-Note from the author-

It was NOT my intention to write a fourth part in the first place. But well...I got a little bit of encouragement! So here's part 4 and seriously this is the last part! Oh, and yes, I have a Beta-reader! Thanks for the Beta-ing Amanda! wuvvsss

I seem to have huge grammatical issues unfortunately. ;;;

Enjoy! And yes, this fanfic also has a lime-on. It's too heavy to be a lime and too light to be a lemon. It's a LIME-ON! Damn my wit:P

-5 Years-

It struck her like lightning.

The weather has been nice and calm inside Hinata's heart for all those years and all of a suddenly black clouds appeared on the horizon, the calm wind changing into a vicious storm, the sun disappeared and big raindrops changed the green landscape in a grey and muddy substance.

"I...can't! I...have...to refuse!". It came out so desperate that it scared her immediately.

Tsunade raised her eyebrows at the sight of Hinata, who was developing a blush that was almost turning purple, eyes big and teary, a shocked expression on her face.

"I don't have another choice right now. Shizune is occupied, Sakura is on a mission. That leaves you".

Hinata opened her mouth to protest more.

"I already talked with your father about this, he agreed, it should be a good experience for you to visit other villages". If there was one thing Tsunade was good at, it had to be the many ways she knew to shut someone up. "You better start packing, we'll be leaving tonight".

She cannot do this to me! I just cannot use this anymore! Her mind was in chaos. Thoughts fighting each other, Her heart was beating too fast, her footsteps were sounding too hard. She still reminded the pain she felt when she realized she had to leave every thought, every memory about him behind her. But she did, she stood up to all her heartache, and finally she managed to put a stop on it. She had closed that chapter, putted it away and never touched it again. Hyuuga Hinata had moved on.

But all those healed wounds opened up again at the thought of the trip she would make tonight. She was appointed to accompany Tsunade during her week visit to Sunagakure.

Why me? She almost cried at this cruel twist of faith. With a quick pace she climbed the stairs towards the Hyuuga main house, silently passing Hanabi who was dozing away under one of the big oak trees around the house.

No! Her mind screamed when all those memories, who were so nicely tucked away, were making their horrible comeback.

"I cannot do this" she whimpered, shutting her bedroom door behind her, before sinking to the ground to cry. As far as she knew Sunagakure still had the same Kazekage, the one she had desperately loved. The thought about seeing him again made her cry even more. What should she say to him? What would she do? Would she be able to talk to him in general? Who was she kidding anyways! She knew that every answer to every one of these questions was 'no'. It dazzled her that she wasn't over this yet. Did she deceived herself all those years?

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What struck her at first was the enormous heat. As soon the Konoha convoy crossed the border, it seemed that the ground, the trees, the rugged mountains started to generate heat. Like they were individual suns, heating the environment, making sure nothing would get the chance to grow.

The further they travelled through the Wind Country, the more the landscape turned into a wasteland. And second of all, it was common knowledge that Sunagakure was located in the middle of a desert, and a long straight road was the way to reach it.

Halfway the road to Suna the convoy got greeted by a small cell of ninja's, who were send as a welcome and to lead them safely to their final destination. All six of the ninja's had hard faces, their skin browned, their faces weathered. The way they handled their mission was pretty much influenced by the person that was their Kazekage. They kept their answers short, their voices sounded monotone and they marched through the hot desert like they didn't knew fatigue.

"We're going to rest first when we arrive" Tsunade decided. "I'm really not into a meeting with their council right away, I need a shower".

Hinata nodded silently, agreeing with her Hokage. She wasn't exactly ready for any kind of meeting, and she would prefer that she just had to stay inside the entire week.

"Where...where are we staying?" she asked, slightly looking at Tsunade, who took on her famous bored look again.

"One of the guestrooms at the Kazekage's residence, I think. They're quite luxurious, actually".

Hinata swallowed hard at the thought of their possible rooms. The Kazekage's Residence. It just went through her mind over and over again, like an echo.

"Does...does...the Kazekage...sleep there too?". As soon as she asked this question she just wished she could withdraw it like she never asked it.

"Gaara? I wonder if he ever sleeps" Tsunade smiled satisfied at the little pun she made, regarding the fact he was still suffering from slight insomnia. Even after his demon got extracted. "I believe his quarters are on the above floor, if I remember it correct. He has his office there, and I believe his bedroom and living room are right next to it". She looked at Hinata, suddenly a little bit surprised but not asking why.

"I...is...Gaara...easy to negotiate with?" Hinata wanted to know. She wondered what Tsunade had to say about him.

"He has no humor, and a little bit too straight forward for my tastes. He needs to loosen up a little. He always walks on with restrains on himself, probably afraid he actually might laugh at a joke" Tsunade answered. "But he's sharp, and not easy to fool. He's quite a good Kage, despite his young age".

It soothed Hinata in some weird way to hear Tsunade talk about Gaara this way.

Sunagakure was more 'sandy' than she expected. Everything had the same color. The houses all had these yellow/brown tinges, all of them were strangely round. The people matched their houses perfectly. Most of them wore brown clothes, mostly long cloaks or capes. They were silent and closed people. Not unfriendly, just very distant.

They got welcomed by Gaara's oldest sister, Temari. She was waiting for them at the gate, and thank God she completely could read their minds.

"Gaara won't be able to meet up with you tonight. He's very busy with paperwork" she told them, her voice sounded tired. "And I assumed you could use the time to freshen up a little and get some sleep. If you need anything, you can ask Gaara's assistant. He's sitting at the end of the hall".

"We could use some food" Tsunade answered.

"We counted on that" was Temari's reply.

While walking up to the Kazekage's residence, Hinata just wanted to run away.

I can't face him. I can't see him.

It just went through her head like some morbid mantra. In the 5 years after their last night, he had visited Konoha a couple of times, but he didn't seek for her company anymore. He made it clear to her the last time, it was their last night.

And now...she had to face him sooner or later. Tsunade probably wanted her to be present at every meeting to take notes. Hinata looked up, scanning the building. The top...that's where his office should be.

He should be in there. Working. I wonder if he changed a lot. I wonder...

I wonder if he has found someone else.

------------------------------------

Hinata looked around the room that got appointed to her. A nice big bed. The sheets looked crisp clean. The sun made them look even more white. Almost radiant. A comfy chair waiting in the corner, a big window, looking out over a nice part of Sunagakure. A nice rugged carpet.

She sighed, trying to brush off the thought about the upcoming meeting with Gaara, and what that might do to her. She decided to take a shower, change into something lighter and get into bed afterwards. Despite the fact she worried non-stop about Gaara, she was tired.

