Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Day's of Leaf and Sand ❯ The mission ( Chapter 4 )

There~ you people happy!? I added more couples! Gosh, what more do you want from me!!! (Haha! Just kiddin’) I actually kinda agreed that for being in Ch.3, it was goin pretty slow. Ohh, let me know what you think of the couple Kakashi and Kurenai? I thought it could work. I’m still debating whether or not to add them in. But uhh, since I want the main couple to be Gaara and Hinata, I’m gonna try to add them about every chapter but when I get started on those two (Cuz there just sooo cute!!!) I don’t think I can stop and the whole chapter ends up being about them….ohh well. Like I said this is my first romantic story. Lemme know if I’m doin good, tay? (You can let me know if I’m doin bad too…) ((Ahh, yes and to answer someone’s question about Sasuke and Sakura and Naruto and Sakura…that means that you must keep reading because throughout the story Sakura is going to be deciding who she likes…decisions, decisions. ^^; ) Ohh, and another thing…I thought that I haven’t been using Hinata’s real personality. But I was debating with myself saying that “She changed, she changed, she changed!” Please review!!!

2 days later- In front of Hokage’s temple

“Welcome Chuunins!” yelled Lady Tsunade, the Hokage of Konoha. Her gaze glided over the many faces that stared up at her from the grounds around the temple. “I presume you are all wondering why I called you out on this beautiful day.” There was a murmur that drifted through the crowd agreeing with her. “Well, I shall get to that in a minute.” she said humorously breaking the suspense. “First, I would like you all to pay your honor and respect to the Kazekage and welcome Gaara of the Sand to our humble village.” As she said this, Gaara (Temari and Kankuro dressed to their fullest following behind) walked out onto the platform to where Tsunade stood. At their presence, the awaiting Chuunins bowed their heads in respect.
Gaara didn’t care though. He was looking for someone. His gorgeous eyes were to busy surveying and scanning the crowd to recognize the abrupt silence. After a few seconds of searching, he found his target. Hinata was with her team as usual her head lowered…What the hell? Why am I caring so much for this girl!? No, don’t look at her. No, I can’t see her again!
Tsunade started again “They will be remaining with us for the next two weeks to sort out important issues concerning the Sound Nation. Now, the reason why you are here is this: Due to the reoccurring instances that the Sound ninja’s have passed into our boundaries, the Kazekage will need escorts. No one can question the fact that the Kazekage is indeed powerful enough to take care of himself-so don‘t doubt it. We just don’t want to take any risks that could ruin our strong alliance. One Chuunin out of your teams of three will accompany the Sand back to their nation in 284 hours at 9 o’clock am. You will have 10 minutes to decide which team member will be best fit to go. Starting now…” she finished and the bustle of congregating teams filled the quad with a lot of noise.
Once again Gaara directed his attention towards Hinata, now in full discussion with Kiba and Shino. To Gaara’s disappointment, she had a worried and reluctant look on her face. He looked away again quickly. Damn, no! Stop! But Temari noticed to quickly.
“Gaara, is everything alright?” asked Temari. Gaara nodded in response and continued to appear Kazekage-like.

10 minutes later~

“Time’s up.” Tsunade said while commanding silence. “The member who is going to escort the Kazekage will raise their hand when their team is called upon.” she said acknowledging a man with a clipboard. “There are 12 teams, which obviously makes 12 chuunins for the guard. I will deny the chosen teammate if I feel that it’s necessary…begin.”
He said “Well, then- team 1?” Towards the left of the platform a chuunin raised her hand. “…very good.” He continued calling teams “Team 2?…3?…4?” until team seven was reached.
Uchiha Sasuke raised his hand with a pouting Naruto glaring at him from behind. Noticing that a possible bad situation could occur with Sasuke leaving the village, Tsunade stepped forward and said “I deny.” Naruto’s expression immediately lifted and Sakura felt surprisingly pleased. Naruto started jumping up and down raising his hand.
“Hokage-sama, Hokage-sama! I will go!” he called.
“Very well, Naruto. You may go.” There was a very loud “Yay!” in the quad and Sakura surprisingly felt a stroke of worry and sadness.
The man with the clipboard cleared his throat and continued until all teams were called.
“Now, I will see all the chosen members 2 days before departing to brief them of certain situations they may encounter and what supplies they need bring. That is all. Dismissed!” she concluded.
Gaara turned away very quickly and left the stage with his siblings following close behind.

