Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Take it Like a Man ❯ Chapter 1: Leaving for Suna ( Chapter 1 )

Title: Take it Like a Man

Author: thatreevesgirl

Summary: It's one thing to see a beautiful whiskered blond kunoichi wandering the streets of Konoha, Naruto's hijinks are almost expected…it's another to see a handsome pinked haired shinobi…What has Sakura got herself into???

Rating: T

Pairing(s): um…well, there might be some Ino/Sakura-as a man- Other than that, please help me decide. I'm also thinking some Sasuke and Sakura (as a man) would be fun

Feedback: Love it, especially if you find errors…I don't have a beta currently

Characters: Sakura, Shikamaru, Ino, Naruto, Konohamaru, Kiba, Hinata, and more

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and do not make money off of this fic. Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto, give him love...buy his works.

 

 

CHAPTER 1 BEGIN

+++++++++++++++

 

It was unusual, no…it was downright odd to see an unknown young male jonin wandering around the ANBU main headquarters. Shikamaru watched as he sat down at the desk and asked for his next mission. Had Shikamaru not recognized the signature pink hair that bordered on a pale shade of coral, he would have instantly attacked and taken the intruder down, but he realized that someone had just forgotten to revert back from a transformation jutsu.

 

“I see that you finally convinced Naruto to help you perfect your new jutsu,” Shikamaru told the young man who was currently leafing through some mission reports that he had found on the corner of the desk.

 

“Hmm? What do you mean?” came a husky voice laced with confusion.

 

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and muttered something about women being troublesome before he pointed at the shinobi that sat across the desk from him. The young man looked at himself and turned a deep shade of red, “Oh geez,” he muttered before performing a few hand seals and reverting back to the lovely feminine form that Shikamaru was used to. “Sorry Shikamaru, it was a rough mission and I guess I forgot…”

 

“You forgot?” Shikamaru asked skeptically.

 

Sakura gritted her teeth. Okay…so she only half forgot, but could anyone really blame her? As a man she noted that she received more respect. She found this completely unfair and hated that many shinobi (especially from other villages) were condescending to her normal female form, but not to her male counterpart. “Yeah, I suppose I did.”

 

Shikamaru stood a bit and snatched the reports from Sakura's hands, leaving a single one for her to peruse. “That's your new mission. I suppose that you'll find it to your liking, seeing your penchant for cross-dressing. Women…so troublesome. Assemble a team of your choice, you will be the team leader,” Shikamaru grumbled at her. Sakura looked at the file and almost wanted to jump across the desk and hug her brilliantly lazy friend. It was a high profile mission, and one that she would lead.

 

“Thank you, Shika,” she was glowing, smiling from ear to ear. “I'll remember to say some nice words about you to Ino the next time I see her.”

 

“Why would I want you to do any such thing?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest in a defiant manner that said very clearly that he was trying to hard to hide the truth.

 

“Right…you can't fool me, Shika. Ino told me that you visited her at the shop the other day just to tell her that you were going to watch clouds in the training fields. Why didn't you just ask her outright to go with you?”

 

Now it was Shikamaru's turn to blush, just a little since he was fighting the reaction with all of his might. “I wasn't inviting her, only informing her.”

 

“No, you were inviting her. Admit it Shika…you like her…you like her a lot.” Sakura's lips curled into a devious smile and watched as Shikamaru shifted just a bit in his chair and then stared fervently filling out a mission analysis report. “Okay, you can play that game. I don't mind…it won't help you win Ino, but I guess if it saves your frail male ego then it must be worth it.”

 

“Leave,” Shikamaru grumbled, “I have work to do.”

 

Sakura stood up to exit and walked behind the desk to hand Shikamaru her last mission report and took him completely by surprise as she leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. The man coughed and turned so red that Sakura couldn't help but to laugh at him, “Just like I thought…maybe you're a little too pure for someone like Ino, though she does enjoy the conquest of an inexperienced man.”

 

Shikamaru couldn't find words, hell…he couldn't find the ability to breathe. He wanted to tell Sakura just how troublesome she was, but never had a chance because she disappeared in a puff of smoke. After a few minutes Shikamaru finally returned to his work, muttering and grumbling to himself for the rest of the afternoon.

