Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

encounter	By : karikara Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 1099 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
- 4
Now that the fire was lit, he could see her more clearly. Her hair, reddened by the glow of the yellow fire seemed to be not black, but a deep violet. Her eyes were haunting. Although he was used to the outlandish looks of many shinobi, her eyes bothered him for reasons he could not quite describe.
His skin was just as pale now as it seemed to her in the light of day. His hair was dusty, and a violent red-orange, like the heads of the poppies that bloomed in spring in Konoha. Above his left eye was the kanji �love.� She wondered why it was there. Around his eyes the skin was coal black, making their bright turquoise all the more intense. He stood about a half foot taller than she did, and his body was slight but firm. Hinata wondered why he would have any muscle

definition at all, considering his abilities. He didn�t need to touch anyone to defeat them. His face was angular--striking was perhaps the best way to describe it. If she didn�t know better she might have called him beautiful.
He watched her as she boiled water in the pot that sat atop the grating she had placed above the fire. In his village they didn�t bring such things with them on missions. Anything that could be deemed excessive was cut from their supplies. They typically ate whatever was at hand, and their rations never needed cooking. But perhaps she had taken extra things with her, she wasn�t on a mission after all, was she?
Strangely found that he actually wanted to fill the silence between them. Why was she here? Where did she come from? What had she done to get her shinobi-status revoked, that is, if it was revoked? The forehead protector in her bag seemed to indicate that it hadn�t been, but then again, it was possible that she had just split with it. If that was the case, he wondered if and when a team from Konoha would be dispatched to retrieve her. He wondered what he would do if he was around when that happened.
When the water was hot enough, Hinata dipped a tin mug into it, and then added some tea leaves from a pouch in her bag and allowed it to steep. When it was ready she walked around to the other side of the fire, and kneeled neatly beside him, as if this small event were part of the more elaborate tea rituals that he had been a part of. She offered the cup to him, his mistrustful nature whispered�deceit�

Hinata noticed his hesitation, and then felt like a fool when she realized what he must be worried about--poison, or perhaps a drug of some sort.
�Oh, I�m sorry! I�m just so used to serving the other person first that I didn�t consider�� she smiled and took a small ceremonial sip from the cup, as if to show to him that it was harmless.
Although he wasn�t entirely convinced by her display, he accepted the proffered cup, careful to keep his fingers from touching hers. Hinata then made her own cup, a bowl in fact, as she didn�t have more than one cup with her. She had filled it from the same leaves, he noted. He allowed himself to drink only when she did. He tried not to think about how her lips had touched the same place that he drank from now.
Hinata retrieved the tree ears and the ground nuts and separated out two portions for them.
�I don�t really have the supplies to cook these,� she said. �I�m afraid they�ll be rather bland.�
He nodded his head to indicate that this was fine. Hinata wondered why he had grown so tight-lipped all of the sudden. They ate in silence for awhile.
�The stars are beautiful, aren�t they?� she asked.
He looked up into the sky, each pinpoint of brightness glittered in the cold, diamond-cut way that only stars in the desert night could.
�In Konoha I can�t see them as well. There are too many lights, and the trees don�t exactly help either.�
He said nothing. She was being so familiar. He didn�t know what to do or say. Gaara didn�t speak this way with strangers, now that he thought about it, he�d never had this kind of conversation with Kenkura or Temari either. The world of small talk was a mystery to him. So far as he could see small talk seemed to consist of a lot of pointless questions, and insignificant answers. When people participated in these interchanges, none involved ever seemed to be really listening to the other. It seemed so�pointless to him.
When he spoke it was because he wanted to say something, not because he wanted to fill the space between breaths. His interactions with others didn�t exactly improve this tendency.

