ATTEMPTS TO UNDERSTAND
The next day the other side of the bed was unused and cold. Gaara was in the kitchen instead looking outside the window.
"Good morning Gaara-san."
He took a glance at me, "Morning."
Now that I wasn't living by myself anymore I can start cooking for other people. I found myself a new favorite hobby, cooking. I raided his fridge, surprisingly full, and…yes there was a case of beer at the bottom. Didn't know he liked to drink.
We got into a routine. I wake up, find him still working. Tell him to use the bathroom while I make breakfast. Then I make lunch for both of us and then. I blushed the first time he told me he would be walking me to the hospital.
He started doing it everyday. Even though we didn't talk much, I liked this. I could get used to marrying Gaara.
/-/-/
"Gaara-san, I came by to bring your lunch," I poked my head in his office.
He wasn't there. His secretary said he went home. Why would Gaara go home for? Maybe he was sick. I rushed home with a terrible feeling in my stomach.
I knew tonight was cold but when I entered our house it was even colder. I shivered and walked slowly on alert. Something was wrong. I turned on my byakugan and saw nothing out of the ordinary.
Our bedroom door was slightly ajar. Gaara was breathing erratically clutching his chest on the floor. I ran to him.
"Gaara-san! Are you hurt?"
He glanced up at me and pushed me away and turned to the wall. He groaned.
"Gaara," I rubbed his back. I didn't know what was wrong with him.
His breathing slowed but he became tense.
"Hinata," he said lowly.
"Yes?" I leaned in to see his face more.
"Run…"
It took me a few seconds to wonder why.
The next thing I knew, I was pushed up against the wall with Gaara over me.
"G-G-Gaara?" his hand holding my shoulder in place.
"You didn't run," this wasn't Gaara's everyday voice. I was trembling. His eyes…I didn't like the way he was looking at me.
He came closer and…was at the crook of my neck. I froze. All I felt was him breathing on my neck…and sand crawling over my hands.
Sand. His gourd was sitting at the corner with the top off this worried me even more.
I closed my eyes. The sand found the cut on my arm.
"Satisfyingly sweet blood," he raked his teeth on my neck.
I shivered, "Gaara. Please…Don't. Gaara."
Did I do something wrong?
Was I about to get killed like everyone else said?
Sand slinked up my arms.
"Uh, H-Hinata?"
I opened one eye. His eyes, they were back to light green again, became my favorite color.
My eyes burned and cried in Gaara's arms.
This was the last time I saw the demon inside Gaara.
/-/-/
Temari said it was going to be Gaara's birthday tomorrow. January 19, Very short notice, I didn't know what to get him.
I'll bake him a strawberry cake instead. I was proud of myself, it was my second time making a cake, and the last one turned a different color much to my chagrin.
But alas, all my hard work into this cake was going to be destroyed seconds later when I came out of the kitchen.
"And then Kankurou here just fooled him with his puppet trick. His face was quite funny right before we killed him," Temari said to Gaara about their latest mission.
"I think Hinata has brought us something nice today," Kankurou licked his lips.
Temari wacked his head, "It's for Gaara, baka! Sheesh I'll bring you a nice cake on your birthday and fill it with sand," I laughed.
And oops, Kankurou's puppet was right on the floor where I was walking. Uh, I'm so embarrassed I tripped and there it went.
Flying into Gaara's hair. Kankurou laughed. I ran to Gaara.
"I'm so sorry Gaara-san!" I used the apron to help take off the cake.
Another wack, "You baka! I told you to stop leaving your dolls all over the place!"
"It had a mind of its own," Kan-kun whined rubbing the back of his head retrieving his favorite doll.
"Gaara-san I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going."
"No don't be Hinata. Its this idiot's fault," Temari reprimanded Kankurou again, "She worked hard and you just had to ruin the plan!"
"Plan?" Gaara and I both looked at them.
Sheepishly they laughed and Temari dragged Kankurou out of the door.
"Wonder what plan they're talking about," I went back to removing the cake in his hair, "We'll have to wash you hair Gaara-san if it's ever going to come out," I wiped my hands.
"Gaara," he said.
"Hmm?"
"Just call me Gaara," he wiped some frosting off his forehead and put it in his mouth.
He looked at me, I held my breath, "It's good."
I smiled at him, "Thank you Gaara. Let me wash your hair, I did trip after all."