That night~

Once again, Hinata was walking down the road leading to her house. It was nearly sunset and the sky color transitioned from blue, to purple, to pink towards the west. She approached the huge tree that covered the entrance to the trail that she had been drawn to a couple days before. Curiosity overtook Hinata’s ability to reason and she pushed back the branches to get through. She came to the little creek and found no one there which wasn’t really surprising. What was the point. I knew he wouldn’t be here. She sighed to herself and shook her head. Just for good measure as she was heading back she looked over her shoulder and saw him standing in open light out of the shadows.
“You came back?” Gaara asked softly.
“Kazekage-sama! I-I-I’m sorry to intrude. I thought you wouldn’t be here.” she whispered.
“And yet, you still came here…knowing I wouldn’t be?…why?” he again asked.
“I, uhh…really don’t know, why.” said Hinata starting to wonder that herself.
“You didn’t raise you hand to be a guard today. Is it because it’s me?” he said completely and abruptly changing the subject.
“Uhh, no! No, it’s not because of that at all.” she replied truthfully. She looked down because she couldn’t bare the pitiful look in his eye for a second longer. “It’s mainly my parents…they won’t let me. And Kiba-kun really wanted to…and…you understand don’t you?”
“Yes, I understand.” he said.
She sorrowfully nodded and asked a question that had been skipping through her mind ever since her arrival there. “How did you suddenly appear like that just now? It was amazing.”
“I was here the whole time. I waited on the edge of the clearing.”
“Waited for what?” she pressed.
“I waited for you to look back.” said Gaara. “That meant that you were disappointed that I wasn’t there and hopeful that I somehow would be. Then I knew that you truly wanted to see me.”
Hinata was shocked at what he accurately depicted from her tiny maneuver. Not to mention a little embarrassed at the truth. But it didn’t appear that he caught on luckily. But wait…that means he waited for me.
“You wanted me to be here as well, right? Otherwise you wouldn’t be here.” she said back.
“I’ve always been coming here. I found this place the first time I came to Konoha.” he responded but then paused and said “…but, yes, I wanted you to be here.” What am I saying!? I am hated everywhere! What’s the exception here with her!? Gaara shifted back a couple steps and said “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I will go now.”
Before he could get to far Hinata said “You really wanted me to come here tonight?”
He turned back around and faced her. He got distracted by her distinct figures now that they were not covered by a huge coat but by a tight black shirt with netted sleeves. He snapped back to reality. “Yes, but not only tonight. I had hoped that you would’ve come back the other two nights.” Shut up!! She hates me! Everyone hates me!! But something caught Gaara’s attention in his mind. Why would she be standing here talking with me this way if I am so hated?
“I’m sorry…that, I didn’t come back. I think I was afraid…not of you…!” she added quickly “…but of what my mother would say or what my father would do, if…they found out.”
The sun had almost completely disappeared and they were standing in subtle darkness. Hinata noticed the time and apparently, Gaara did to.
“You should go.” he finally said breaking the secretly sad moment of silence.
“Yes, I think I should. I don’t know when…but I promise I will come back before you go back home.” she said. I promise?
“I would like that.” Gaara said as she started to leave. He hastily walked forward and asked in a quivering voice “D-Do you…hate me?” Why am I bothering!? Damn it, shut up!
“No, not at all. Actually, I quite like you.” she said back with a smile.

Eight days later~

The promise Hinata made was indeed a promise, and she never broke it. Actually, the promise came true every night after that meeting. She had taken the trail to the clearing and the creek many times and each time she appeared, Gaara would always be there waiting. And each night she left, he felt like something inside was getting ripped apart. He couldn’t understand what this pain was. He had never heard of anything like this kind of pain. He thought since he had only been hurt once in his life, he didn’t have enough experience on the matter.
The same could be said for Hinata, for when she left each night she had this deep longing and urge to be back there with him and the next day just couldn’t go fast enough for her. But unlike Gaara…she sensed something was up and she had a hunch of what it was. She was a little scared that it might be true but the thought got put out of her mind the second she thought of him waiting there.
She would leave her house around the same time every evening through her window around bedtime so as not to deal with the constant questions her parents asked her whenever she went out. During their nightly meetings Hinata sat on the very rock that Gaara stealthily appeared on at their first introduction and on the 6th night, to her amazement…he sat with her (making way with his gourd of course). They discussed many things such as life in the desert or in the village, or missions they were on, or important people in their lives…anything that made the conversation last. When one says “they” one means that Hinata did most of the talking and Gaara watched her and listened with curious interest and occasionally talked a himself.
“What do you want in life?” Hinata whispered. She was laying on her back below the rock supposedly staring up at the stars but was actually was taking in every aspect of Gaara’s gorgeous physique. He was sitting on the rock just above her truly staring up at the stars. He looked down into her light lavender eyes thinking.
If he had been asked that question a couple years ago, he would have replied “To prove my existence.” But the boy Naruto showed and taught him many things in their fight.
He answered “Not to be hated.”
“Ohh…” she said with a smile “then I guess you got what you wanted when I answered “no” to that question you asked me.”
There was silence for a moment and then “Yes, you gave me what I wanted. Thank you.” he whispered. Hinata inwardly gasped and blushed when she saw the first true smile of Gaara of the Sand. And also at that moment she realized that what she feared was true- She was in love with him. No! It can’t be! It’s…it’s impossible! But then she accepted Is it really so bad? But, he’s leaving…it’ll never work. Never.
They stayed staring into each others eyes for the longest time- neither one wanted to break it. But it was the usual time that Gaara stood up and said “You should go.” and to Hinata’s disappointment…he did.
She got up and said “good-bye” and that she would return the next day as she always did. She was one step out of the clearing and she turned back. She took a deep breath and prepared herself for the hardest sentence she had ever said in her life.
Gaara saw a tear flow down her cheek as she whispered the confusing statement “I love you.”