Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Day's of Leaf and Sand ❯ The Meaning of Love ( Chapter 5 )

I am so sorry, people! I went on vacation for, like 14 days and I neglected to tell you!! I’m sooo sorry for the cliffhanger I left you all on…but I thought it was coming along pretty well, you think? Tell me if I jumped into Hinata loving Gaara to soon…cuz I thought 8 days would be enough for her to tell, right?? Iono. And don’t worry~ I wont forget about the bracelet…it comes in later. ^^; So, I think I’m beginning to like reviews more and more. ^^ (If they’re not bad ones) Soo..please! Please Review!

Next day~

“Sakura-chan? What’s wrong?” Naruto asked tilting his head down so he could see hers. Her head was laying down on her crossed arms on the table…just staring out into space while the others, (including Sasuke, Ino, Shikamaru, Neji, Ten Ten, Lee, Kiba, and Hinata) sat across and next to her eating in mild conversation. What’s wrong?…I thought I would be happy with Naruto going instead of Sasuke-kun… She let out a soft sigh. But I can’t understand why I feel so terrible about Naruto going. I don’t want him to get hurt, even if I act mean, I really don‘t want anything to happen to him…he’s such a brilliant ninja now, he probably wont get hurt…but I have such a bad feeling about this mission…
“Sakura-chan!?” Naruto pressed.
She woke with a start. “Huh! What!?” She looked at him and her expression immediately took a downfall when she saw his bright cheerful face and those big beautiful blue eyes staring back at her.
He asked again “What’s wrong? You look really sad…did I do something again?” He gave her a nervous look.
“Ahh, no!” she replied letting out a fake laugh to lighten the mood. “I’m fine!” Why do you have to go, Naruto!? I should go instead…and just leave both of them here so I wont worry about them so much…what good would I do? She thought. They already have Ten Ten who’s also a medical ninja…I would only get in the way, like always. But then again…Sasuke-kun couldn’t go anyway. But even if he was the one going…I don’t think I would be feeling the same way about him as I am right now about Naruto. And it was just at the point where Sasuke-kun was accepting me and actually talking to me out of free will and…caring about me! And I haven’t even thought about him lately…not since I went on that walk with Naruto. She let her mind slip back into the conversation at hand and listened.
“I know, Ten Ten…you just need to be careful out there.” Lee said ignoring her look of annoyance. “You know we wouldn’t have let you go if they hadn’t needed a medical ninja…” At this, Neji nodded his head.
“Yes, it might get dangerous. Always be aware of your surroundings.” Neji added.
“Gosh! Would you guys shut up, already!?” Ten Ten defensively retorted. “I’ll be alright, got it? It’s not like I’m going to drop my guard just because you two aren’t there!” She shook her head out of frustration and made an irritable sigh hinting to stop the subject from going any further.
On the other end of the table, Kiba had his arm wrapped around Ino’s shoulders who looked as though she wouldn’t rather be in any other place in the world. He was talking to Hinata because he noticed that she had been acting very strangely during the past week. In some cases, she had been more outgoing and open with everyone- just generally more happy. But in others, she had been kind of irritable and anxious. Not enough to show it, of course, but Kiba had been around her enough to sense her change in personality.
Sakura was inwardly smiling to herself as the scene around the table commenced. She looked at her rival, head comfortably resting on Kiba’s shoulder. So, Ino…you gave up on Sasuke-kun, eh? You and Kiba-kun are really adorable. I’m happy for you. She sighed again, wondering. Well, it looks like everyone has been taken…except me. Ten Ten and Neji are happy together, I can tell- even if they doesn’t show it. Sakura giggled as she noticed the obvious tension between them at the moment. Her gaze fell upon the only other silent one there. (Sasuke was hissing insults to Naruto because of the constant reminders of him being “denied” by the Hokage) No. I’m not the only one. Hinata still doesn’t have a boyfriend…does she? Has she given up on Naruto? I can’t decide if that’s a good or bad thing. Sakura looked on Hinata’s wrist and saw an obviously polished black bracelet with one light teal bead. Thinking nothing of it she put her head back in her arms, her pink hair falling over her forehead covering her face. Heh…Temari-san was wrong. Love doesn’t happen in messed up ways. In my case, love doesn’t happen at all.

