Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Day's of Leaf and Sand ❯ A Connecting Item ( Chapter 2 )

So, how’d you like Chap. 1, eh? I thought it was ok, but it was a little slow…not quite to the point. But that’s what makes readers continue to read on, right? Hehe, well Gaara comes into this chapter but I ain’t gonna tell you much more than that. Please review so I can help make your reading of my fics a more enjoyable experience. (Ohh, and I don’t own Naruto in anyway shape or form.) I’m just a very big HUGE fan of it’s creator! Well, enjoy!

Hinata was walking down a dark street that connected to the entrance of her house. Though there was almost a full moon, there was very little light coming through the thick branches of the trees that lined the street. There was a few house lights still on showing through the windows she passed but not very many because of the hour at night. My goodness. I’m going to be in a lot of trouble. I can’t just say I ditched dinner to eat with my friends. And with those sand ninjas here, they’re going to be even more worried. She sighed and looked up ahead where she could barely see the side of her house.
Gaara of the sand, now the appointed Kazekage watched her walk by. He had been leaning against the trunk of a tree in the shadows silent as a grave. Why here? He didn’t know. He had just wanted to get out and explore Konoha while he had a chance. He didn’t want to be noticed, just to explore and understand. This girl walking by…he had seen her before. Perhaps at the exam that had happened a long time ago. Yes he now remembered Hinata was it? The fight started returning to his sharp memory. The Byakugan eye she had used was impressive. Although she had lost to her cousin in the fight, she said she had changed for the better. He noted that the way she walked now was much more confident than when he had first seen her. He assumed this to mean that she had mastered the Byakugan eye and was now confident she could use it in times of need.
“Hinata! Hinata, where are you?!” her mother shouted from the front porch. “Hinata!”
Hinata gasped and started to run. Ohh, no! They are mad!
Gaara saw her speed up and noticed that something had fallen out of her jacket pocket and fell to the ground. Not wanting to give away his position, he let her go with out informing her of her loss. He knew where she lived now, he could return it later. He saw her turn down the path of her house, still running. Gaara stood up from his leaning on the tree and walked to where the item had fallen. His muscles barely flinching from the weight of his goard, he bent to pick it up. He discovered what it was and gasped What?! He looked up to see the door of Hinata’s house close shut for the night.
“Mother, I’m so sorry. I’ll never disobey you again.” Hinata said out of breath before her parents could start to lecture. “I’m sorry.”
Her mother sighed and hugged her. “Ohh, Hinata. I know you’re sorry. I was just so worried. And you were out this late at night with those sand ninja’s here as well! I’m just glad your ok. Those sand people are suspicious…I don’t want you to confront them. Am I understood?”
Hinata looked down not agreeing with her mother. She answered “…yes, mother.” She hugged her father and said good night. She got to her room upstairs and closed the door. She started to undress and took of her jacket, noticing that something was missing. Ohh, no! It must’ve fallen out of my pocket! She sighed and finished undressing, doubting she will ever be able to find it. She put on her pajama’s. It was a hot night so she went over to the window to open it for fresh air. She looked up at the now visible moon, not knowing that another secret person who she had passed on the way home was also sharing the same sight with a confused mind- right below her window. She got into bed; a sad look on her face as she went to sleep.

Morning~
The sound of her alarm clock woke her with a start. Funny, I don’t remember setting it. She clicked it off and looked out side…It was barely dawn and the sun wasn’t even over the mountains yet. Why did it go off so early? She got up knowing that now she was awake, she couldn’t get back to sleep again. She changed out of her pajama’s and didn’t bother to put on her jacket. She went over to her desk and to her surprise found an envelope- a big envelope that was definitely not there last night. She snatched and opened it. She was shocked when about a cup of sand fell out onto the desk with a little scribbled note. She picked up the note and read