The shower was a welcome relief. She washed off the dust, the sweat, washed her hair. Her skin tingled pleasantly during the entire process. It even took her mind of Gaara for a couple of minutes.

With only wearing a simple, white kimono to cover herself up she climbed into the big comfortable bed. It was too hot to use the sheets, so she curled up on top of them. The sleep came over her like a small blanket, she felt herself slipping away from the wake world to fall into a deep sleep. A much needed sleep.

---------------------------------

Actually, it were the voices who woke her up. Just outside her door. Tsunade said something that sounded like: "She probably is sleeping, the entire trip took a lot from her. Why do you need to speak to her on this ridiculous hour?".

Hinata slowly sat up, looking at the door, and the little yellow stripe of light that was coming from underneath it.

Still fuzzy from her sleep she heard her tired voice saying: "I...am...awake...who...wants to speak to me?".

How silly could she be...that could only be one person!

"It won't take long" a low voice said.

Tsunade made a sound like 'humph' before saying: "I hope so. I need her tomorrow during the meetings".

Footsteps followed, they walked away. Hinata's heart started pounding inside her chest. Blood rushed through her veins.

At first there was silence, than there was this short knock.

Hinata's breath got stuck in her throat. She crawled off the bed to tie up her kimono again, trying to find a look that will not give away the fact she was nervous and that she was trembling lightly.

The door opened a little.

"I brought food, my assistant told me you needed food".

That was true, but she didn't asked for the person that came with the food. Or maybe she did. From deep on the inside.

Silently Gaara entered the room, holding a tray with something that looked like simple sandwiches. And a cup with something hot. With his usual grace he turned around to put it down on the small table next to the comfy chair. Even that small movement, the way he was holding that tray, it just assured her that he was still what he always had been to her: amazing.

He approached her in a casual way, his white Kage robes rustling behind him, his face at ease. He didn't changed much during those 5 years. He grew a little taller. His hair was still as red as ever, a little bit longer in the neck.

Tears started to sting behind her eyes, just because of seeing him after all those years. It didn't took long that her mind just re winded, to the state it was in 5 years ago. It amazed her how quick all those old feelings just returned all of a suddenly. It was insane. Out of this world.

"Long time ago" Gaara stated while studying her face from a distance.

She managed to squeeze out a short nod, while she tried to regain her sanity and not just jump on him to kiss him, touch him, to do anything he wanted, as long as he would stay with her.

"I expected that pink haired girl to be the one to accompany Tsunade. It was quite a surprise to see you walking up to my residence" he said, casually looking around himself.

Hinata wondered if Gaara was a person that could be surprised easily. He was probably exaggerating.

He passed her to look out of the window for a few minutes. She didn't move, forcing herself not to look at him.

"You found someone?" he asked, face fixed on the view outside.

"N...no" she answered, feeling ashamed to tell him that. It probably made her look more embarrassing.

Do you seriously think I'd be with someone else after nights like that?

She listened to his footsteps coming closer, she didn't dare to look at him. It hurt so much. This trip was becoming the torture it promised to be after all. She startled when she felt two hands gripping her shoulders. He was behind her, probably in the mood to make everything worse than it already was.

"Nobody?" his voice sounded kind of absent, his hands slid down her back to finally settle on her hips.

"P...please...I can't" she muttered, feeling the first tear running over her cheek.

He moved his hands up again, her skin tingled.

What in the world was he doing? Hinata wanted to run away so bad right now, but her feet kept being nailed to the ground. Damn feet!

His arms slid around her waist, she felt how he pressed himself lightly against her back. A second tear fell.

"No Gaara" she whispered, he voice trembling, her heart screaming with pure pain. "Don't...don't do this to me. The pain...it consumes me".

"Pain" he repeated softly. She felt his breath on her skin, her nose caught his scent again. Damn sandalwood.

His hands softly made their way to her back again. Goosebumps appeared on her arms.

No! Please no! That was the only thing that ran through her mind like a carrousel going crazy.

"Pain can be sweet sometimes" he said. "Let me show you". His fingers stroked her neck lightly while the other hand slipped around her waist again.

She cried, her shoulders shook helplessly. She couldn't escape herself, her feelings or him for that matter. Her hair got brushed aside a little and he placed a light kiss just under her ear. His other hand was working on the tight knot she made of the sash around her kimono.

His touches were slow, gentle, intoxicating and painful. She felt how he wiped away the tears from her face. So tender, lightly. He probably had took those 5 years to fine-tune his bedroom skills.

She had used those 5 years to pretend she was over him, to pretend she had a normal life, to pretend she actually was the strong female everyone wanted her to be. How stupid of her!

She let out a sob when she felt how his tongue slowly made its way from her shoulder to her earlobe. Carefully he removed the clothing from her shoulders.

"I missed you" he whispered against the back of her shoulder. "I missed you more than I am allowed to".

"Me too" she finally replied, cursing herself on the inside to give in to his touches like that.

Her kimono fell open when he removed the sash and dropped it on the beautiful rugged carpet. His hand moved over her belly, slow and teasingly. She turned her face to the left to see his. Almost immediately his lips were on hers, his tongue forcing her to open her mouth more.

He kissed her in a slow, teasing way, making her head spin. He broke the kiss when he noticed the big teardrops rolling down Hinata's cheeks. She saw him narrow his eyes in a strange way before he gentle placed his hand on her cheek to keep her from turning her head back. She felt him placing small kisses on all the places where tears had run.

"Don't cry". His voice was merely a breath.

Both of his hands were running over her body now, stroking the inside of her thigh, cupping her breasts, squeezing them. She looked at the way his long fingers bended to tickle her a little before they moved on to a new destination. His breath softly skimming her ear, making everything melt inside of her, making her knees shake.

She couldn't help uttering a small moan when he occasionally brushed his thumb over her left nipple. And as if he wanted to reward her for showing him that she liked his touch, he placed a small kiss just below her earlobe.

She knew this was going to end up into one of those beautiful nights where he would make her his again, where he would make her sure that he didn't want to be forgotten.

He turned her around, making her do some kind of silly pirouette before she actually was facing him.

He smiled, no not the slight upturn of one of the corners of his mouth, a real smile. It filled her heart with a little bit too much joy. She placed her lips firmly onto his, letting her tongue explore his mouth.

She didn't want to wait any longer, his teasing ways turned her on too much, she had the feeling she could might explode any second.

"Make love to me" she begged him, pulling his robe like a needy child. "Please".

"I will" he answered and slowly guided her to the big chair in the corner of the room.