"I thought she was a ninja too!" Kankurou said from out of nowhere.
I heard a clay pot shatter outside. I suppose I'll have to clean that up too.
Half an hour later with Gaara sitting in a chair leaning his head back in the sink. Arms crossed. The cake managed to come off after the second shampooing…Was Gaara sleeping? He looked content enough lying there with his hair wet.
I wrapped his hair in a maroon towel and lifted his head up. His eyes were still closed. Slowly but surely drying his hair.
Fully concentrated on task I was startled when his hand took hold of my arm.
"Yes Gaara?"
"Did you make another one?"
I had some leftover batter from the ruined cake to make a smaller one for him.
/-/-/
One morning, I couldn't find Gaara anywhere.
Not even his siblings knew where he was.
Days later Kankurou said that he was kidnapped.
I didn't know that the heart would break into even more little pieces.
/-/-/
I worried for Gaara over the time he was kidnapped.
Temari tried to cheer me up with her fan dance she made up. But all I remembered was the sand that picked up in the air.
Kankurou-kun performed his kabuki play using his puppets. But that made me remember Gaara's stoic face.
But Gaara still didn't come. I stopped sleeping hoping he would come in the middle of the night or something. I used all my time in the hospital.
Temari filled in for Gaara as Kazekage. The days turned into weeks quickly. I'd finally slept when I cried myself to sleep because I couldn't save a little boy from his illness.
That was when Gaara came back. A nurse woke me up. I wiped off my dry tears and followed her to his room. His room was dark, the monitor beside his bed showed his slow heart beat. She left me alone and closed the door.
He looked paler than me. I grabbed a chair and sat down next to him. He looks…so different. You couldn't tell but the air around him, that changed.
"Gaara," I whispered and laid my head on the bed looking at him.
I took hold of his hand. He closed his around mine. For the second time tonight I was crying.
/-/-/
Gaara started getting more attention lately now that he was back. Girls noticed him more with whispers and giggling. Gaara looked at them with contempt thinking they were talking bad about him.
But no, something different happened. Much to his surprise they gave him a large bento box made from all of them. The group of girls blushed and ran out of the office.
Weird. I watched them leave his office and stood outside giggling. I warily walked inside wondering what was going on.
"Gaara, I stopped by to give you some lunch. But I think you already have it all set up for you," I set mine beside theirs.
He opened theirs; the food sparkled in the light, and poked at their lunch. He lifted up one octopus shaped hot dog and put it in his mouth.
"It's okay."
The girls came in again and cried, "Thank you Gaara! We made it all ourselves."
"Except this part is poisoned and that has sleep induced drugs," he pointed with his chopsticks at the sushi and the tempura.
They stopped and looked at the most innocent one.
"I told you, you put too much!" one of the girls said.
"I thought the Kazekage wouldn't notice," she stared at her shoes.
"Now how will we get him to marry us?"
Guess they forgot that I was his wife. They closed the door behind them. He went back to eating.
"I prefer your company over theirs," he moved theirs to the side and opened mine. Not so much glamorous as theirs but good nonetheless.
I smiled at him again, "And your lunch," he also said.
That made me blush the rest of the day.
/-/-/
3rd POV
"She's been really worried about you Gaara-kun," Temari using the 'kun' only when they were alone.
"What did she do?"
Temari sighed.
"You just don't get it do you little bro? She loves you, its hard not to notice it in her eyes. It's written all over her face."
"Love?" he stopped his writing to look up.
"Yes, love. I'm sure you remember the emotion once. Just please don't be like that baka Naruto fella and be oblivious to everything emotional," Temari got up and left.
'Hinata loves…me,' he looked down.
A breeze entered his office. As well as something in his heart.
/-/-/
"Hinata."
She turns.
He's taken away and sees what his older sister was finally saying.
She walked up to him. Determined look upon her face. Slight pink in her cheeks.
He waited for her next action.
Maybe to hear those three little words from her own lips.
Maybe for him to say it back.
He felt something for her but didn't know if it was 'like' anymore.
Attention to his wife in front of him, she took hold of his face, he never thought about this.
All it took for him to decide was that. Her action. On her toes.
Emotion filled him. He closed his eyes.
And brought her closer.
For that understanding kiss.
I did a lot of fast forwarding here. Back to story mode then I remembered I was aiming for poetry. XP. Man, I suck at serious fics.