 

++++++++++

 

Sakura scanned the availability roster in the main hallway of the building, trying to determine who would make the best team for the mission. It wasn't an undercover mission, and wasn't even required to be ANBU member based, but she wanted at least one or two other members of the organization to be on the team since it was possibly volatile and dangerous.

 

Kakashi was out on a classified mission, one that would probably keep him away for a good portion of the month. Sasuke had just returned from the same one she had, but could be used if needed. Thinking about it further, Sakura noted that Sasuke had been minorly injured and seemed to be more tired than he let on, so she decided against asking him. Naruto was available as was Konohamaru, Shino, Anko, Asuma, and Kurenai. Sakura knew that she could never lead her first mission of such importance with any of the older Shinobi on her team, so quickly determined that both Naruto and Konohamaru would be good choices. This mission called for five members, so she also decided to bring two jonins. First, she wanted Hinata, who would be good for surveillance and the scout position, as well as balance out the mass amount of testosterone that Sakura had amassed for this mission; and second, Kiba who seemed to know how to keep Hinata grounded and focused whenever she was around Naruto. Smiling Sakura left to round up her team, they would leave for Suna in the morning.

 

++++++++++

 

Sakura grumbled as she waited by the gates with Naruto and Hinata. They were waiting on Konohamaru and Kiba to pick up a few extra supplies before they left. The mission was fairly simple, but highly important to Suna. The small sand village was recovering from a vicious attack from Sound during the previous year. They were left with very few protectors and shinobi. The entirety of the town would have been wiped out had it not been for the power of the Kazekage and his two siblings, under normal circumstances it would have been the end of such a village. This year they decided that they would host a tournament and festival to show to the local lords that Sand had regained its strength and was ready to once again begin accepting more missions. Aid from Konoha and a meager amount of smaller missions had kept them stable over the past year, but if any more time passed without being able to become financially viable on their own again Sand would collapse under its own impoverishment. Suna was one of Konoha's greatest allies and the Hokage herself had specifically ordered that this tournament go off without a hitch, knowing that if it didn't it Konoha would be vulnerable as well. It wouldn't be as well-attended as a chunin or a jonin exam, but the tournament would be crucial nonetheless.

 

Kiba and Konohamaru wandered up, carrying a couple of extra bags as well as their packs. They nodded at the rest of the group, letting them know that everything was in order. “Let's be off, I don't want to end up having to enter Suna in the middle of the afternoon. That kind of heat could kill us,” came the gravelly voice of their pink-haired leader, who was already in male form. The guise of their mission was that three leaf jonin were escorting a pair of unattached shinobi prize fighters to the tournament, and Hinata was the false team-leader. It was in order to keep an eye on the going-ons of the tournament from inside, and was a plan that Shikamaru thought was good.

 

“Okay, let's go!” shouted an overly eager blond woman, pumping her fist into the air furiously with an abundance of enthusiasm. “I can't wait to kick some Kazekage butt!”

 

“Gaara entered his own tournament?” Hinata asked shyly, watching the blonde woman with curious ivory eyes.

 

Kiba answered for Naruto, who was too busy pumping himself up for battle to answer the shy Hyuuga, “Yes, it was one of the major selling points of the tournament. Many people want to come see ol' Gaara whip everyone's butts, including YOU blondie!”

 

“He won't take me down, I'll show him…”

 

“You'll show him nothing of your normal attacks,” came a growl from the pink haired man. Leaning in to his female counterpart and whispering into her ear, “This is a covert mission, they can't know that it is you. Blow our cover and I'll beat you within an inch of your life.”

 

The blonde gulped, trying not to seem afraid of the very masculine version of Sakura. Dammit though, she was scary as a woman and wholly terrifying as a man. “Yeah, yeah…I understand,” said the blonde in a mopey voice that spelled out how disappointed she was.

 

“Just try not to beat blondie down while you are…well…” Kiba eyed Sakura up and down to show that he meant her male form. “I don't wanna be known as a protector of an abuser of women.”

 

“Ha-ha, very funny,” was Sakura's sarcastic reply. “Let's go, like I said, Suna's hot come mid-afternoon. We don't want to be caught in the middle of that.” With her words the group sprinted off toward Sand.