There was a huge bed waiting, so it kind of surprised her that he wanted to do something in the chair. He sat her down while quickly stripping off his clothes, which still took him longer than she expected, as the robes were sort of complicated, they just didn't came off him that easy. But when they finally dropped on the floor, Hinata got treated on one of her most favorite views in the world: Gaara's flawless body. Probably one of the most perfect things she ever saw in her entire life.

Without no further ado she pulled him on top of her, trying to find a comfortable position to continue. Her mind was one big haze, thoughts were not making any sense whatsoever. She just tossed all her doubts overboard, giving in to her biggest sin. Hungrily she kissed him, like it was the last thing she could do to stay alive.

A loud knock on the door brought her out of her trance.

"Hinata?". It was Tsunade.

"Y...yes...?" she answered, trying her best to make her voice sound as normal as possible, because Gaara didn't stopped touching her, or kissing her for that matter.

That tease!

"Is the Kazekage still with you?".

"Yes" Gaara answered. His voice sounding as monotone and cold as always. "And we're very busy, so please go to bed".

Hinata pictured Tsunade raising her eyebrows on the other side of that door.

But she got even more than she asked for as Tsunade's loud voice rolled through the room like thunder.

"WHAT IN THIS WORLD!".

The sight alone should have been pretty enough for the Hokage to add one and one. Hinata on her back, her arms around Gaara's neck, her legs wrapped around his waist. Him on top of her, touching her breasts, still placing light kisses on her shoulder. Like Tsunade wasn't standing in the middle of the room.

She hid her fire-red face in the crook of his neck, afraid to face Tsunade. Gaara, on the other hand, didn't avoid the confrontation.

"I said we were busy". His voice sounded slightly annoyed.

"I see, I see" Tsunade replied, her eyes still wide, absorbing the sight of the two naked people in the chair.

"Is it possible for you to return to your bedroom. Hokage-sama?" Gaara asked while tracing Hinata's neck with his finger.

"No. NO!". Than the outburst came. Probably waking up half of Sunagakure.

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO THINKING! HAS IT EVER OCCURRED TO YOU THAT HINATA IS THE..."

"...heiress of a powerful clan? Yes I am aware of that" he finished, face unblinking, still touching Hinata.

Hinata actually froze at the second Tsunade started yelling that loud. This was a serious problem,

Tsunade smashed her hand into the wall, the stone crumbled like it was nothing.

"AND YOU, HINATA! ARE YOU EVEN THINKING ABOUT THE FACT HE IS THE GODDAMN KAZEKAGE!"

"S...sorry...Ho...Hokage-sama" she mumbled, slightly looking at Tsunade with eyes as big as saucers.

"My title has nothing to do with this" his voice sounded, calm and in control. Hinata noticed his hand was still resting upon her right breast, squeezing softly.

Oh god, how embarrassing.

Gaara's behavior was pissing off Tsunade, big time. Her eyes narrowed, both fists clenched.

"Your father will be noticed about this, Hinata!" she said, her voice bend in a cruel tone. Her fist slammed another hole in the wall. "And you! You're abusing my trust! This is completely ridiculous!".

Hinata just wanted to start crying until she felt Gaara's hand stroke her cheek shortly. Right before she felt his body slide off her. She was quite amazed by his shameless behavior. He was butt naked, quite aroused at some places and still he walked around looking for his robe in a calm and non-caring way. Hinata, on the contrary, was desperately trying to reach for her kimono, trying to hide every part of her body while doing that.

Tsunade was plainly insulted. Her left eye twitched because she had to face a naked man, one that didn't had the dignity to cover himself up a little for one bit.

Probably this was one of the formal things Gaara wasn't aware off. He was just oblivious to some things.

Hinata pulled her Kimono around herself, hoping that this embarrassment would end soon.

Gaara wrapped the robe around his waist, making a weird knot with the sleeves before facing Tsunade again.

"This has damaged my trust! How can we secure a treaty, work together while you two...!". A third hole got smashed into the wall.

Gaara rolled his eyes in response. "This has got nothing to do with our treaty, Hokage-sama. I happen to like Hinata, in my opinion this disagreement, with the fact you're damaging the walls, is totally irrelevant. And it annoys me".

"It annoys me that you abuse my trust by having sex with my assistant! And...that you couldn't even find the dignity to cover up yourself!". The walls practically shook with the loudness of her voice.

"She is your assistant. Nothing more. She is a grown up woman, she can make decisions for herself. Concerning my naked condition, you could have turned around". With this sentence Gaara decided this conversation was over, he turned his attention towards Hinata again, smiling at her, one corner of his mouth curled up. Oh how she wished he had better people skills. Now he just stood there, ignoring Tsunade completely.

"This isn't over yet! Learn some goddamn manners!". Tsunade's head was almost turning red with anger. She stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. The loud slam made a little painting fell of the wall and the assistant storming inside the room with a drawn kunai.

"Kazekage-sama! Is everything...alright?". His small eyes scanned the situation. A half naked Kazekage, a naked Hinata under a kimono and three holes in the wall.

"I'm fine, go back to your post" Gaara answered, he looked, sounded and radiated anger.

"Are you sure, Kazekage-sama?".

With a quick, rough movement he turned around to face his assistant. His eyes almost looked like they could shoot out deathrays any second. And this also was the first time she experienced Gaara as a very pissed off Kage.

"I am fine" he hissed, eyes narrowed. "Go to your post!".

The assistant made a weird jump, eyes wide with fear.

"Y...yes Kazekage-sama" he stammered before he made his way out of the room as quick as possible.

--------------------------------

She trembled all over, hiding her face in her hands.

"I...I am in so much trouble" she sobbed. "You...you...d...don't understand. My father...I'm bringing everyone in danger. Your village, mine...everyone! I shouldn't have came here. I asked Tsunade if she couldn't get someone else to go with her...she...insisted. My father...insisted". Big tears started to run down her cheeks. She never felt so stupid, so useless, so intensely sad.

"Why...? Why am I so...so...weak...?". She wrapped her kimono around her and brought her knees to her chin to sobb even more.

Green eyes studied her intensively, hands with beautiful long fingers held hers, slowly forcing them away from her face. She knew her face had to look like a bloated thing, red spots in her neck, eyelids a little bit swollen. She stared at his hands, his thumb moved over her index finger. His skin was a lot paler than hers.

"I'm sorry" he said. The words came out a little bit clumsy, the combination of these two words were probably something he wouldn't say that often.

He was right, she knew, the apology made sense. She had tried to resist him, but he persisted. He pushed her over the edge, forced her to listen to those feelings that made her behave like the fool she didn't wanted to be.

It's his fault.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him.

