Well, after the amazing success of my other Gaara/Hinata story, I've decided to write another, only with a pretty big twist. Any comments are greatly appreciated, since I'm kinda unsure about this idea. Enjoy!

Title: Hinata of the Desert

Summary: Hinata is the Kazekage of the sand. Gaara is the heir to the Hyuuga clan. What happens when their chance encounter turns into a deadly trap?

Pairing: Gaara x Hinata

Rating: Teen for future language and violence.

Warnings: Anime and/or slight manga spoilers.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gaara, Hinata, or anything else related to Naruto. I do own this story, however.

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Hinata sighed, setting down her pen as she turned to gaze out the window. Her eyes drifted back to her desk, where a large pile of paperwork was sitting, waiting to be done. She briefly closed her eyes and leaned her head against the smooth, cool glass as she look down at the streets of Sunagakure. The village of which she was the Kazekage.

Many people had disapproved of her becoming the Kazekage. Most had thought of her as too weak and gentle to lead the village, especially when it came to war and such. However, being the only daughter of the previous lord and having no other siblings, she was the only obvious choice to succeed her father's position after his death the year before.

Even Hinata hadn't thought herself up to the tedious job of being the Kazekage. She felt, like many, that her only living relative – her cousin, Neji – should have taken the position instead. But that was not how it worked. Only a direct descendant of the previous lord could follow in his footsteps; cousins and the like were not even considered for the job, even if their skills were far superior. At least, this was how it worked in the Village Hidden in the Sand. In other villages, it really was the strongest shinobi in the village who was chosen as the leader, whether they were descendants of previous lords or not.

This wasn't to say that Hinata was weak; on the contrary, she knew a variety of different techniques, varying in elements: earth, wind, water. The one she specialized in was, of course, earth, where she could manipulate and control sand at her will. Other skills, though she wasn't entirely fluent in using them, could and had helped her out of many situations, and she had proved time and again that her abilities were up to par with many of the talented shinobi in the village.

A sudden knock came at the door, startling Hinata out of her thoughts. "C-come in!" she called, rushing to pick up her pen to give the allusion that she was indeed doing her work. After becoming the Kazekage, the stutter that she had always had mostly disappeared, but it still appeared on a few occasions, such as when she was startled or nervous. Just as she had picked up her pen and was ready to pretend to work, the door opened, revealing none other than her cousin.

"Oh, hello, Neji-nii-san," she said, once again placing down her pen. Neji was the one person she felt truly comfortable around; she knew that, even if she had been caught slacking off, he would only quirk an eyebrow and nothing more. This trust was shown in the way she addressed him, calling him as if he were indeed her own brother.

"Hinata-sama," Neji said, bowing slightly; even if there was a mutual bond between the two, it wasn't in his nature to drop the formalities. "I've been informed that there are two members of Konohagakure who wish to speak with you. Shall I let them in?"

Hinata blinked. Though there was a peace treaty between the two nations, rarely did someone from the Village Hidden in the Leaves make the trip to her village, and vice-versa; not only were the two at least three days' journey away from each other, but there were also many smaller villages in between them, and travelers faced the danger of being attacked.

"Yes, please do," the young Kazekage said after a moment. Neji complied, opening the door to reveal two male shinobi that she wasn't familiar with. One had shoulder-length black hair and deep blue eyes, while the other, somewhat shorter than his companion, had short blond hair and brown eyes. They both bowed and introduced themselves as Rai and Mori, Rai being the taller of the two. They were both Jounin.

"Kazekage-sama," Mori began, "I'm sure you are aware of the recent death of the Third Hokage." Hinata nodded; it was common knowledge that the old leader had been killed by a spy from Otogakure. "Our village has since been in complete disarray. The new genin have no missions being assigned to them, and some of the chuunin have taken it upon themselves to take them out on various tasks that are far above their level. The amount of criminal activity has increased greatly, and after the assassination of the Hokage, no one can be sure if those around them are spies as well."

"The reason, as I'm sure you can guess, is because we lack a leader," Rai said, picking up the explanation. "We desperately need a new Hokage. We have many promising candidates, but with the current condition of the village, there's no one to make a selection that everyone will agree with. We've been sent by the Council of Elders to ask for you assistance in determining who would be fit to be the next Hokage."

Hinata was silent for a moment. She had been expecting some sort of proposal, but for Konohagakure to be asking for her advice in a matter that was strictly related to their own village was surprising. It struck her as odd that they hadn't already picked out the next Hokage, seeing as the former one had indeed been getting on in years. To be asked to participate in selecting the next one was something she knew she couldn't refuse, however, for it would give the illusion that she didn't want to help them, and would increase the tension between the two nations.

"I understand," she said, rising from her chair. "When does your village require my presence?"

"As soon as possible," Mori replied. "That is, of course, if you have the time. We were asked to bring you back with us if possible, but we realize that on such short notice this is not a reasonable demand. Instead, we would like to bring back word on when you will be arriving, so that we can have the proper reception waiting."

"Well then, please tell the Elders that I will be leaving here in three days' time."

"If you like, we can wait until you're ready and escort you to the village," Rai said.

"Thank you, but I'll have to decline," Hinata said. "Judging from what you've told me of the condition of your home, it seems as though they need every available shinobi to help out. I would hate to keep you any longer, in case you're needed. Feel free to stay the night at one of our inns and rest for the journey home."

"The village will send someone to meet you halfway, then, to help ensure your safe trip," Mori said. "We would hate for anything to happen to you on account of us. Not that it would, of course," he added. After talking for a few minutes more, the two Jounin bowed and left. As the door close behind them, Hinata turned to Neji, who had been standing to the side the whole time.

"You'll be coming with me, then, won't you, Neji-nii-san?"

