instructors, and seeing as all three of you qualified as chunin, perhaps we can consider this a joint education venture? We would earnestly return the favor in the future."

Gaara could not comprehend it. He was known to be the vessel of the one-tailed beast and had been involved in the catastrophe that resulted in the death of the last Hokage, and now the current Hokage was asking him to teach defenseless children. Between the jewelry-wearing pig, the absurd request, and the girl crying beside him less than 24-hours before, Gaara couldn't begin to understand the inner workings of the Leaf.

'This is unequivocally the strangest day of my life.'

He thought of rejecting the request outright, but Temari and Kankuro seemed to be actively considering it from the similar expressions on their faces. It wasn't like Kankuro to enjoy the company of children, so he wondered if there was another reason he would want to stay in the village. Uncertain if they were simply concerned over the recovery of their allies in the hospital or if there was genuine interest in the teachings of Konoha, Gaara decided to reluctantly acquiesce.

"Word will need to be sent to Baki for formal approval."

In the end, although Tsunade smiled, it seemed she was just as surprised at his acceptance as he was.

They were provided with temporary lodgings near the Hokage Rock, a small apartment with two bedrooms and a kitchenette. Though each room had two single beds, Gaara declined the need for the bed, leaving Kankuro and Temari with private quarters. Shukaku kept him awake most of the night, sleep never coming easy nor peacefully. The small sofa in the open living room and kitchenette space would suffice if the need did arise.

Like his siblings, he was not used to this level of hospitality. Something about it was so unsettling and though he knew it not to be true, that didn't stop the thought of betrayal from creeping into his mind—the thought that perhaps they would try to kill him and his siblings in their sleep or poison their food. The Leaf was almost too welcoming. Somehow more welcoming and trusting of him than his own village.

Baki answered Tsunade's request promptly and advised that Temari would be the most effective teacher of the three, though Kankuro was welcome to accept the role if he wanted. It was a known fact that Kankuro was never too fond of children and Baki wasn't one to insist on developing a paternal nature. Gaara, on the other hand, was strictly barred—not for a lack of skill but for fear he could loose control and in such an environment no less. It was another strike the Sand simply could not afford and though Gaara had maintained control since the attack, it truly hadn't been that long.

It wasn't that he wanted to teach—he knew nothing about it—but the straightforward denial put things into perspective. He still had a long way to go to earn the trust of his village.

Temari tried to assure him that he had come a long way and Kankuro suggested that he'd been spared the torture of spending six hours with mindless brats. While not entirely successful, he did appreciate their efforts. At the very least, he had supporters in the Leaf and in his family, however small they were.

Throughout their entire first week in the village, Gaara had not slept once. He wasn't sure he even closed his eyes for longer than a blink. With no notice to his siblings, peacefully sleeping in their beds, he left through the open window for a late-night stroll.

The climate of the Leaf Village was starkly different than the Sand Village where he had spent his whole life. The sun didn't scorch the earth in the morning, and the wind didn't freeze it over at night. There was a bustling market throughout the afternoon, a time when the people of his village would retreat to their homes and the shade. And there was a thriving nightlife, too, full of lights in the distance from the entertainment district where pubs and restaurants stayed open late. It was no wonder that the people here were so optimistic—they didn't know the hardship of daily living for which his people were so accustomed.

As he walked through the village, eyeing the lights and the taking in the sounds of friendly gatherings and unruly drunkards, he decided the surrounding woods would offer more peace. He recalled that Tsunade had mentioned some training grounds that they could use and how they were in the woods, away from where unsuspecting villagers may find harm. Though he had never been there, he had easily found the way, a familiar presence already there.

He wasn't trying to stalk her, nor was he attempting to spy, but how could he approach her alone in the middle of the night without startling her or being attacked? So, he stood there for a moment, shrouded in the lush foliage, and watched as she struck the wooden post before her repeatedly, counting in multiples of eight each time. Her byakugan was activated and her breathing ragged. Surely, she had been at this for a while. He couldn't grasp her reasoning. From what he had seen, she was fairly weak and cowardly, trembling throughout their exams in a way that was palpable from a distance. And when he saw her lying in the hospital bed, he heard the medics speak in whispers of damage to her heart. Like Lee, a career as a shinobi was not meant for her. Yet there she was alone at night, training until her hands had bled. The softness that he felt before would undoubtedly be replaced by calloused wounds by the morning.

Idly, he wondered if this was how the Leaf simply trained their shinobi, to fight at all costs, even if it meant certain death. Were they trained at the academy to persist even when talentless? Would that not leave them as pigs for slaughter, or did that somehow benefit them for frontline sacrifices? But the more he thought about it, the more it seemed like something his own village would do and out of character from what he had seen in the Leaf. He wanted to ask, to approach her and find out why she was here, but if she were to attack, there was no saying what his sand might do. Though he had grown in control, Baki's fears still resonated with him. He was a danger to others and a hazard to this agreed upon peace.

As he turned to leave, reluctantly returning to his temporary residence, the girl had finally caught on to his presence.

"Wh-who's there? Sh-show yourself!" she called, weakly making her demand. Had he been a true attacker, she would have been in no position to fight, having drained all her energy and chakra on that cracked wooden post.

Apprehensively sighing, Gaara stepped out from the foliage. "I'm just taking a walk. You happened to be here." It was better to explain now than answer any questions.

The petite-framed girl relaxed her tensed muscles and allowed her shoulders to drop. This only added to his confusion and most, especially those as cowardly as her, would have only tensed further and scurried away. Yet she seemed relieved to see him.

"I'm sorry," she offered with a slight bow. "I-I didn't realize it was you."

Everything about her seemed to be confusing to him. Her refusal to resign from shinobi life. Her inexplicable gratitude. And now her apology for…for what he didn't even know.

"Your hands," was all he stated in return. "They're bleeding." It was a statement of the obvious, but he knew nothing else to say in return.

Hinata glanced down at her bruised and bloody hands and winced. While she could hardly feel the pain in the moment, she knew it was only a matter of hours—if that—before their soreness would turn to real pain.

"I may have over done it," she offered with an odd smile to which Gaara could only raise a hairless brow.

"Is this how they train you in the academy?" he asked. From the look on her face, the question had more than caught her off guard.

"The academy? Ummm…no…not really," she answered as she brushed stray hairs from her face. "I-Iruka-sensei would have…he would have t-told me to stop…t-to try again tomorrow."

He could tell there was no lie in her answer. Whatever she was doing here, it was of her own volition.

"You should go home," he told her abruptly and watched as her body sank with disappointment.

"Y-yes. I-It's late." And again, she bowed before him. "S-sorry for disturbing your w-walk."

It was another apology he couldn't understand. Had he said anything to imply that his walk had been disturbed. Recounting his words, as few as there were, over again in his mind, he found nothing that would lead to such a conclusion. Still, if he didn't know how he led her to this answer, he wasn't sure how he'd lead her to the contrary.

"You should bandage them," was he could say, still fixated on the blood that trickled down from her palms, watering the dry dirt as she bowed.

"Wh-what?" It was her turn to be confused.

"Bandage your hands when you get home." What else he could have been referring to, he didn't know. She seemed to be more confused by this interaction than he was, something he thought impossible.

"Ah. R-right. Thank you. I will." She smiled softly at him and nodded her head. "H-have a good night." For the third time, she lowered head before finally departing, her smile burning a permanent image in his mind.

Alone in the clearing surrounding the training ground, he found no further point in staying, the scent of her blood and traces of lavender lingering in the wind. He would return and ask his siblings more about the academy in the days to come once they had settled into their roles.

-End Chapter 3-