 

+++++++++++++++

 

The morning sun snaked its way through breaches in the curtains found in the master bedroom of the Uchiha manor. Sasuke was lying in his bed, trying not to think of the mission that he had just completed. For years and years Sakura had pined over him with much resistance on his part. He couldn't help it…yes, she was wonderful and his friend and he loved her in a way that could be best described as family. Sakura was precious to him in so many ways, except for the one way that she truly desired. It wasn't her fault that he wasn't attracted to her…it wasn't her fault that love just wasn't in their cards…it wasn't her fault that he preferred guys. It was her fault, however, when Sasuke found himself almost drooling over a very masculine version of his teammate. Whatever possessed her to choose that appearance for the mission made him curse and sputter indignant words to the powers that be. It didn't seem right that after all these years, when Sakura had finally given up hope, that Sasuke would find himself desiring her in the form of a very handsome and virile pink-haired man.

 

Sasuke's new crush had hair that was about shoulder length, and his chest filled out the jonin vest well. Tall and lean, almost like Kakashi (who Sasuke secretly fantasized about almost as much as he did Naruto) this version of Sakura was a sight to behold. The powerful and graceful nature that was her essence transferred beautifully into the body of a twenty-two year old man. It was Sasuke's worst nightmare, because he had always loved the person Sakura was. She was undeniably perfect for him, but he just wasn't attracted to her. This changed the moment he saw her perform those hand seals and in a cloud of smoke revealed the most attractive specimen of the male species that Sasuke had ever laid his eyes on. He grumbled…yet another temptation from Team 7 that he probably wouldn't act upon. He always found himself holding back from his desires, hoping that they would disappear and leave him in solitude.

 

Digging into the covers and burying himself away from the approaching morning, Sasuke decided that today would be a very good day to stay in bed. He didn't want to see Sakura at all, because he was afraid that if he did it would end with himself admitting the truth to her. He could only hold out so long before asking his friend to perform the knee-weakening transformation into Sasuke's own in the flesh, walking wet-dream. Sasuke sighed and grumbled into his pillow…fate cursed him and was exacting punishment for all the trouble he had caused Konoha…Sasuke was sure about this.

 

++++++++++++

 

“Naruko,” Hinata murmured, trying to get the attention of the blonde haired woman who was eagerly eyeing a ramen cart in the main Suna square. Hinata couldn't tear her eyes away from Naruto, even when he was in his female form, but this was mostly because it was so comical to see her bouncing about in such unfeminine and overly-enthusiastic ways. Unfortunately, it didn't appear like the young man…well, woman…had heard her.

 

“Naruko,” Hinata repeated softly, walking up to the woman and tugging on her sleeve. The blonde glanced up at his current teammate and was drawn away from his favorite culinary distraction. “I think that Saku…um…Sakurai is looking for you.”

 

“Is he?” asked Naruto in a squeaky feminine voice. “Thank you, Hinata.” Naruto punctuated his statement with a wink to the Hyuuga, causing her to turn very red in the process. Naruto slung an arm over her shoulder in a very friend-like way and started walking down the street with Hinata. A large grin spread over the blonde's face. He really did like being able to be close to Hinata without having to worry about her acting all shy. It was a bit bothersome when she would poke her fingers together nervously or stutter. When Naruto was Naruko there was a sense of ease between the two, and Naruto was using this to his advantage to get to know the girl. Sakura had informed him that Hinata had a bit of a crush on him ever since their youthful days, and Naruto realized that he simply didn't know Hinata well. He planned on using his trip as a woman to get to know the real Hinata, especially since it was so much easier to talk to her in a female form.

 

“Sakurai is getting us rooms in the Suna inn…I think that…”

 

“Well, looks like you and me will be sharing!” the boisterous woman exclaimed, giving the other woman's shoulders a squeeze. “Seeing that we are the only two women in the group. We'll let the men have their own room.”

 

This caused Hinata to flush a bright shade of crimson. She assumed that Naruto was only playing the part of Naruko, especially because the transformed man had nearly shouted the bit about them sharing a room. If anyone overheard it would only sound authentic to know that the two women on the trip would share lodging.