I believe you lost something.
Let the sand guide you

Not understanding at all she set the note down and examined the pile of sand. It seemed that it sensed her gaze and it immediately came to life. Slowly and gently it flew through the air and wrapped around her wrist lifting her arm as if directing her where to go. She felt it pull a little on her arm as if signaling to start moving. She started to struggle not knowing what was going on. She eventually gave in and it took her to the open window and she stopped…but the sand didn’t. It started to softly drag her up onto the window sill. Being on the second story of the house, she was very high up. She wasn’t afraid of heights but she thought the sand crazy for thinking she was just going to go walking out on thin air. The sand felt her hesitation and gave her a little pull out of the window just enough to loose her balance. She gasped and squeaked “Ah!” waiting for the fall, but it never came. The arm that the sand was attached to was extended above her as if an unknown force was holding her up dangling 20 ft above the hard ground. She squirmed a little not liking her current situation. Slowly but safely, she glided to the ground with the sand holding her comfortably upright.
The sand lowered her arm and once again started directing her where to go. It was very early and the sun still wasn’t in the horizon yet which she was thankful for. She didn’t want to draw attention as to why she was walking down the street with her left arm leading the way. The sand took her a little ways up the way she came home the previous night and she came to a halt in front of a huge tree just within eyeshot of her home. The sand started beckoning again and it took her down a leafy trail that the tree had happened to block. It came to a small running stream with beautiful growth all around…very private. A tree on the other side of the creek concealed the top half of a large rock with it’s shadow so she couldn’t see what could be under there…but she sensed something or someone was. She felt the sand loosen it’s grip on her wrist and float over the stream into the shadow.
The something in the shadow spoke, letting her know that it was a person. “Hyuga Hinata. I’m very pleased to meet you.” a boy said. “I think you dropped this.” He held out into the dim light where she could see what it was- a black beaded bracelet with one teal blue bead.
Hinata gasped and whispered “T-thank you for finding it.” She got up her courage and asked “B-but how did you know t-that it belonged to me?”
Not having the kind of emotion to lie, the boy said “Because I saw it fall out of your pocket on your way home.” Hinata noticed that the figure in the shadows had stood up on the rock. He asked “But it is not truly yours is it?”
Taken aback by the knowledge the boy possessed she hesitated “…No… no I found it a-as well, a long time ago.” She started feeling scared and nervous.
“Do you know who’s it was?” he questioned.
“Y-yes.” she stammered. It belonged to Gaara of the Sand. I found it the day when Konoha was under attack.
The stranger knew that she knew who’s it was…as if he could read her mind. “How did you come by it?” he asked softly.
Getting braver by the minute she said “I found it, at the first Chuunin exam tournament…in the arena afterwards…after the invasion.” She looked down in sorrow as she remembered that day when she was twelve years old.
After a quiet moment he said “I happen to know who this bracelet belongs to as well.”
She looked up startled “Y-you do?”
“Yes,” he said moving gracefully off the rock out of the shadows. “It belongs to me.”
There stood Gaara of the Sand in full Kazekege uniform. She would recognize that red hair anywhere and the tattoo it covered…along with his beautiful light blue eyes- surrounded by darkness. Not to mention the huge gourd of sand strapped to his back he always carried. But the thing she noticed most was his height. He grew!
She was shocked speechless. “G-G-Gaara-sama!” She gasped and covered her mouth “I mean, uhh…Kazekage-sama!”
He paid no attention to her reaction. He walked up to her and stopped with enough distance to make her feel comfortable. He asked “You’re not going to run away, are you? I will let you go if you want to, I promise, but I just wanted…” He glanced away noticing her expression “Never mind. You may go.” he said setting down the bracelet on the ground and stepping back not wanting to sense the hate.
Hinata was more puzzled than anything now. Here, she was standing in front of one of the most powerful and unstable people in the world…and he was acting like…like he was shy! She hadn’t seen what he had done to Lee-san but she heard stories…terrible stories. And Sasuke-kun too! One who could overpower an Uchiha that quickly was amazing! When he escaped after the Chuunin exam, she had heard nothing of him except that the Sand Nation was now Konoha’s ally. And then last night, when I heard he was Kazekage, that was something new!
She took a good look at him and suddenly something in her heart felt sad. Maybe it was the expression on his face or his timid attitude he was showing…she didn’t know. But she felt the right thing to do would be to at least talk to him. “No,” she said firmly catching his once-in-a-lifetime-glance of surprise. “No, I don’t want to leave.” She couldn’t even believe herself that she was talking to the Sand Nation’s Kazekage this way.
Feeling quite safe, she boldly walked over and picked up the bracelet and held it tight. He stepped back out of years of experience because he knew that people didn’t voluntarily stand close to him like she was doing- no one except Temari and Kankuro, which where the only two people in the world who didn‘t hate him. She took another step towards him. He took another step back. This happened several times. Hinata wondered What’s he doing? She took again another step forward holding out the bracelet to him. He was just out of reach of her hand. Heh, he’s just like a scared puppy…he has no choice but to step closer to me to get the food, well, bracelet. Why she was doing this she didn’t know. Something about that look earlier had changed her thoughts about him completely. It was like, now he was the one that was scared and she was the all powerful and terrifying one…instead of vise-versa.
Confused at her behavior, he stepped forward and took the piece of jewelry accidentally brushing her hand. He automatically stepped back again.
Hinata was in one word- proud. She was quite tempted to say Now that wasn’t so hard was it? She asked “Who gave that bracelet to you?”
He looked at her and said “My mother…before I killed her.” stating the hard truth.
Not quite the answer I expected she thought. She looked at the bracelet in his hand thinking of a way to change the subject off of killing. She asked “Th-that blue bead…it’s the same color as your eyes, right?”
“Yes,” Gaara replied “My mother made it that way. She wanted to show me that I may feel like there is always darkness inside me encircling my heart…but there will always be me somewhere within, hence the blue bead.” He couldn’t understand why all of a sudden he started spilling out his life’s history. What was wrong with him? It wasn’t that he minded talking with her, he kind of liked it. But it was just strange because he had never told anyone about the bracelet even if they asked.
Hinata couldn’t believe the conversation she was having with the Kazekage of the Sand Nation. She would have to say that it was rather enjoyable…in fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she had chatted like this with her family. She gasped My family! I’m not supposed to be with the sand ninja’s, not even the Kazekage! She looked up at him nervously and started stepping away to leave. “I’m sorry…I’ve got to go.” As she turned to leave she felt a pull on her wrist bringing her back around. She saw that it was sand that had come out of the gourd almost instantly at Gaara’s will.
“W-wait. Don’t go.” he said almost childlike.
She protested “I must…”
“Why?”
“Because my family doesn’t want me around you…or you’re comrades.” She was shocked by her own openness.
Gaara was silent a moment and then said “Well, what about you? What do you want.”
She didn’t know what she wanted. Any minute now, they’re going to realize I’m not home. “I- I’m really sorry.” She turned again to leave to find that the sand didn’t stop her.
“Wait.” Gaara said now slowly walking up behind her. Hinata stopped and found that he had closed the distance to about three feet apart between them. He extended his hand with the bracelet to give to her. “Here…I want you to borrow it.”
She stuttered “B-but that means I h-have to return it to you.”
He came even closer and took her hand in his. He gently placed his bracelet in her palm and enclosed it with her fingers. He said “I know.”