"You...you...you shouldn't do this. It...it hurt so much...last time..." her words came out jolting. "I...I got over it. And than...you just...return...make me...look like...a fool. And...now...this... Why...why did you...had to do this? If...you can't love me. Or...are you...able to love me?".

"You make me feel good" he answered. "When I noticed you being with the Hokage, I felt...something...people call that...'happy' I think. I wanted to see you, I just needed it".

It's called lust. Just lust. Hinata realized.

You just needed to have sex with someone. And there I was.

"Lust" she whispered. "It is called lust".

"Lust?" Gaara repeated the word. "Lust...that's an urge people get to have intercourse. No, it's different with you, it feels different. Lust is just a single feeling, it's a self-centered emotion. There are enough females in this village who satisfy me if it comes to my sexual urges".

That is NOT what I want to hear right now! And Hinata was actually happy he didn't saw the face she was pulling out right now.

"With you...you satisfy me on an entire other level. Being with you feels special. It's more intense. It's this warmth, a complete other feeling. It pleases me to see you liking, or wanting me, as you call it. I like your hands on me, your kiss. It's based on something else than just some kind of sensation females get out of the fact that I'm a Kazekage".

Her eyes widened when she listened to him struggling with those words.

"I...I...I am positive it's love" she whispered softly, her lips brushing his cheek, eyes closed. "It's a warm feeling inside. You...you were happy...to see me... I...I am...happy to see you. It's love. You...love me...just as much as...I love you".

He was silent when he looked at her, confusion was the only thing she saw on his face. Pure confusion. Gently she kissed his lips, just to assure him that it was okay. That it was okay to feel like that. She closed her eyes while touching his face, inhaling his scent.

"I will try to sort this out with your Hokage". The sudden distance about the tone of his voice awoke her from her fuzzy state of mind. He moved away from her.

Finally she nodded. "I just wonder what...what next...".

"Stop worrying, get some sleep". It practically sounded like an order.

After those words he left the room. Not saying anything more.

Hinata knew she confused him, and due to that his defenses got up again. And despite the fact he told her to stop worrying about it, the one thing she was doing right now was worrying.

------------------------------------

"But what should we do about your thing with Hinata than?" Tsunade asked. She had a curious look on her face, probably wondering how Gaara would react on this.

"Nothing. It happened. And it will happen on future occasions too". A simple, clear-cut answer. Hinata didn't expect something else from Gaara and she giggled on the inside at the thought Tsunade actually did.

"You know you can't!". Tsunade hissed. "You don't want to piss off the Hyuuga-house! If this will get public, I will get in so much trouble with the council. The Hyuuga's influence is huge in our village since, well...the Uchiha's aren't very active anymore".

"But they don't know it, so I don't see any problems" Gaara replied, while taking a sip from his tea.

Suddenly Tsunade turned herself to Hinata, who was sitting next to her, staring at the ground, hoping things would work out for the good.

"Don't you have anything to say about this? What on Earth made you sleep with him?".

Automatically, her fingers started to fidget again while the trusty blush spread out on her face.

"It doesn't sound like you. To just...sleep around...". Tsunade added, trying to corner Hinata even in a more difficult position.

She just blushed, and fidgeted more. Her mind was frantically trying to find the right words. There was no excuse to sleep with Gaara, no good excuse if she didn't explain her feelings for him.

"Oh for crying out loud" Tsunade sighed, turning her head, taking on some dramatic pose. "Are you two in love!".

Gaara and Hinata looked at each other for a couple of seconds. He raised a non-existent eyebrow and slowly started to tap with his fingers on the desk.

"Call it mutual attraction" he answered, carefully choosing his words.

"Oh hell!" Tsunade reacted. Hinata immediately noticed how Gaara's attitude was pissing her off. "You both know that this little thing between you two is pretty much impossible, right?".

"Yes" Gaara replied, his face looked bored. Apparently he had enough of this entire discussion.

"Hinata will marry off someone out of her family, you understand that, right? It's tradition within the Hyuuga-family that they marry someone within their family". Tsunade really wanted to convince Gaara that he was going for the wrong girl.

"I'm aware of that. The story she'll marry off Neji is pretty much a public secret. But still, that isn't a good excuse to refuse me from seeing her".

"Kazekage-sama, you are pissing me off over here!". Tsunade frowned, the corners of her mouth turned downwards.

"I have explained the situation. I don't see any problems here".

Hinata looked at him and than looked at her Hokage.

She heard her voice squeak in her throat before she opened her mouth.

"I...I...".

All the eyes were on her now.

"It...I...met him...when I was 16. He...walked...me home... I fell off a seat at the ramen bar. I...". She regained her breath, and tried to regain her guts as well.

"...He...was interested in me... Approached me...and...kissed me... He...took...my...eh...virginity. A-and he...did the same thing...a year...later...and again...".

Tsunade looked at her, eyebrows raised. Gaara looked at her, face unreadable.

"...I...I...fell...in love with him...a-and...I still am".

Hinata trembled a little, tears stung behind her eyes.

"He...makes me feel...different. He trusts me. My dad...doesn't, my family doesn't...but...he does... I...it's more...than...just...sex, to me...it is...".

She swallowed, a single tear running down her face.

"...E...e-everything".

Silence. A perfect silence.

Hinata stared at her hands, and the two fidgeting fingers. She just let it all out. She had already told Gaara how she felt about him, but yet, this new confession made her feel nauseated.

"See what you're doing here?" Tsunade's hard voice just completely ripped the silence apart. "For crying out loud. Please realize, for once, what you are doing right now! You cannot just stick your...thing inside a girl and think you can get away with it!".

It was obvious that Tsunade was trying to put her in some kind of victim-position, blame Gaara for everything. Trying to depict him as the careless male who just fucks around weak, shy and insecure women like Hinata.

"You're crossing the line here, Hokage-sama". Gaara's voice trembled a little. "I do not approve of the things you assume regarding me being with Hinata. What I want from this, is a stable agreement between our villages. I do not wish to discuss this any further".

With those words he stood up. Case closed.

"We're having a meeting to attend now, please follow me to the council's quarters".

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She looked around his office and it amazed her how similar it was to Tsunade's. Big bookcases holding a lot of books, unorganized stacks of paper everywhere, a map of Suna on the wall. Pale sunlight was coming in from two small, round windows. Gaara was busy with cleaning up his desk a little by adding the papers that laid there onto the other stacks.

"Close the door" he ordered her. He had been very distant to her the entire day, it made her feel horrible and insecure.

Until the moment he approached her after the long, dragging meeting they had the entire day with Suna's council.

Slowly Hinata walked towards the door to close it,

"You look tired" she noticed, carefully approaching him.