 

“Why so quiet, Hinata? I don't hog the bed too much,” Naruko told her with devious grin.

 

“One…bed? Share?” Hinata muttered as her head spun and swooned, making her rather dizzy. She didn't know what to say to Naruto. Hinata had actually hoped that she and Sakura would share, but that would probably look improper seeing that Sukurai wasn't even supposed to know her, the Konoha three were only hired body guards.

 

Naruto winked at her with one large feminine eye, and leaned in closely to the raven-haired girl. “Don't worry,” Naruto whispered, “I'll take the floor.”

 

Hinata let out a sigh that she had been holding in during the entirety of the last portion of their conversation. It was a relief to know that Naruto had just been joking about the bed part. It didn't matter if Naruto was Naruko or not…the thought of being in the same bed made Hinata feel very nervous.

 

“Where have you been?” the male version of Sakura glared at Naruko and Hinata as they approached the rest of the group.

 

“I was hungry, Sakurai…I need food,” the blonde woman whined.

 

“We are to meet with the tournament host, he doesn't like to be kept waiting,” Sakura growled.

 

“No, I don't,” came a low and even voice from above the group. Glancing up into the harsh Suna sun Naruto and the rest of the group could make out an outline of a tall young man with hints of fiery red hair on the rooftop of the closest building. Dropping down between the five Gaara stood stoically with his arms crossed across his chest.

 

“Gaara,” Naruto shouted while rushing the Kazekage and hugging him furiously. This wasn't unlike Naruto's normal greetings to the Suna leader…he was never shy about saying hello to his friend, but as Naruko it caused Gaara's eyes to grow wide and those that were walking by stopped to stare at the blonde woman hugging the Kazekage.

 

“Naruko! Let go of Gaara,” the male Sakura growled, grabbing the woman by the scruff of his shirt and pulling hard until the Kazekage was freed. “Idiot, what do you think you are doing?”

 

Naruto found himself face to face with a very angry pink-haired man, one that was not willing to release him without answers. “I don't know, Sakurai…I was happy to see our friend and so I hugged him.”

 

“Such things are improper for a lady of your status to do!” Sakura hissed, making her stance on such things very clear to Naruto.

 

Naruto looked over at Gaara, who was clearing his throat and trying to alleviate himself of the slight look of shock that Naruko had caused by brushing and smoothing his clothing. It was very clear that being embraced by the blonde woman had shaken him a bit. Normally, even these days, it was rare to see Gaara express so much emotion. It was obvious that the situation had really done a number on the young Kazekage. Naruto grinned, knowing that though Gaara was an accomplished leader, he was very inexperienced in many other aspects of life that men his age were knowledgeable in…romantic relationships being one of them.

 

Ignore Sakura, Naruto sauntered up to Gaara again and hooked an arm through the Kazekage's elbow, linking them together. “So am I lucky enough to be paired in a battle with you, Gaara? I do wish to show off my skills against the Kazekage.”

 

Gaara gulped hard, Sakura's warning had done nothing but egg Naruto on. He knew that his Konohan friend liked to give him crap, but this was ridiculous…pretending to flirt with him as a woman was very preposterous indeed! Blushing, but trying not to be rude, Gaara took a step back. The escape plan didn't work though, as Naruko followed his movement and latched herself tighter to him, even rubbing her breasts up against Gaara's arm. “Please release me, Naruko,” Gaara whispered in low tones to the blonde woman.

 

Naruko responded by shaking her head and bringing a finger up to Gaara's lips successfully shushing him, “Perhaps the handsome Kazekage would like to show me and my friend Hinata around Suna.”

 

“Perhaps the Kazekage is busy!” Sakurai shouted at the woman.

 

Kiba and Konohamaru, who had stayed quiet for most of the trip were chuckling to themselves. Kiba decided that he would not help Sakura, but instead helped to tease Gaara…someone that he found a bit scary, but it was Naruto's butt, not his on the line. “I think that Sakurai is jealous that his companion Naruko has found someone new that captures her eye, but I do think that showing our lady friends would be most kind of the Kazekage. We men have some things to take care of. Thank you Gaara, you are a most hospitable leader.” With that Kiba and Konohamaru grabbed Sakurai and dragged him away, leaving Gaara with Hinata and Naruko.

