I cannot explain how much I enjoy writing Hyuuga stories. Between Neji and Hinata, there is enough awkward to write until the end of time.

How to Make Friends

The work was unusually mundane today. Important, but mundane.

Gaara savored the feeling.

He'd never been able to distinguish the feeling of monotony before. No, before, everything felt the same to him, just an endless fatigue, and a subtle throbbing that he later learned to recognize as heartbreak. But now he could feel the dragging of his pen, the sameness between each sheet of paper. This was boredom at its finest. He yawned as his eyes skimmed the next page, barely taking in the characters.

There was a knock on the door, but Gaara didn't flinch. He'd known his brother was coming to visit him since he'd stepped foot in the building. "Come in, Kankuro."

The door swung open and Kankuro swaggered in. Without his puppets and makeup, he appeared younger and more innocent, but Gaara knew him as one of his most dependable and capable shinobi in his ranks. "Afternoon, Gaara."

"Good afternoon. You needed to speak to me?"

Kankuro, no longer intimidated by Gaara's stoicism, took a seat and kicked his heels up on the desk. "Temari and I are going to a birthday party tonight. I was wondering if you wanted to come. You know, take a break from all this." He waved his hand vaguely.

"No thank you," Gaara said, meticulously signing another sheet.

"Come on, Gaara. How are you going to get to know the people of Suna?"

"I already know the people of Suna."

"I don't mean their names." Kankuro's comment was only answered with a blank stare. "You have to become friends with them."

"Friends?"

"Yes."

"I don't need any more friends. They're only distractions when you have too many."

Kankuro raised an eyebrow. "And just how many do you have?"

"Three," he replied automatically.

"And they would be…?"

"You, Temari, and Naruto."

Kankuro frowned. "Siblings don't count."

"One." Gaara didn't even bat an eye at his amendment.

With a heavy sigh, his brother removed his feet from the desk and leaned forward. "You need more than one friend, Gaara."

"Why?"

"Because your older brother said so," he stated. "You don't like having Naruto as a friend? Friends help you when you're in need."

Despite his lack of social life, Gaara had witnessed enough interactions to know this to be true. Suna was in dire need of friends right now, and as the Kazekage, it was up to him to make these allies. "How can I make friends? Many still know me as a monster."

"Well, for one, you can't talk like you're about to go on a murderous rampage."

"This is what I always sound like," he intoned.

"Then stop it. Smile once in a while. You know, if you lightened up a bit, you'd make even more friends just like that." Kankuro snapped his fingers.

"I'm just not a friendly person," Gaara replied darkly.

"You're doing it again," Kankuro said with an exaggerated sigh. "If you want people to like you, you can't use that tone of voice." Gaara glared at him. "And glaring's not a good way, either," Kankuro added.

"Then what do you suggest?" the Kazekage said.

"Just… I don't know, be polite, but friendly. Act like you do around Temari and me."

"I don't talk that much to you or Temari."

"You know what I mean," Kankuro snapped. "Tell them they don't have to call you Kazekage-sama, for one. You can't make too many friends if they're calling you that."

"Hn," said Gaara. That had never occurred to him before. "Go on."

"Ask how they've been doing. Invite them to have a cup of tea with you. Talk about people you both know… and stop taking notes!" Kankuro snatched the brush from Gaara's hand. "Don't you think you'll look stupid reading this from a piece of paper?"

"No."

Kankuro gave him a look.

"Yes," he amended.

In the meantime, at the Kazekage's main entrance, a young chuunin with long, purple hair and white eyes hesitantly stepped through the door. Hinata had come from Konoha with important tidings. Her teammates were in the city, looking for lodgings and food. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't convince either of them to join her at the center office. And she didn't want to appear to be afraid….

"I'm here to see Kazekage-sama," Hinata said with a deep bow. "I have a message for him from the Hokage."

"The Kazekage is signing papers right now, so you may visit him in his office. Climb the stairs until they end. The office doors will be before you."

"Thank you."

"Really, all it takes is practice," Kankuro insisted. "The more you talk to others, the more comfortable it will be. Just like any jutsu." Gaara nodded along seriously as his brother sat back. Just then, there was a knock at the door. Kankuro eyed the entryway warily. "Who is it?" he asked his brother.

"A visitor from Konoha." In a louder voice, he said, "You may enter."

The wooden door opened gently, and a small woman squeezed through the gap. Kankuro moved out of her way as she tiptoed towards the desk. "Kazekage-sama," she said, bowing with respect. "I have news from Konoha." While she was waiting for orders to rise, Kankuro waggled his eyebrows at Gaara and mouthed, "Try with her." Gaara gave him a near-imperceptible nod. Aloud, he said, "You may rise. What news do you bring from Konoha?"