"And to think of it I have to write a report of the two meetings we had today to show the council tomorrow" he sighed.

"Should I go...then?" she asked.

"No".

"Should I help you with writing those reports?" she proposed.

He shook his head.

"Oh...erm...what do you want me to do than?".

"We still have to finish what we did last night".

Hinata's eyes grew large, she raised her eyebrows. "I...I don't know...if that's...a wise thing. A...although...I really want to... But...".

She wanted it, that was the one thing she was completely sure of inside her mind.

"I have to pick up some papers. Than we'll go to my residence".

"I...I am sorry...about...Tsunade...saying those things...".

No answer besides the rustling sounds of papers.

----------------------------

Probably she had expected to see something very luxurious. Fitting for a Kage. But Gaara's quarters were simple. Simple wooden furniture, white curtains. Pretty much not showing any sign that someone was living in here. Gaara was either a neat freak, or he never could be find in here. With a loud noise he dropped the papers on the table.

"Take a seat". It wasn't exactly a polite invitation, more an order.

Finally she sat down on a small wooden chair, close to the window while she watched Gaara walking through his small living room. He looked pretty moody. It made the black rims around his eyes stand out even more.

Finally he decided to give up on the thing he was doing and turned his attention towards Hinata again.

"The bedroom" he said.

She nodded, slowly, looking at him with a mixture of sadness and guilt.

"G...Gaara...I'm really sorry... I should have said something".

He grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the chair.

"Come" he just said.

His bed was made out of simple wood, a nice thick mattress on top with brown coloured blankets. Except for a closet, a small wooden table and that bed there was nothing in the room. The sober atmosphere struck her as something typical Gaara-esque and she allowed a small smile around her lips.

She startled when he just appeared in front of her out of nothing, pinning her down against the wall, both hands on each side of her head. After that he slowly leaned in to kiss her. She didn't have to think twice to meet him half way and thankfully she placed her lips on his. He tasted exceptionally good. Good lord, he always tasted good. His presence was completely intoxicating. It lifted her up, making her head spin, making her want more.

It struck her that he was not wasting a lot of time. His hands were all over her, and for once she was determined to return the favor. Desperately she pressed her body against his, letting her tongue trace his neck, his jaw line to conclude it with delicately licking his upper lip. He captured her tongue with his to finally close his lips around it.

"Sorry" she whispered, half kissing, half talking.

"Apology accepted" he answered before he took over her mouth again.

God, he's good.

"Would you mind if we make it a little different this time?". His voice sounded hoarse with excitement, but the real proof about his state of mind was starting to appear under his robes.

Hinata brushed her lips against his cheek. "What did you had in mind?" she murmured, realizing she would actually do everything he wanted her to do in the state she was in now.

His hands firmly closed themselves around her upper arms while he pushed her away from him a little bit. Although it startled her a little bit, she still looked at him with the best tender look her face was capable of.

"A little bit less gentle" he whispered, his breath felt warm against her neck.

She thought about it.

Wasn't sex always gentle? Was there a less gentle way to have sex in general? And if there was, would she wanted to experience that? Was having sex with Gaara not always amazing? Whatever he would do to her? While she was reconsidering this, she felt his hands working on her pants. His speed was remarkable.

"Do it" she finally said, looking at him, eyes insecure, lightly blushing. "I...I...trust you".

A faint smile ran across his face by hearing her consent to his proposal.

She was surprised when he lifted her up and she was rather shocked when his tender kisses changed into a weird mixture of sucking and biting. She didn't really know how she had to respond to them in a proper way. His movements were a lot rougher, his breath heavy and fast.

But...on the other hand, she liked it, to experience him in a state like this. Hungry, needy and very aroused. She wrapped her legs around his waist while he carried her to the bed. More than ever she was aware of the things that were happening inside his pants. He was very busy with producing a lovebite in her neck. Tsunade would probably freak out if she saw that. It will probably turn him even more into the male rapist Tsunade wanted him to be.

He didn't lie when he said "A little less gentle" . His touches were harsh, sometimes even painful. She didn't knew how to respond, she didn't know if she liked it, this weird mixture of pain and pleasure. The speed he used to remove the rest of her clothes was admirable. When he finally had her completely naked under him she saw a satisfied look on his face.

"You're beautiful like this, Hinata" he said, panting heavy.

She smiled and blushed. "Just...take your clothes off".

Did I just say that?

Once again she got reminded of the fact his body was absolutely perfect. Smooth, perfect skin, not one single scar. When he stripped off his robe, and she saw the first glimpse of the perfection underneath it she gasped for air. And for a couple of seconds she couldn't even believe that such a handsome man wanted to be with her.

When he crawled on top of her again her entire body just shivered with pure desire.

You cannot comprehend how much I want you now.

She smiled happily while this thought went through her head. She clung to him, wrapping her legs around him, answering his harsh touches with some of her own. And she couldn't remember a moment when she blushed more than the moment when she started to move her lower body against his, biting his shoulder lightly.

And it pleased her even more when she heard how he enjoyed it. His breathing pitched to a higher speed and the most delightful small moans were escaping from his mouth.

"Oh Gaara" she replied, burying her fingers in his hair, pulling lightly. She arched her back a little bit extra, grinding a little bit harder into him, just to force that cute moan to come out again.

He bit her lower lip, his breath sounded rasping.

"Hinata..." he said, frantically squeezing her left breast while looking at her, "Turn over".

She looked back at him, her head completely in another world and vaguely she started to wonder why he stopped placing those adorable little licks in her neck.

"Hmmm?". Hinata turned her head slowly to the left. "Turn over?".

Her voice sounded slow and lazy in her ears.

"Yes" he replied, his voice sounded a little demanding. He had an impatient look in his eyes.

Slowly she got up a little, leaning on her elbows, bringing her face closer to Gaara's. Totally in a fuzzy state of mind she placed a kiss on his nose. Not really comprehending what he wanted her to do.

His hands grabbed her by her waist, pulling her closer to his.

"I am serious, Hinata. Turn over" he whispered in her ear, his voice was thick with lust, his hands trailed her body.

She smiled and nodded slowly. She would do everything for him, and if he wanted her to turn over she wouldn't think twice.

His arms closed around her after she turned around in front of him. A purr escaped from his mouth while he pulled her close to him, hands trailed her back, caressed her butt. Finally one arm wrapped itself around her waist and it felt like he was positioning himself for something totally different.

"Gaara?" she asked while the truth slowly started to kick in.

"Sssshhh, it's okay" he said, stroking her hair. The tone of his voice was soft, and he was trying to let it sound soothing. But his obvious turned on state made her feel even more afraid.