 

Grumbling, Gaara didn't hide the death glare from the blonde, looking down at the fake woman with much disdain. “What would you like to see?” the Kazekage asked through gritted teeth.

 

Naruko tsk'd him, waggling a finger at the red-haired man. “I think that you are being very rude to my friend Hinata,” the woman told Gaara. Naruko used her free hand to grab Hinata and pull her to Gaara's other arm. In the completely state of shock that Hinata was transfixed in, Naruko had little problems weaving one of the Hyuuga's arms into Gaara's. Now the Kazekage was begging for stares from onlookers as he escorted two beautiful women, one on each arm. The three could hear the whispers that were spreading like wildfire among the crowds of people that had arrived for the festival.

 

Gaara sighed, “How about I show you my mansion…there aren't PEOPLE at my mansion.”

 

Naruko shook her head, “Nope, Gaara, I would like to see your lovely bazaar. This festival seems to have many interesting shops and games. It would be rude not to treat us to a snack and a few games. Perhaps win us a prize?”

 

Naruko used her free hand to poke Gaara's chest, something that the man found to be very unnerving. He glared once again at the blonde and then looked down to the other woman that was gracing his opposite arm. The Hyuuga woman was frozen in place and staring at her feet, not at all looking at him. Hinata leaned in slightly to Gaara and whispered, “I am so very sorry, Gaara. Naruko can be very…demanding.”

 

“Demanding?” Naruto said, taken aback by Hinata's words…but she was attempting to smooth over the damage he was wreaking, so was the life of a powerful clan-heiress…always playing politics. Naruto took the moment to tease Hinata also, “I think someone is just jealous of me, perhaps wanting the Kazekage to herself.”

 

Hinata, without a mean bone in her body found the ability to snap her head from the ground and give Naruko a harsh look of warning. Sometimes in this form it was hard to remember that it was actually Naruto, the man that she'd had a crush on for so many years. He might have not been very ladylike, but Naruto played the part of a catty woman very well.

 

Gaara watched the two women lock squinted eyes across his chest and could almost feel the electricity…it was absolutely insane. “Fine, the bazaar,” Gaara told the two women and Naruko looked up at him smiling and led the three of them off toward the masses of people gathering in the main Suna square. Gaara glowered in belated protest, Naruto was going to pay for this…there was no way around that fact. The moment that they were alone or that he was back in his male form Gaara would give his friend a pounding that was unequalled to any of their prior battles. Kyuubi or no, Naruto would pay.

 

++++++++++++++++

 

Shikamaru lazed on a bench outside the Yamanaka flower shop, watching the clouds as they floated by. He had a small takeout lunch in a sack beside him, but was too busy admiring the sky and thinking about Ino to burden himself additionally with the task of eating. The clouds were small and speckled the sky in lackadaisical patterns that resembled nothing recognizable to Shikamaru.

 

“Isn't your lunchbreak over? You've been out here for nearly an hour,” a familiar voice said as a lovely blonde-haired woman sat next to Shikamaru.

 

“I'm not on duty this afternoon, just wandering Konoha and admiring the day,” Shikamaru mumbled to her.

 

Ino smiled at him and unpacked his lunch, forcing a piece of fruit into his hand and even nudging it toward his mouth. “Some days I worry about you,” she giggled and stole a few pieces of food from the sack for her own.

 

“Why is that?” he muttered, returning his gaze to the sky and taking a bite of the pear Ino had insisted he eat.

 

“Because you find the clouds more important than meals…between that and how seriously you take your job, I'm afraid that one day you'll keel over dead because you forgot to eat,” Ino told him as she laid out his lunch and poked his arm to remind him to continue eating.

 

“I don't forget to eat. I listen to my stomach when it growls,” Shikamaru muttered, watching Ino out of the corner of his eye. It wasn't as if he was completely inept when it came to caring for himself. His apartment was spotless, completely barren of the normalties of bachelorhood. Not only that, but Shikamaru had a good job and was able to afford eating out often since he wasn't very fond of cooking.