As a child, Gaara�s attempts to interact with others had mostly been hostile, or one-sided. Talk consisted of demands. Him demanding something, or someone demanding something of him. So Gaara did what he was used to, ask what was on his mind, with the sort of brashness and insensitivity that only the totally socially unaware can achieve.
�Why did you leave?�
Her expression, a moment before rapt, smiling slightly, fell at these words. This made him anxious. Had he done something wrong? Was this not the right thing to say?
To his relief, she responded, still looking at the sky.
�I don�t know if I should tell you. You�ll probably just think I�m irresponsible or immature or something.�
This was the part of the conversation where the other person usually inserted, �Try me,� or �That�s not true!� When none these responses were forthcoming, Hinata was surprised to realize that Gaara didn�t want to or simply wouldn�t push her into telling him anything. Somehow it made her want to tell him more.
�Do you know what I love about the desert?� she asked him.
He didn�t know how to respond to this nonsequitor. Was she evading him?
�No,� he responded.
�My father isn�t here,� she said. �I�m sorry. That�s not very descriptive I guess. I, my father is�very influential in my clan. He expects a lot from his children. When I was young I couldn�t give him what he wanted. Now that I�m older I can, but I don�t want to��
When she showed no sign of continuing, he asked, �What does he want?�
�A fighter,� she replied. �The best fighter in the whole clan. He�s been trying desperately to mold me into something that I�m not from day one. I�m his eldest child you see, and he has no boys. He wants me to assume his legacy. But I don�t care for being a ninja.�
�Why not?�
�I don�t know. I guess I just started thinking about it. Sometimes I wonder if we�re no better than thugs? That sounds horrible, but really? What are we doing? I mean�.what does it mean to spend your whole life doing what often amounts to other people�s dirty work?
Protecting people, helping people out, that�s fine. That�s wonderful. But�then there are those other things. Assassination, intimidation. The dollar always decides who�s right, and who�s dead in that sort of situation. I left when my father demanded that I try for Jounin status.�
He was silent as he digested her words. Hinata interpreted this silence as offense, after all Gaara was himself a shinobi.
�I�m sorry�that was a bit of a polemic. You must think I�m ridiculous, running away from home like a bratty kid.�
Gaara turned to look at her, she felt the blood rush to her face as his the turquoise of his eyes glinted in the fire-light. Gaara thought of his father.
�No, I don�t.�
Hinata smiled at him, a real smile this time, not one born out of politeness or the desire to please. She gazed back out into the now flat expanse of the desert. She wanted to thank him, but it seemed like a strange thing to do. She did it anyway.
�Thank you,� she whispered into her knees as she hugged them to her body.
Gaara sneaked a glance at her from across the fire. Somehow she seemed even more beautiful to him than she had before.
They sat together in silence for a while as the fire slowly died down.
�Hyuuga-san?� he asked finally.
�Hai?�
�Do you know Uzamaki Naruto?�
�I don�t know how anyone could not know Naruto-kun,� she laughed.
Gaara was a bit taken a back by the familiar way she referred to his former rival. So they were close?
�I haven�t heard about him in a long time. It�s been years since I last visited your city.�
�He�s the same as ever. Only up to his armpits in work. He loves it though, he hasn�t made jounin yet, but I know he�s itching to do it. He�ll succeed. It�s just a matter of time, that is, if he doesn�t break his own neck in the process.�
�Hmmm�� Gaara replied. That wasn�t surprising. �And his goal of becoming Hokage?�
�Hasn�t changed. Naruto�s goals are very�.glacial? Once they�re set into motion, they�re nearly impossible to dislodge. It�s the same way with his love-life, I guess.�
Gaara wasn�t sure how to respond to this last interjection. Was this a normal thing to talk about? Sensing his discomfort Hinata recanted,
�I�m sorry. I sound like a gossip, don�t I? I didn�t mean too��
�Whatever,� he responded.
Hinata felt her face flush, he must think I�m such a fool. When Hinata didn�t continue, Gaara realized that she must have interpreted his response as a demand for her to stop.
�Continue�I mean, unless you�re done speaking,� he corrected himself. Small talk was harder than it seemed. But he didn�t want her to stop, she was interesting.
Hinata shot him a glance from across the fire, he was so�awkward, as if he were five years younger than he really was. Admittedly her social skills had never been stellar, but working up the courage to tell your authoritarian father that he can take the inheritance and shove it tended to have a liberating effect on your personality.
Hinata was flying with out a safety net now. It seemed that feeling spilled recklessly into nearly everything that she did, but at the same time it was still impossible to escape her apologetic nature.
�Sorry, if I�m annoying you, please say so� But, as for Naruto-kun. He thinks he�s in love.�
�Love?� the word tasted like dust in his mouth.
�Yeah. He�s been infatuated with this girl since our days in the academy. She�s a good person, don�t get me wrong�but I don�t know. She seems to toy with him. It�s cruel. One week she�ll be preening over him, and then the next he�s the scum of the Earth�.It�s like Kiba-kun always says, women are insufferable,� she laughed.

