Disclaimer: No I don't own Gaara and Hinata: *lays belly up in the sand* If I did would I put them through this agony?…don't answer that.

Mic Mic: So everyone another 4 months have gone by =_= I'm so sorry I didn't update but I had so many emergencies that came up. My best friend had a stroke and passed away a month ago so I wasn't really feeling too well when that happened but thankfully I know she's in heaven with the Lord Jesus Christ and I thank God for that healing that he gave to her. Put your trust in him and all will be made whole.

I dedicate this chapter to shyprincess82 that's her fanfiction name. Go and read To Find His Heart!

Her YT name is Kat gumm and she is my new YT GaaHina bestie! Please go check out her work she makes amazing GaaHina videos and her fic inspired me to write this chapter!

And now for the fanfic. Ahem…I apologize for what's about to happen…again. Please grab tissues, hankies, any weapon you might need to conquer your feels this chapter. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Hinata couldn't walk away from him fast enough so she picked up the pace. They were halfway between Suna and Konoha and she certainly wasn't backtracking. She knew she wouldn't dare to go to another land. It wouldn't be safe in an unknown place and her eyes clearly gave her away.

With strength she began to run. She moved faster and faster her legs burning from old wounds. She ignored the blood that suddenly began streaming down her legs and the sweat beading upon her brow. Kabuto's words echoed in her head but she ignored them wholeheartedly content to run until she couldn't hear anything but the wild beating of her heart. The heat was intense but it was nothing she wasn't used to. She knew she was running from him, from what she had done to him.

'Don't catch me!' she thought desperately as her legs carried her faster through the sand. Suddenly she stumbled half- tripping over a branch in the middle of the sand but she didn't stop running. Fragments of the bark cut into her sandal roughly prying it lose from her foot but she left it behind. She ignored the heat from the crude sand scalding the bottom of her bare foot. Her mind only thought one thing.

'Faster.'

'Faster.'

'Faster.'

'You've left behind a crime.' Those words soldered into her mind hotter than the sand on her feet. The accusations of reality ripped her apart in a much more painful way than the open wounds along her legs. She didn't stop as the sun rose and fell pushing herself beyond the brink of ache and agony as she ran.

Her breath escaped her heavily as she continued her pace one that was much quicker than the previous leisure of the journey back from Konoha. She couldn't think anymore...of him and the poison. Couldn't think of the fact that his family would wait for hours before going to look for him, of the white-hot shocks of agony that she knew were running through his weakened body and of her lack of remorse. The thoughts of her crime continued to consume her without rest until she collided right into a hard body. She fought and hit against it in a desperate plea as her feet kept moving forward. Her skin ripped itself apart as she seemed to run in place pushing herself roughly against the obstacle.

"Let me go. I have to get away...I have to...I have to." There were no tears, no sounds, but utter desperation as she pushed against the body. Nothing met her by surprise.

"Hinata you can stop now." The voice spoke. She looked at it but she didn't see the face. It all seemed a blur to her. Exhaustion consumed every crevice of her mind as she spoke his name and he nodded in acknowledgement. It all seemed like a swirl of nothingness.

"I...left him. I left him alone." Her voice rang with more guilt than anything as the face responded in surprise.

"I thought you wer-"

"NOTHING! We're NOTHING! Nothing...nothing...nothing..."Hinata's scream turned into mumbled words as she fell to the ground burying her face where the rough sand finally met the gentle grass. It was at this place she had left him. Her arrival was solidified before her and there wasn't a way to turn back. Surely now his family was finding him. Surely now he was half-baked in the desert sun.

What the scorpions hadn't stung, and the buzzards hadn't picked away was being cared for now.

And she.

She had been the one to line him up in front of his destruction. It clearly came to Hinata that Gaara had made his own choice to destroy Konoha. To injure her. To nearly kill her. In this moment of sudden frustration all of those things came to mind. She knew what she had done. She had killed him. But she hadn't done only that. She had done worse.

She had sunk to his level.

Never would she kill she had told herself. Never would she do the same to Gaara as he did to her. Forgiveness was what she lived by. Forgiveness was what she followed. But in that moment holding his hand and remembering his back turned away from her, she had released all the rage that had been building up all these years. She'd lured him into a false sense of security and then sliced him with a gentle caress.

At least Gaara had been frank about it.

At least he had made it clear before he had struck.

But she was like a rattlesnake.

Her poison was hidden away in a vial not loaded within her fangs. Those hands she had once used to caress him had finally brought him to his knees. There were so many nights when Hinata secretly longed to finally be able to win against Gaara. To be the victor. To hear the praise.

But now here staring at the blades of grass and sand divided those things didn't matter anymore. She knew that they had been driven apart. They had wedges between them now that were double edged. She had one from him. And he had one from her.

Her musings were interrupted as the voice suddenly commented rather uncomfortably.

"Naruto's here." Hinata's eyes looked up and they seemed to clear a moment as she watched the other unfamiliar face turn to leave and be replaced by the usual saffron hair and orange jacket. They sat there for a few moments as the other party left Hinata's face smeared in sand and blades of grass as she met his gaze. It seemed so much time passed by as he watched her stare at him without seeming to speak a word. Quietly he sat her upright on the ground moving to bandage her legs without any discussion. Hinata blinked the silence seeming stronger than ever as she watched him fix her wounds.

"Get on my back." Naruto sharply commented. The words were simple. Hinata knew at least in this moment Naruto was the one that she could be close to. Without another word she wrapped her arms around his neck from behind hopping onto his back.