 

Ino grinned at the man next to her again, taking a piece of omelet into chopsticks and popping it into her mouth. “It's not bad for convenience store food. Here, you try.”

 

Shikamaru blushed as she picked up another piece and brought the chopsticks to his lips and nudged him to take the bite she offered. Not wanting to be rude to Ino, yet really wishing that she wasn't feeding him (with utensils she had just used no less) Shikamaru grudgingly accepted the bite of food and grabbed the take-out bento away from her to prevent a repeat of her actions.

 

“You'll need these,” Ino said, offering the chopsticks to him, which Shikamaru grumpily took from her. “When you are done eating come in and chat with me. It has been a really slow afternoon, so some company would be nice.” Shikamaru nodded as she stood and reentered the shop. Never had the man eaten so fast in his entire life, scarfing the remains of the bento and leaping to his feet. Dropping the trash into a receptacle, Shikamaru took a deep breath and entered the store. Perhaps at the end of her shift Ino would like to go watch clouds with him somewhere in the training grounds. Shikamaru decided to take Sakura's advice and actually invite her today, because Sakura had been right…he did like Ino. Shikamaru realized that he liked his old teammate a lot.

 

++++++++++++++

 

Hinata held a large stuffed lizard in her arms, one that the games vendor had assured her was a very common version of the lizards that lived in the deserts of Suna. Normally, a vendor wouldn't be so happy to give away such a large prize, but it had been won by none other than the Kazekage himself…the crowd that the leader drew was enough to make the greedy vendor salivate from the possibility of drawing in suckers to his stand that thought it would be easy to win prizes. Naruko hugged a slightly smaller lizard, but also wore a necklace that held a polished piece of slate from the surrounding area. Gaara growled at the woman as she leaned up against him and thanked him for the gifts.

 

“Yes, thank you Gaara,” Hinata repeated after the blonde. “Would you hold it for a second?” she asked pushing the lizard toward the Kazekage. Taking a couple of coins from a small money purse, Hinata handed them to the vendor and quietly whispered, “I would like to try.”

 

The man nearly laughed her off, but took her money any way and handed her three balls to throw. Hinata didn't even blink, and all the bottles that had been standing before her…all three stacks…found their way onto the ground, scattered about roughly. The vendor gawked at the woman who had just earned herself another top prize, this time picking a bracelet of polished stones, one that was made for a more masculine person than herself. Hinata received it from the vendor and turned to Gaara, hooking it around his wrist before he had a chance to argue. “For a kind Kazekage who showed me around his lovely village,” the Hyuuga woman told Gaara as she clicked the bracelet's clasp closed.

 

Naruko glared at Gaara…angry that it was his friend and not him that was receiving a present from Hinata. But that is what happens, Naruto supposed, when you tease Hinata and use jutsus to parade about as a woman. Knowing that didn't make Naruko's huff any less audible to the other two people she was with. Naruto even thought about repeating Hinata's actions and winning a prize for Gaara as well, but he didn't want to win something for Gaara…he wanted to win a gift for Hinata.

 

“Perhaps we should return to OUR room at the Suna Inn now, Hinata. I'm a bit weary after our travels” Naruto told his female companion.

 

This actually got a bit of a rise out of Gaara, not one that normal people would have noticed, but one that Naruto saw to be blatantly obvious. “I have more of Suna to show you both, but if you are tired Naruko feel free to return to your lodging. Are you tired as well, Hinata?”

 

Hinata shook her head at the Kazekage, “No Gaara, but I am Naruko's bodyguard. Where she goes, I go.”

 

“Naruko is able to fend for herself,” came a gruff voice from behind the three. Kiba stood there with a bag of food, smiling at his teammate and the Kazekage. It was funny to see Naruto's plan backfire so much. “And if not, I'll be sure to protect her.”

 

Kiba walked up to Naruto and slinked a long, muscled arm over the blonde's shoulder, eliciting a warning growl from the woman. Gaara mused at the dog-nin, secretly grateful to the man who was helping him for some unknown reason. “You will escort Naruko back to the inn?” asked the Kazekage.

 

“Of course, she has a big day tomorrow. She's slotted against your brother in the tournament, so Naruko needs her rest.” Kiba grinned and pulled the protesting blonde woman away from Gaara and Hinata, leaving the two alone in the middle of the square. Well, as alone as two people can be amongst a crowd.