That night~

Hinata was in her room pacing the distance from her door to the lamp standing next to her bed. She knew what she wanted to ask, and she knew how to do it…but she was afraid how they would respond. She knew that if all else failed, she could go to Hokage Tsunade and ask her to “persuade” her unrelenting parents. But Hinata had hoped that she wouldn’t need to take it that far-never the less, her mind was set on what she wanted to do. She built up her courage and opened the door and walked down the stairs to her fate, whatever it could be.
“Mother? Father? May I speak with you?” she quietly asked them when she walked into the room. Her mother stopped folding laundry and her father got up from his Byakugan battle strategy board.
Her mother walked over and sat down on the couch in front of her awaiting daughter. “What is it, dear?”
Without hesitating, Hinata replied “I want to accompany the Kazekage and the Chuunin guards to the Sand Nation. I believe I have the necessary skills that could aid them in battle should they engage.” She silenced giving her parents time to think about her request.
“Hinata, there is no question that your abilities would not come in useful…” her father began “But I am afraid I cannot allow you to go with them. If anything should happen to you, who would be next to continue the head-branch of the Hyuuga family?”
Her mother added “You are the only heir, dear.”
Hinata hated the fact that they were using blood-lines to determine how she lived her life. “Is that the only thing I am allowed to contribute in this clan?…An heir!? Am I not allowed to bestow honor? Or family pride?” she retorted, her voice raising. “Because there is no doubt my intentions would be honorable if I escort and protect a Nation leader, Father. And yet you are more concerned about the child I produce than…you are, about me!?” It looks like I am going to have to involve Hokage-sama after all.
Her Mother answered first “Hinata, of course, we care more about you. And of course, we want you to bring honor upon this family…but we are merely concerned for your safety. Why is that so hard to understand?”
“And why all of a sudden, does it matter to you so?” her Father asked.
“If I go,” Hinata said, very quickly thinking up a cover up for her true intentions of wanting to go “I will be able to prove to myself, and everyone else that I am capable of coping with certain situations alone, without my team to protect me. I want to prove myself worthy of hosting the Byakugan eye.” She didn’t listen to what her parents said in response to that. And even if she had heard what they had said, she wouldn’t have cared. She turned and left, not back up to her room, but out the door to Kiba’s house. Tonight, I told Gaara that I would try as hard as I could to come back with him. And I’m going to.
About twenty minutes later, she was sitting in Kiba’s bedroom. Akamaru laying comfortably on her lap.
“So, will you be willing to let me go in your place?” she asked him.
“I noticed something has changed in you lately.” Kiba said, ignoring her plea for the moment. “You’re one of my best friends, Hinata. I’m your teammate, your partner. You can trust me. Tell me what‘s wrong.”
“I do trust you. And nothing is wrong. I would just like to go on the mission, that is all.” she replied.
“Yeah, I got that the first time. But why all of a sudden? Why didn’t you volunteer for Hokage-sama?” he questioned, a worried expression making it’s way onto his face.
Kiba-kun was right. The day they asked for the guards, I totally rejected the idea of going. I hardly knew Gaara then…but now I feel so different about him, I love him!…what would it hurt to tell Kiba? I trust him with my life on missions, why not with my secrets… She replied nervously, not wanting to think about what he might say in response “I-I want to be with Gaara-sama. I want to be with him more than I want anything in the whole world.” She looked up into his eyes almost crying. “I want to be with him until the last possible moment when we get to the Sand Nation.” All of a sudden, she jumped up and embraced Kiba in a hug, tears rolling constantly down her blushing cheek.
Kiba didn’t really know what to think at first. Hinata and the Kazekage!? No way, man…that’s not possible! “H-Hin-Hinata…you’re not making any sense. You want to be with Gaara?“ he asked, his voice rattled from shock.
Through sniffs and deep breaths, Hinata answered. Now as she said the words that she felt out loud, it made her thoughts into a final and no longer abstract truth. “I-I f-found this bracelet and it belonged to him.” she said holding up her wrist for Kiba to see. “He saw me with it and, and I got to know him when we talked about it…a-and other things. And I didn’t think it could happen a-and I w-wa-wasn’t expecting it but I, I fell in love with him!!!” she softly yelled, crying even harder into Kiba’s shoulder.
Kiba still couldn’t believe it. Here was shy and unnoticeable Hinata and she had fallen for the most heartless, ruthless killer that Kiba had ever heard of. It can’t be as bad as I’m making it out to be, right? If Hinata likes the guy, then I guess he’s alright. I’ve never been around him myself. He gave her a minute to calm down and then said “So that’s why you’ve been acting strangely. Heh…” Kiba looked down in understanding and gave her a smile and hugged her back. “Sure you can go. I want to stay here with Ino anyway.” Hinata smiled back knowing she could trust Kiba.
“Kiba-kun! T-thank you.”