"No...no..." she whimpered. "I don't want to do it this...this way".

"I will be careful".

She looked over her shoulder towards him, her eyes wide, like a deer caught in headlights. His hand was still stroking her hair, trying to calm her down.

A soft kiss against her cheek. "It's okay, shhh". Hinata turned herself around, arched her back a little.

"Be...be...careful...okay? D...don't hu...hurt me...".

Gently she felt his hand stroking her cheek, her neck, her back, while he slowly bend her over, her face coming closer to the sheets.

"Don't be scared, Hinata".

Yes, it hurt.

She squeezed her eyes shut while he entered her, it felt like she got torn apart from that place. Every thrust he made just hurt more. The pain made her forget his kind hands trying to calm her down, let her relax, his voice in her ear saying rather sweet things to her.

"I...it...h..hurts" she whimpered, but yet she wasn't planning to flinch or run away.

"Wait" his voice sounded tense. He started to move a little, she felt it inside of her too, something shifted.

He was right, it hurt much less now. She wondered what he did to make it so much easier for her to bare. He hauled her up again and started to place the sweetest kisses on her right shoulderblade. His movements were slow and careful.

The pain had changed more into a vague uncomfortable feeling. And it felt much better now, now her body was pressed to his, one of his hands firm on her hip while the other one was heading for the lower regions of her body in that slow teasing way she was getting used to.

A short gasp escaped her throat when two fingers slipped inside of her while he was picking up a certain pace behind her. His fingers started to move on the same rhythm.

Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing.

The word kept on buzzing through her mind when she started to discover the pain left her body and started to make place for pure pleasure.

He did it again, Hinata, he did it...again. He made you go loopy again.

She arched her back, the combination of his fingers down there, the thing he did behind her, his tongue making circles on her shoulder, it was too good. The feelings just piled up inside of her. One sweet feeling after another.

"You're...you're...amazing!" she barely screamed, desperately looking over her shoulder to find his face, to kiss him, to make him clear that he was the best thing that ever happened to her.

His breath speeded up, and as well as the pace.

At that moment she started to loose herself, she couldn't take it anymore. His presence, his touch, his movements, the flash of green eyes she saw when she turned her face. The fact that she got her back turned towards him made it difficult to show him. Show him how much she was losing it.

"Ah hinaa" he moaned, while the two fingers started to make even more delicious movements.

"Gaahr" she replied, touching his face with her fingers. Her breathing was all over the place, nothing made sense anymore, she could control her body barely, desperately holding on to the few strings of sanity that were left.

Hinata gasped and pressed her body more against his. It got answered with a delighted moan from his mouth. And she couldn't help a big smile when she felt his tongue moving over one of her fingers, after that she felt his lips closing around it.

The rhythm sped up, she heard the bed protest with tiny squeaks, she heard her desperate moaning, his short gasps and growls muttering against her back. She got swayed back and forth, it was kind of hypnotizing, her body was slightly trembling as well.

"I love you". She noticed that she was repeating that sentence for quite a while now, tone becoming louder.

With three rather hard thrusts she felt him come. The frantic licking and sucking on her finger stopped for a few seconds so he could let out a loud: "A..aaaah...ah". She felt his muscles tense for a few seconds, it made her wish she could see his face.

She came right after him, maybe a couple of nanoseconds later. The sound coming out of her mouth could sounded like a strange high-pitched whining sound. She felt his arms close around her while she was still trembling and panting , the feeling was just ebbing away a little. Finally she closed her eyes, smiling happily.

"Thank you, Hinata" he whispered, resting his head against her shoulder. He still had problems with regaining his breath.

"It was...very...good..." was her reply. Actually, it was more than very good to her. It was probably one of the most exciting things she'd ever done in her life.

He was quite silent when he moved out of her to fall into the soft sheets of his bed. He looked exhausted, but one corner of his mouth was curled up, satisfied. He reached out to her.

Without thinking twice she crawled to him and cuddled up beside him.

He looked at her, relaxed, the hardness that mostly included with every look he gave was completely gone. Completely at ease, feeling comfortable, a lazy smile around his lips. And suddenly she discovered the most peculiar thing: a slight blush on his cheeks.

"Hinata". His voice was barely audible.

"Hmmm?". She slowly felt herself slipping away into a light slumber. His voice was very far away.

A hand stroked her cheek lightly. A light smile danced across her face. "Hmm, Gaaa?".

"I love you"

"Mmmm, yeah". She dozed off...slightly aware of his arms slipping around her, pulling her closer.

------------------------------------

Morning.

Bright rays of sun caressed her face, heating up the room. A light breeze was coming in through the opened window. Making the light, cotton sheets rustle a little.

She opened her eyes slightly, looking through her lashes, slowly turning around.

There he was. Sleeping. His beautiful green eyes closed, mouth slightly open while a light snore escaped from his mouth.

He stayed! Her mind started to do happy hops, just at the sight of him next to her. Laying on his back, his head turned towards her. One hand next to his face, his lean fingers slightly bend. Hinata rolled over to her belly to watch him.

Because, in her little world, there wasn't a greater sight than to watch the man she loved sleep in so much peace. The peace he never really could find in his life.

Carefully she touched his hair. Placing a small lock of his hair behind his ear, stroking it gently.

"Nuhmm" he muttered. She saw him move slightly. His eyelids trembled a little.

Hinata wondered if her touch had awakened him.

He yawned, stretching his muscles. Hinata enjoyed the sight and smiled lightly.

His hair looked tangled and he blinked his eyes, staring into the sun that was merciless shining into the room now.

"Good morning" she said. Her voice sounded light and a little bit pitched. Just because of the fact she was completely head over heels with him. A warm feeling grew inside of her while observing his movements.

"Hmm" was his reply. He sat up, looking at her.

She reached out for his hand, grabbing it, squeezing it tight. It struck her that the hardness had returned a little bit in his eyes. But he still returned her tiny squeezes with a small upturn of his lips.

"You started sleeping very fast this time" he had noticed.

"S...sorry... I...I was kind of...tired".

He seemed to be questioning himself something, looking at her with a puzzled look on his face.

"I...I remember...that you were talking to me...but I was so tired...". She felt ashamed, if only she could stay awake a little bit more. "W...was...it important?".

"Nah". Was that sadness on his face? That frown? That just appeared a for couple of seconds.

She raised her eyebrows.

It was important.

She crawled a little bit closer to him to finally wrap her arms around him. Of course she blushed. It wasn't in her nature to approach people and hug them. But this was Gaara and she loved him to bits!

But...it had to be important. To make him look that sad for a small moment of time.