 

Hinata was a bit angry and hurt by Naruto, so in a bold move she turned to Gaara and smiled up at him. “What else can you show me? I've heard that there are places to watch the setting sun that are amazing.”

 

Gaara looked at the woman left with him, glad that she seemed more or less comfortable. Sometimes women and men gave off vibes of unease when left alone with him, so he nodded at her and replied, “Off the east plateau…the view is best from there.”

 

“The sun is fading fast, so perhaps we should go there next,” Hinata told him with a shy grin. “If that's okay with you.”

 

Gaara nodded and they began to walk toward the east edge of town. The Suna leader had always been most comfortable with silence, but couldn't help but feel like there was a need to fill the empty air with some kind of conversation. It was too bad that he wasn't very adept to conversing with women he considered to be as pretty as he thought Hinata to be.

 

Hinata saved him from the task of finding a topic and asked about Suna. “I know things have been difficult for Suna since Sound's attack, have they also been hard on you, Gaara?”

 

Always concerned with his people's well being, something that started many years ago after Naruto seemingly beat that concept into his head, Gaara nodded. “It is hard to do without, but even more difficult to see your people in need. I wish sometimes that we had been a wealthier nation with more monetary reserves…it could have lessened the suffering.”

 

Hinata saw the concern in Gaara's dark traced aqua orbs…one that said that he really did worry about his people and it troubled him to witness his village suffer. She also could see regret focused into his eyes, like he should have been able to fix it all or prevent it from happening in the first place. Hinata reached for his hand and gave it a light squeeze, “Don't blame yourself, you've done all you can to restore and rebuild. That is why this tournament is such a great testament to your people. It shows their strength and the strength of their leader.”

 

Gaara stopped walking, letting her words sink deeply into his mind. It was like the relief that he had kept from himself was finally being freely given by the Leaf kunoichi. It was so important that this tournament go well, for the sake of his people, but Hinata was right…just the fact that they were hosting it and the festival showed how resilient his people were. “Thank you, Hinata,” Gaara told her, instinctively squeezing Hinata's hand back.

 

“No thanks are needed, those words are true,” Gaara watched as kind ivory eyes locked with his, letting him experience the sincerity of her words by her smiling gaze. He swallowed hard…Naruko might have been a fake, but Hinata Hyuuga was not. Hinata was real, a flesh and blood woman who was tempting him to the farthest lengths that he'd ever allowed his mind to wander. Gaara began walking again, but didn't relinquish Hinata's hand, something that he noticed made her blush very deeply. With each stride, Gaara found himself maneuvering his steps closer to her, until their shoulders touched and Gaara's arm that was holding her hand seemed to weave around hers and tangle them together.

 

Hinata glanced over at Gaara, who was highly focused on his own steps, watching as his feet anxiously. Hadn't he noticed how close he was to her, how their proximity had increased and the distance that had been playing the part of a buffer had shrunk into nothingness? Hinata tensed when his shoulder brushed hers and when the entire length of his arm was folded into her arm. She blushed furiously when Gaara's fingers unwrapped from her hand only to twine with her own fingers a moment later. The beginning of the trip to Suna had brought with it a plague of thoughts of Naruto, but now the Kazekage found his way into every thought that escaped her mind. Their pace slowed, until it only crawled along. She looked over at Gaara and found him returning the look with a bit of trepidation. Hinata hadn't understood why until the fingers of his other hand found their way to her cheek, brushing a hair away lightly. The sensation of his hand grazing her cheek made Hinata's breath hitch in her throat and her heart palpitate wildly.

 

“Gaara?” she whispered, hoping that he would say anything to break the tension. The Kazekage did no such thing, he only stopped their forward movement, bringing the two to a halt and watched Hinata carefully. The hand that had been twined with hers wiggled free and Gaara traced the length of her arm until it brushed all the way up to her hair, stopping to stroke the shoulder length locks that had fallen in front of her face again. Gaara's other hand moved up and cupped her cheek, moving slowly as to not scare her.