Guest Temple

Temari heard a knock on her door. She was half asleep and was fading fast when she heard it again, more persistently. God, it’s almost midnight. Shikamaru, this better be good~. She walked over to the door and peaked out. It wasn’t Shikamaru at all, but Gaara standing under the doorway.
“Sorry to intrude.” he said.
“N-Not at all Kazekage-sama. Come in.” she said rather sleepily letting him in.
Gaara walked in while muttering “You are not to call me that.”
“Is everything alright, Gaara?” she asked. She was to tired to be incredibly shocked at his presence in the middle of the night but was indeed a little curious.
“If someone said “I love you” to you, what are you supposed to do?” he abruptly asked. His eyes staring intently at hers trying to soak up any possible solution to his confusion.
“If someone said that they love you?” she repeated a little taken aback. Well, the first time Shikamaru told her that he loved her, it had been in a letter and she had screamed at the top of her lungs in joy and jumped out of her window, her wind fan in hand, and flew for miles and miles until the incredible shock and giddiness had worn off. But she wasn’t about to tell Gaara that. “Well, I would tell them that I loved them too; if you actually did love them, of course.” Temari answered, not having a clue where this conversation was headed.
“What is love, though. How do you know what it is?” he pressed, not understanding the meaning of the word.
“Love is an emotion that you feel in your heart, Gaara.” She pitied him remembering that he was never show love as a child. “It is really difficult to explain, umm…” she yawned and thought for a moment, Gaara’s eyes not once leaving hers for anything. “You feel extreme happiness and joy, and comfort around the person you love…but when you’re not with them, you feel lonely, depressed, and you feel like a part of you is missing…that they stole a part of your heart when they left, and then you have this incredible urge to see them again-not to take your heart back…but just to see them again because it makes you feel, uhh, happy and joyful.” She narrated her feelings of the day she had to leave Shikamaru and return home. “But that pain disappears once you’re around them again.” This is really difficult…making an explanation into something that Gaara could understand.
“Isn’t that bad? Someone stealing your heart?” he asked. The pain was returning as his mind flashed to each night when Hinata turned to leave. He couldn’t understand that if this emotion called love was so joyful ,then why would someone who said they loved you, make you hurt so?
“No, it’s not bad if you actually want that person to steal your heart and become apart of you.” she replied.
“I want someone to steal my heart?” he questioned.
“Well…yes. If the person who steals it is the one you love back. With them, you should be able to trust your heart in their keeping and trust them to be careful with it. It’s kind of like they’re borrowing your heart forever…and you love them for doing it. It’s the same when you say “I love you” to someone. You basically mean “I have a part of your heart and I’m going to keep it safe with me forever.”
Gaara said “Then how would you say it in my case?…because I have a piece of someone’s heart with me, right now.”
Temari realized and comprehended what he had just said and gasped. “Gaara…a-are you in love!?”
“I don’t know. I feel all of the things that you described. When she leaves, it feels like my heart is being ripped apart. But when she’s with me, I feel complete again. That is love right?”
“Well, yes! Who is she?” she asked gaining her composure so as not to embarrass him. But, come to think of it…has Gaara ever been embarrassed? Probably not. But, I can’t believe it! Gaara had these kind of feelings for someone!? Amazing! She couldn’t explain how proud and happy she felt for him. After all, she had taken care of him like a little brother.
“Her name is Hyuuga Hinata. I believe you know of her.” he replied, noting her grinning face.
“The Byakugan user? Yes, I know of her.” All of a sudden, something clicked. Forgetting her tiredness, she jumped up completely rejuvenated and asked “Was she the one that told you she loved you?”
“Yes.” he replied. He noticed her abrupt change in attitude and said “But you’re acting very strange. Did I say something wrong?”
She cried out “Ohh!” and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, tears springing from her eyes. She was so happy that Gaara had found someone that could see him as Temari and Kankuro did…as a human being.