And then after he�s done saying that, he asks me out on a date, and gets upset when I turn him down. God I miss them�

�Then again,� she continued, as she thought of Sakura and Ino. �Knowing the girls our age, and how catty they can get, I sort of agree with him.�
He looked over at her from where he leaned against a rock, she seemed far away from him all of the sudden. He sought to return her to him.
�And are you� �catty� Hyuuga-san?� he asked, not really understanding her .
�Me?�
There, she was back with him now.
�That�s funny. I don�t know�I don�t think I have the energy to be. I guess I�ve just never had the opportunity to play with someone like that. I don�t think I�d want to even if I could. Sometimes I think they enjoy it. Sort of like, let�s see how far I can push him��

But may be I do the same thing? She thought of Kiba, the way he always returned to her. It was sweet. If only she hadn�t been infatuated with Naruto. When Hinata tried to express to Naruto why she no longer wanted to be a shinobi, he just couldn�t comprehend it.
She argued with him, told him that as a jounin he would have to kill people, not just in battle, but assassinate them, regardless of how good or bad they were. He had just gotten angry, and told her that he would change all that once he was Hokage. Sometimes she was amazed by how naïve he could be.
�I think I understand now,� he responded. �It�s the same way in battle, when two opponents face off and one is obviously stronger. Sometimes the stronger one will draw out the battle, just for the pleasure of it�like�a cat toys with a mouse?�
�Yes, you�ve got it,� Hinata smiled. She was pleased to see that he seemed to be more comfortable with her now, the petulant expression on his face had relaxed. His arms, which had been crossed tightly all night rested loosely in his lap as he fiddled with the grains of sand that made the floor of their campsite. She watched as he fished out larger clumps of sediment and broke them to powder between his long slim fingers.
�And why does he put up with her game? Naruto, I mean?� Gaara asked.
�That�s a good question. I�m not sure�but, I think�well, from what I can tell, he loves it.�
Gaara�s brows knit, he was still stuck on his combat analogy, and couldn�t quite wrap his mind around this. Uzumaki did have a tendency to doggedly butt heads with impossible obstacles however. Perhaps, that was why. Was this what love was, a fight between two opponents?
�I think it�s�the thrill of a challenge,� Hinata continued. �Naruto-kun, loves that sort of thing. You�ve fought with him�you know�it�s the challenge of touching the prize, only to have it snatched away from you. When you get it again, it makes it that much sweeter.�
�Love is�like a fight then?� he asked, glancing at her sideways.
�I guess you could say that,� she said as she lay down in the sand and gazed up at the sky.
Tomorrow, he decided, he would ask her to fight him.
�Sabaku-san? I�m going to sleep now, if that�s alright with you��
Gaara nodded his head, Hinata wondered what had made him look so pensive. His arms had returned to their usually position, crossed tightly over his chest.
Hinata dug her bed roll from the remains of her tent. It was too dark to put it the tent up again, and the fire had done much to warm her. Although the days in the desert were boiling, at night the temperature plummeted. She was grateful for the wool of her blanket. Hinata laid her roll out next to the embers of the fire, to catch their fading warmth.
The moon had nearly set, she wondered how long they had been talking. She wondered if she was going to be able to sleep with him so close to her. It was still a rather awkward situation. Hinata looked over at him, he hadn�t moved.
�Won�t you be cold sleeping up against a rock like that?� she asked.
�I don�t sleep,� he responded flatly.
�Oh,� Hinata stopped, what exactly did one say to something like that?
�Okay, then.�
Gaara relaxed slightly, he had been afraid that she would ask him why.
Hinata took off her boots and snuggled down awkwardly between her covers. Did he really not sleep? Did it have something to do with his powers? An old memory stirred in her mind, something about Naruto, bragging loudly to her about defeating Gaara of the Desert. Something about waking him up�she didn�t quite remember it. It must have something to with the demon locked inside of him. Pity welled up in her chest for a moment, and anger, at whoever would lock a demon away in the body of a child.
�Goodnight, Sabaku-san,� she said finally.
Gaara�s reverie was broken by her words.
��Goodnight,� he said, hesitantly. The last person who�d ever wished him goodnight had been Yashamaru. He closed his eyes, and tried not to think about that.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
So what do you think? Were they in character??? Did the misunderstandings work effectively? Review me. Flame me. Your messages help prop my fragile writer�s ego. Seriously though, they make me want to write more�so if you�re enjoying this�please tell me why�if you�re not�tell me about that too�
<3
-Kari
- 2
- 3
- 4
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

encounter