"I...am...sorry... I was tired...I see it was something important...". She nuzzled against his shoulder.

"Hm" he responded. "I have to write two reports now. The council is waiting for them".

"S...should...I h..help you? I...I've made some notes".

He shook his head and freed himself out of her arms.

He was distant again. It made her feel horribly insecure. Why must he behave like that on moments like this?

Every time she thought she finally understood him, he proved her that she was wrong. He was complicated, unpredictable and the wounds his painful childhood inflicted to his heart were still not entirely healed.

"You can stay in my bed, for further sleep" he decided while he walked over to his closet to find something to cover his naked body.

Hinata sighed deeply while watching him do a reversed striptease. He pulled a sleeveless mesh shirt over his head, black pants and finally a comfortable tunic to complete his outfit.

"I...I'm going to...help you..." she said finally and got out of bed, looking around for her scattered clothes. "You...you have...a lot...to do... I...will get my...notes... We'll finish it...together".

She had left just before Gaara could protest. He was a master in protesting against things he didn't wanted to happen. He just had to speak the words in that special cold, emotionless tone of his, and people agreed immediately with him. She hated that tone, and she was determined to help him this time.

Her notes were in her room, at least that's what she remembered.

"Hinata?" a voice sounded behind her. Somehow surprised she turned around to find Sakura standing in the doorway.

"Hey!" she said and entered the room.

"H...hey...Sakura".

"I've already taken your notes to write the report". Sakura flashed Hinata the wanted notes and put them on the table beside her.

"Oh...eh...thank...you... Ehm...what are...you doing here?". She blushed horribly but in the back of her mind she knew very well why Sakura came to Sunagakure. To keep her away from Gaara, she probably would be escorted back to Konoha this afternoon. So that Tsunade just could proceed her meetings with her second assistant, Sakura, that did not had a crush on Gaara.

Sakura looked uncomfortable.

"I heard about you...and Gaara".

Yes, there it was. Hinata knew it.

"Tsunade told me last night". A slight helpless smile appeared on Sakura's face. "I...had never expected you to...ehm...sleep with Gaara. I mean...Gaara. He is...typical. Sometimes even Naruto doesn't know how to approach him, and they're best friends. And...Gaara...ehm...in bed".

"I...ehm...I...". She couldn't find the right words and she didn't feel like explaining anything to Sakura in the first place. And wasn't Sakura the one that succeeded in approaching Naruto in the first place? Giving him the loving Hinata should give him?

What? Wait! Was she thinking about Naruto again? As far as she knew Gaara was the one that was waiting for her and the notes.

"I have to go" Hinata heard herself say, picking up the notes and running past Sakura.

"Hinata!".

Completely out of breath, accompanied by the usual confusion she arrived at Gaara's quarters.

She slipped into the room and her heartbeat stopped for one second when she heard a very familiar voice coming from Gaara's office.

"Whoah, Gaara!" a cheerful voice sounded. "Old Lady Tsunade told me the weirdest thing!".

Silence.

"Are you...with Hinata? Hinata?".

Not Naruto! What was Tsunade planning to do to her? Making it all even more difficult? Turn all the embarrassment she was suffering into something public? Apparently she didn't only involve Sakura, but also Naruto. Naruto for God sake!

"Geee...Hinata... You and Hinata".

Naruto's voice sounded like he could not grasp the fact that Gaara, one of the most powerful Kazekage's Suna ever had was involved with Hyuuga Hinata, the shy, clumsy and morbid insecure heiress of the Hyuuga clan. Second of all, Gaara being in a way with a female in the way he was with Hinata in general must have been a huge shock to him.

"Yes". Gaara's voice sounded uninterested. He probably didn't feel like listening to Naruto's rambling.

"And what you're going to do now than? You know you can't be with her, serious...her father will tear you apart! I mean...doing..ehm..things with someone from the main family branch of the Hyuuga's...is like... That's forbidden. And she's...the heiress. Dude, you're so in trouble!".

Silence. Again.

Gaara really went into his not interested-mode again. She knew it.

"I mean...Hinata is cute and all... But...you're...and she is... You know. You are not...a very easy person. She...blushes...at everything".

"Can you be silent for a couple of minutes" Gaara replied.

"Well, I have to escort her back to Konoha tonight, just to let you know".

Chairs moved. Naruto probably understood right now that Gaara was not in for conversations.

Footsteps towards the door.

"Hokage-sama's idea?".

"Yea. If that thing between you two comes out...serious...hell will break loose. She doesn't want to risk the alliance, it's important, especially now we are encountering problems with Iwagakure".

"I see. Can you send Hinata through?".

Her eyes widened. Did he knew she had been standing in the other room all the time? She had been awfully quiet. On the other hand...he is a Kage. Kage's can't be fooled that easily.

The door opened a little bit and Naruto's face appeared. He looked at her with a mixture of entertainment and disbelief.

"Hey Hinata!".

She turned her face away, blushing with embarrassment. "Hey".

Hinata passed Naruto and walked into the office.

"You have those notes I see" he said, making an impatient gesture with his hand.

Was he just going to act like nothing happened? She handed him the notes and watched how he quickly went through them before he putted them beside him.

"Should I leave you two...ehm..alone?" Naruto asked, not really secure of what to think of the situation.

"Yes" Gaara answered without looking up from his papers.

"Just...don't do things...it's already pretty difficult for us all. And I think that Hinata...".

"Thank you Naruto". Nope, Gaara definitely wasn't in the mood to hear the obvious truth behind his little escapades in bed with Hinata.

She saw Naruto rolling his eyes and shaking his head before he closed the door behind him. It was beyond his logic why these two people were caught up in some weird love affair.

Hinata was expecting that Gaara would want to debate Naruto's arrival or the fact that she will be returning to Konoha this very day.

But he didn't. He invited her to sit down on the chair across his desk to shove some empty papers towards her, accompanied by her notes.

"I appreciate it that you want to write the second report. This first one is a tougher problem than I thought it would be".

Speaking of problems...

Hinata grabbed the pen and started writing, trying to ignore the question why he behaved like he was behaving now.

He was so difficult. In everything he was doing, whatever it was, he always had the tendency to make it horribly difficult. And mostly that was counting for the people that surrounded him. Not that a lot of people were around him on a frequent base besides his siblings, his assistant and herself. Most of the people that worked under him seemed to avoid him like the plague.

She finished up the report and handed him over the paper.

Quick he looked over it to finally give her a short nod to show his approval. Finally he putted a stamp under it, followed by his own autograph.

"Thank you".