"Hokage-sama has read and revised the terms for our peace treaty. She wanted me to wait until Kazekage-sama has finished reading the terms to bring back news of his reception." Before her, she held out a large scroll, her head bent over the seal. Over her head, Gaara watched his brother give him one final thumbs-up before leaving.

Gaara took the roll from her, but his eyes never left her face. "Hyuuga Hinata-san, correct?"

She made an affirmative sound as she tried to resist taking a step backwards. It wasn't that she was scared of him — no, wait, that was exactly it. She was scared of him. Scared out of her mind. His eyes, although not cruel anymore, were devoid of any recognizable emotion. Besides that, she was in a desert. He could virtually kill her with anything. Maybe even the room they were in. The very thought made her feel faint.

The Kazekage seemed to notice her anxiety. He might've been able to smell it, she wasn't sure. In any case, he made an obvious effort to relax as he politely asked, "How have you been?"

"I've been well, thank you. I-It seems that you're doing well, too, Kazekage-sama."

"Gaara," he corrected. "You may call me Gaara." She immediately felt flushed. Not even an honorific? Why would he allow such casualness from a near stranger? "I suppose you're right," he continued. "Things are going well for the village, in any case." There was an extremely awkward pause, which only made Hinata's blush deepen.

"I should go," she stuttered. "You must be very busy, Ka—Gaara-sam—san—um—"

"No, you may stay," he said, ignoring her stuttering. "I was going to have tea. Would you like some?"

Hinata balked. While drinking a cup of tea with Gaara of the Sand, Kazekage and possibly one of the most powerful shinobi in her time (if not the most powerful), sounded intimidating… well, he had asked her very nicely, and she couldn't just refuse.

"Okay…" she murmured.

Gaara felt it was a small victory when she accepted. He could tell she was frightened by him, and he couldn't blame her — he remembered that her team had seen him use the Desert Coffin in the Forest of Death a few years ago. "Please have a seat," he said as courteously as possible. She all but collapsed into a chair just as there was a knock on the door. A shinobi entered with a tea tray.

"Mitsuru-san, please bring an extra tea cup for Hinata-chan."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her redden. Hm. Was it something he said? Maybe that was a good sign, though. He wasn't sure. It was about now that he wished Kankuro hadn't stolen his notes.

He finally decided that asking about her well-being would be safe enough. "Hinata, are you okay?"

Hinata was not okay. Now he had dropped the suffix entirely, and was looking at her with a twistedly passive form of concern. "I… I just need some tea," she offered weakly.

"Yes, you must. The journey from Konoha is a long one." There was a very lengthy pause, only filled with Hinata's erratic breaths. "I trust the trip went well?" he ventured.

"Yes."

"I find that the forests around Konoha are very pleasant around this time of year."

This was a subject she was more comfortable with. "I-I agree. My father's gardens are always beautiful."

"You enjoy flowers?" he asked vaguely.

"Yes."

This time, during the pause in conversation, Hinata realized that she had just had a perfectly normal exchange with a boy who used to laugh madly when he was covered in blood. She was on her feet in the blink of an eye.

"I should go," she insisted weakly.

"Must you?" he asked, also rising. Just then, his assistant came in with the extra cup. "You should at least stay until you finish your tea, Hinata." His voice was ominous. Was he threatening her to stay? Trembling, she squeezed her eyes shut and forced herself back into the chair. She heard trickling water as he poured two cups of tea.

"Sugar?" he asked.

"No!" Hinata sprang out of her chair. "Kazekage-sama, please, let me go! The Hokage will not forgive you for this! You cannot have more blood on your hands! Let me go!" She finished her speech, panting hard, and was surprised when he only leaned back in his chair.

"You don't want tea?" he asked at last.

"I-I… um… you really were giving me tea?"

"Yes. I thought that we were becoming friends."

Ack. Hinata's heart nearly gave out. "You… you want to be my friend?" She didn't know why the news surprised her as much as it did. Gaara, she recalled, grew up as lonely as Naruto had.

"Yes."

"Oh." That explained it all, then. "Um… we can be friends. I would… like that."

His ever-impassive face stared at her. "You would?" he asked monotonously.

"Very much." To ease him, she gave him a timid smile. And—to her surprise—he tried his best to smile back. It seemed more like he was baring his teeth, but he was trying his best.

"Thank you, Hinata. Thank you."

If you're going to try to be friends with anyone, I feel Hinata is the safest bet. Please review!