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"Why do I have to go?"

Hyuuga Hiashi groaned silently to himself. "Because it would give the Kazekage a good impression of the village if the heir to the Hyuuga clan goes to greet her and gets her to the village safely."

Gaara's blue-white eyes stared blankly at the wall opposite him, his face void of any emotion. Being the antisocial person that he was, he had no desire to go meet the Kazekage and escort her back to the village; however, being that he was indeed the heir to the famous Hyuuga clan, he knew he had a responsibility to do it, whether he liked it or not.

"Alright," he said with a sigh. "I obviously don't have a choice. When do I leave?"

"Tomorrow," his father replied. "You are to go and meet her halfway between here and Sunagakure, then make sure she gets back here safely. As a precaution, your sister is going with you."

At this, Gaara's eyebrow twitched. "I don't need anyone to go with me," he said curtly. "I am perfectly capable of completing this mission on my own." His father was adamant, however, and refused to be persuaded. "Temari is going with you, just in case something were to happen. That is final."

At that moment, Temari poked her head into the room. "Oh? We have a mission?" she asked, adjusting the large fan that was draped across her back. As well as practicing the usual Hyuuga skills, the kunoichi also specialized in wind techniques, and had all but mastered them. She was the oldest of all three of Hiashi's children; their brother Kankuro was in the middle; and Gaara was the youngest. Normally, it would be the eldest that would succeed the Hyuuga clan, but Gaara had shown such great talent at a young age that the family was willing to make an exception.

"Yes," Hiashi answered. "You will go with your brother to escort the Kazekage to the village tomorrow." His voice was firm, showing that there would be no negotiating the terms of the mission. "Now, I suggest you go and get a good night's rest, since you will be leaving first thing in the morning."

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Hinata gazed back at her village once more before leaping into the trees, Neji at her side.

It had been three days since the meeting, and she was heading towards Konohagakure as promised. Many had protested her departure, saying that it was too dangerous for the Kazekage to leave the village with just one companion; however, as she clearly stated, it would be easier traveling with just the two of them, and they were less likely to be spotted by enemies than if they were traveling in a group.

The first day went by uneventfully, and when it got dark, they decided to stop for the night. The two sat around a newly-made fire, warming their hands by the flames. "If all goes well, we should meet up with whoever they have sent to greet us halfway," Neji said after a long moment of silence.

"Yes," Hinata replied. "They sure were kind to send someone to meet us, especially since we didn't give them much notice of our departure." She knew the real reason for their gesture, however: they wanted to make a good impression on them by sending a well-trained and talented ninja to escort her to the village, perhaps even someone who was a possible candidate to become the next Hokage. Still, she did appreciate it, if only to have someone else to travel with; for some reason, she had a strange feeling that something was about to happen, and she felt that she would be safer with more people.

She hadn't told Neji about what she was feeling. She was sure it was just her being paranoid about being so far away from her village. Since becoming the Kazekage, Hinata hadn't been on any real missions, or even been out of Sunagakure for more than a day at a time; most of her job was spent in her office, since there hadn't been war or anything of the sort since she took up the position. As such, though she was feeling anxious and worried, she was also excited about seeing everything between her home and Konohagakure, and even the village itself.

The night passed peacefully, and soon the two were traveling through the trees once again. After a while, the forest parted into a wide, open field. Flowers of many colors were in bloom, hiding the grass beneath a sea of red, orange and violet. Many of the plants, Hinata knew, held a special milk-like substance in their stems, which could be used to slow the flow of poison in the body, or could be applied directly to wounds to help stop bleeding. She bent down and picked a few, stashing them in her bag in case they were needed in the future.

They continued on. The field was surprisingly large; and quiet as well. Hinata had been there only once before, when she was still a chuunin and on a mission. She remembered that there had been birds flying low to the ground looking for worms or other insects, and rabbits had been scampering through the flowers, stopping here and there to nibble at the grass or to bathe in the sunlight. Now, the only sound to be heard was the rustle of the flowers in the breeze; there were no animals in sight.

After nearly a half hour of traveling through the field, Hinata welcomed the familiar sight of trees as they entered yet another forest. In the midst of the trees was a small stream, which was the designated meeting place for the shinobi of the two villages. They slowed their pace as they heard the sound of water, and followed it to the stream. Here they filled their canteens and sat down on some large rocks, glad to have a rest after the non-stop wandering.

"We seem to have arrived a little early," Neji remarked, glancing up at the sun. "I did not think we would get here without any trouble. We should use this opportunity to catch our breath while we wait." Hinata agreed, and it wasn't long before they heard voices approaching the clearing.

"Temari, you're going too slow."

"I can't help it, Gaara! You're the one going too fast! You should listen to your sister once in awhile."

"Hn."

The bushes nearby parted, and out stepped two shinobi, a boy and a girl. The blonde-headed kunoichi seemed to perk up when she saw the two sitting on the rocks. "Hello! You must be the Kazekage of Sunagakure, right?" Hinata nodded and stood up, Neji doing the same. "You two must be from Konohagakure, correct?"

"Yup! I'm Hyuuga Temari, and this is my brother, Gaara," Temari said. Gaara only grunted as a greeting, staring blankly at the trees. Hinata then introduced herself and Neji, eyeing Gaara warily. "Oh, don't mind him," Temari said, sending a quick glare at her brother. "He's a bit…antisocial."

"Well then, shall we get going?" Neji said, looking towards Hinata to see if she was ready to leave. His cousin, however, was looking intently into a tree opposite them, paying him no attention. "Hinata-sama?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she spoke. "There's someone here."

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Well, that was a little longer than I'd expected, but I kind of like how it turned out. Like it? Hate it? Don't forget to review and tell me what you think, and if I should continue it or not!