 

The look in Hinata's eyes didn't speak of fear, but did convey the nervousness of an inexperienced young woman. Something like this had never happened to her before, and she wasn't really sure how to handle it. Yes, she was twenty-two, but she was also a respectable woman of the Hyuuga clan. Romance wasn't something that she could afford to take lightly, and besides she had always comforted her loneliness with thoughts of Naruto. Gaara wasn't without his own nervousness though, as he found his hands trembling in the most miniscule of ways as he touched the woman in front of him. No one had allowed him to touch them in such a way, one that let him explore the humanity that he'd shoved away deep inside for so long.

 

Hinata found herself moving on her own, bringing one hand up to Gaara's chest and laying it on one of his vest's many belt latches. Her other hand mimicked his and found its way to Gaara's cheek, very softly caressing him. Hinata watched as Gaara slowly closed his eyes, and gently nuzzled her fingers. The look on his face was somewhere between relief and sadness. Hinata felt her heart jump, had Gaara ever been touched in such a way? He was a powerful man, one that was extremely intimidating and brimming with authority, but a human being nonetheless. By the way Gaara was reacting to her touch, it was like no one had taken the time to show him any kindness like this. She knew from experience how lonely life could be if no one showed you that they loved you. Suddenly, Hinata found herself a bit angry that she had seemingly wasted years on Naruto with nothing fruitful coming from her crush on the young man. He was kind to her, but never returned her feelings in any more than a friendly type of way. Hinata wanted more, and as she traced Gaara's cheek with her fingers she could tell that it had been the same for him.

 

Gaara opened his eyes, trying hard to focus on anything but the wondrous sensation that Hinata was causing. Try as he might, Gaara realized that it was futile to ignore the feelings she elicited in him. Gripping her shoulders firmly, Gaara leaned his head down and tipped it as he closed the remaining distance between them, quickly finding her lips with his. Light, fleeting touches between the two were soon solidified into a warm kiss and Gaara enveloping Hinata in his arms. She didn't fight him or pull away, only returned his ministrations with equal fervor. He groaned into her lips and the kiss turned hungry, leaving Gaara suckling her lower lip and begging entrance to her mouth with his tongue.

 

Hinata's eyes flew open in a wide stunned look, trying to accept the need from Gaara in stride, but still finding it too new and too shocking for her liking. Gently she used the hand that was still against his chest to push against him and motion that she wanted to slow. Gaara realized quickly that he had taken things a bit too far and mentally calmed his frayed nerves, returning the kiss to a tender encounter between their lips. Hinata melted against him once again and he pulled his lips away from hers and replanted his mouth on her cheek and then on her forehead…her eyelids and the tip of her nose. One last brief moment of their lips touching again and Gaara pulled away, stroking her cheek with his thumb in lieu of kissing Hinata.

 

It was Hinata's turn to nuzzle into Gaara's hand as she smiled sweetly up at him. Gaara watched as she did and couldn't help but to let an equally true smile grace his lips, one that spoke volumes about his feelings and one that Hinata had never seen Gaara wear in his life. Normally, if he released any emotion it was anger or a devious grin that spelled trouble…not this smile that made her want to kiss him again. Hinata did just that, pushing up onto her tiptoes and pressing her lips to his, letting them once get lost amongst each other. When the kiss broke for a second time Gaara pulled her close and embraced her, something that was very unusual, but something that Hinata hadn't NOT expected. In a way they were very similar, living in a very reclusive way. There was only so long one could go without human contact before they gave in to their needs as a human being…one could not live without love.

 

“The sunset is beautiful,” Hinata murmured against his chest, able to see the deep orange and crimson sky out of the corner of her eye.

 

“Mmmmm,” Gaara replied, “It is. One of the most beautiful I've seen in a long time.”

 

+++++++++++++++++

 

A/N's: Ah-ha-ha! Stupid Naruto, didn't know that was going to blow up on you quite that badly, did you? I don't' feel sorry for you…Hinata deserves someone that will notice her and in this fic you don't, so BWAH-HA-HA. Besides Hyuuga/Kazekage fics always work in the political power sense. I hope that you people out there don't mind that Gaara and Hinata took over this chapter and that it was just fluffy happy stuff. Please review or just comment if you read. I always appreciate it soooooooooo much.