She forced herself to smile but it came out more like a weird grin. Her mouth refused to cooperate. And fooling Gaara with making it look that everything was alright. That was silly.

"I know you're worried about the current situation" he said, straightening his back. "But for now, it's out of my hands. I have an alliance to protect, I have to think about my village. How much I appreciate your presence, the things you do to me".

She stared at the ground, he was about to do it to her again. Breaking her heart.

But it wasn't like there was another choice. Him dealing with the decision to let her go seemed to hurt him just as much as it did to her. Their titles, their futures, their responsibilities made it impossible to be together. She had a clan to lead, he had a village to protect.

He looked to something on his left, his eyes narrowed, a light frown. His lips pressed together to a firm line.

She did understand the fact that it was not possible to be with him. Period.

But yet, her hands trembled lightly and tears began to stung behind her eyes.

"I...I...understand... B...But...it...it will...be difficult...for me...". Her voice faltered. "I...I...I...love you...".

Gaara turned his head towards her, looking at her, his face being a weird grimace she hadn't seen before.

"Stop saying that! Do me a favor, Hinata, stop saying that!". His voice was a mixture between hissing and growling. "For crying out loud! All I hear coming out of your mouth is you loving me. Stop it!".

With large eyes and the feeling if someone was slowly suffocating her she watched him moving around the room. He was angry. No, wait, that wasn't exactly the right thing. He was hurt.

"I...I...am sorry, Gaara". Her voice was just a miserable squeak.

In answer she just received another tortured look from him. One that only said one thing, and one thing only: Please shut up.

The sight of him being that hurt made her incredibly sad. If there was one thing she did not wanted.

With a loud sigh he sunk in his chair, trying to cope with the things that were going on inside.

"Please go" he finally said, looking terribly troubled.

Hinata just wanted to go up to him and close her arms around him, let her fingers go through that beautiful red hair of his. Give him comfort, try to sooth the pain that was running through his heart. The problem was, he was Gaara. A normal person being hurt probably would be open towards some comfort. But Gaara in that state. She knew that it was the best thing for her to go now.

She swallowed, mainly because she didn't want to upset him even more by letting out tears, and got out of the chair.

Silently she walked towards the door, opened it slowly and walked through it, closing it behind her.

Emptiness. That was the word that described her current state the best.

How foolish could she be. Constantly allowing herself to fall in love with him.

Look at yourself now! You're finding yourself in the mess you've tried to avoid all your life by just following orders, getting out of everyone's way. One time you decide to make a choice for yourself, and you screw up hopelessly.

"I'm so stupid". At that moment the tears started to flow. And they didn't stop anymore.

The shock was even twice as big when she noticed that Naruto still was in the room next to Gaara's office. He had waited for her. She would be happy in other situations, but not right now. No, definitely not. This was just embarrassing.

"There there, it's okay" he said, slowly closing his arms around her, to comfort her. "Gaara can be harsh to people sometimes, don't be too offended. It's just how he is".

Ah yes. Definitely embarrassing.

She sobbed intensely. Not even worrying or realizing Naruto was trying to comfort her, patting on her back. If everything had been normal in this state, she would have fainted. Or her head would have exploded. But Naruto wasn't the one on her mind anymore.

The door from Gaara's office opened and she felt Naruto moving his head.

"You shouldn't be so harsh to Hinata, look at her, she's been crying for over 30 minutes now. You really lack people skills, Gaara".

Oh don't say that, Naruto!

She clenched her fists, but not having the guts to tell Naruto that this wasn't the case. She was the one that had hurt him. For once it wasn't the other way around.

Gaara probably was making some kind of gesture, or giving Naruto a death glare because the two arms slipped around her loosened a little.

"I'm not leaving her with you! If you want to make a drama out of this that bad! Than do that with me!". He sounded pissed-off.

His arms around her tightened again, he tried to protect her.

"N...Naruto-kun...p..please...let me go... I...it's okay" she finally managed to say. Letting out a small sob. Of course she couldn't face Gaara yet, but she couldn't let Naruto drawing the wrong conclusions either. She freed herself slowly out of his embrace.

The moments after were very awkward. Naruto kept accusing Gaara. Hinata kept saying that Naruto should stop that. Gaara didn't say much, he only did his best not to send devastating gazes to his best friend.

The silence returned when Naruto finally desided to leave the room. Promising Gaara that they would come back on this issue later on.

Hinata felt that her eyes were swollen with all the crying she did. Her nose was red too, and still running.

"I have to go to a meeting now" Gaara said. Kneeling in front of her, his hand touching hers for a few seconds. He seemed to be more calm now. He still had that sad look on his face, but it lost the confusing part. "I think I won't see you again today. You will be escorted back to Konoha late in the afternoon, that's what Naruto told me".

She slowly felt his hand sliding over hers.

"The impossibility of us being together, stings, in a very unpleasant way. It's hard for me to hear you say you love me, and it's probably a sincere feeling you have towards me".

His lips brushed over her cheek.

So typically Gaara. First he made her feel like she could conquer the world, than he could nullify that with one of his peculiar mood swings, ending it with crushing her heart underneath one of his sandals to finally appear in front of her again, tenderly touching her. Giving her hope again.

Asshole! Some twisted part of her mind screamed. And maybe that twisted part was right anyways.

His breath felt warm on her skin.

"It hurts me. It hurts me to know someone is being able to love me. It's weird, to realize that I am feeling the same. That I'm able to feel such a thing for a person. That I'm allowing myself to feel that way about someone".

The back of his hand stroked her cheek tenderly, smearing out some lost teardrops.

Her eyes widened with every word that came out of his mouth, her heart started to beat faster, her blood rushing through her veins.

"It's surprisingly difficult for me to let you go. Yet, I have to accept that the relationship we are developing is not possible. Just like you should do".

Hinata closed her eyes, letting her fingers go through his hair. Sniffing up his scent.

"I'll...try" she answered, her voice shaky.

A small kiss got placed on her cheek, right before he stood up again. With teary eyes she looked up to him.

"I'll make sure my assistant will prepare some packages with all the things necesary for Naruto and you to cross the desert" he said.

Hinata nodded and smiled. "Thank you".

He smiled. It was the smile of a satisfied person who finally was able to come to terms with himself. It was okay. This time it was okay to let him go. She got on her feet too and grabbed his hand.

"Thanks for everything". No annoying blush, no insecure squeaks of her voice.

For the first time of her life she was able to look at someone, straight in the eyes, and no blush on earth was thinking about it to embarrass her.

For the first time of his life he was able to come to terms with himself, his feelings, to look at a person while feelings other than the hollow nothingness that was inside his heart.

THE END!

(for real this time!)