Hinata leaned against Naruto's jacket in exhaustion. She felt comforted by his gentle touch on her weakened body. These past days had been the hardest on her in a while. Not only was she beaten within an inch of her life by Gaara but she in turn had turned cold and killed him. She'd done it without sadness...killed...the one she wanted never to harm in the world. She knew she was staining Naruto's shirt with her empty tears but despite herself they wouldn't stop falling. She couldn't think of anything but the pain.

Naruto felt as if his insides were churning with each step as he felt Hinata shiver as she leaned into his back. He frowned deeply and his hands trembled as he continued to take strong steps forward his mind reeling with confusion. After he'd defeated Gaara he'd been in the hospital for a few days but he'd come for Hinata without a single thought when he'd heard the news from Shikamaru. He'd thought Gaara might have changed, might have listened to his words somehow, but maybe he was wrong about that. Now it was clear, he knew he had to take her now. After what Gaara had done he would never let her go back to him. It was his responsibility to take care of Hinata now and provide for her. He knew he had to work harder than usual especially since it didn't seem like she was going to be doing anything anytime soon.

"Hey Hinata cheer up. This means that we get to spend even more time together." At those words Naruto felt Hinata clutch onto him even tighter the sound of her tears pushing themselves into forced silence.

"I suppose it's better just to think of this as a vacation huh." He said a bit dejectedly. He felt Hinata rub her face into his shirt and sighed a bit. She was hurting badly. He could feel her pain quite strongly and he just wanted to get home and away from it all.

"N-no. I can't go back." She stammered quietly the words so silent Naruto could hardly hear them.

He didn't expect to hear such things from her. Hinata was always so optimistic.

"Come on now don't say things like that. Your family is in Suna, your friends...lots of people that you still love." He softly opened the door to his house shifting his position from holding under Hinata's knees just slightly. He awkwardly kicked the door shut before he tried to ease Hinata down to stand on her feet. Hinata slumped against him lifelessly.

"Hey Hinata you gotta stand up. Come on." He urged but no amount of coaxing could manage to get the girl to stand up on her own. Realizing it was a bit futile Naruto held her up by the shoulders before sliding his arm under her legs and a hand around her back to pull her up into his arms.

He opened the door and gently slipped her into the single bed that occupied the space he called his room. As he began to move the covers into place Hinata took them from his hands. She pulled them around her shoulders before turning to face the wall her back to him.

"So... can I bring you anything Hinata. I'm sure you must be hungry." He asked cheerfully hoping to elicit some kind of positivity out of her.

Silence.

"Maybe a storemade bento..or some microwave ramen? Hey, I know why don't we umm cook something together?"

Hinata grimaced glancing down into the sheets and she could only manage to pull the covers tighter.

"I. I guess...maybe you want me to make something a bit more fancy? Don't worry I'll do my best and make some of that fried fish you made when you guys visited last."

Hinata viably flinched. She didn't want to think about Gaara, not right now when all these feelings were mounting upon her that she wanted to fight. How had she become so cold and cruel? How could she have been capable of hurting someone like that? She could hardly think when the frustration of what she had done overwhelmed her soul. It was too much.

"It doesn't mean anything." The garbled reply was whispered in an empty voice so cryptic and mixed that Naruto had no idea how to decipher her words. He knew right now he couldn't come close to that pain within her.

"I'll... leave you alone then. But! If you need anything, anything at all just...ask me." He spoke the words in a slow drag almost stalling his time as he turned inching out the door before shutting it. The moment he did he could hear her release the tears she tried to silence and the sorrowful wails she purposefully drowned out. It stung Naruto's heart and he knew right now he couldn't do anything but lay against to door and listen to her lament.

The sun fell and the day ended but Naruto could not fall asleep. Hinata's cries hadn't stopped and he had drifted in and out of sleep in his watch all night long. He barely saw the sun rising out of the corner of his eye but he was determined to save Hinata. He had to contribute to her somehow he just couldn't just let her be in pain forever.

Naruto softly opened the door to her room as he drowsily wiped his eyes. He heard the curious sound of his stomach growling and with a bit of newfound strength made his way to Hinata.

"Hey Hinata. It's a new day. Come on! Rise and shine!" he said brightly. He lightly shook her by the shoulder but he felt a shock of pain go through him as she recoiled turning even more away him burying her head in the pillow.

"Hina-chan! Come on now!" He retorted a bit playfully and with a laugh he moved to grab her sheets and around her waist to pick her up. He felt in response a sharp push as Hinata began to struggle to get out of his hold. Her face turned from its place in the pillow striking him with a sharp glare and he felt the moisture of a tear fall onto his hand. He softly laid her back down and her struggling ceased as his heart seemed to lose some of it's strength.

"I'll be back...okay. I'm gonna go get yah something. We're gonna eat together when I come back." Naruto said and hurriedly headed out the door leaving Hinata to lay there leaning into the pillow.

"I'm back!" Naruto cheerily called out pushing the door open as he proudly displayed the food he had bought.

"It's all homemade Hinata! Hey don't you want some."

Silence was all that resounded as his answer.

"Hey you gotta eat just get up and eat something it'll be easier if we're togethe-"

"It won't."

Naruto felt like he had been shot through the heart.

"Now you can't really mean that Hinata-chan. You must be just feeling unhappy. It's okay! Really if you don't want to tell me how your feeli-"

"Please leave me alone. I can't bear to hear your voice right now. Naruto you...you don't need to worry about anything that concerns me."

"Hinata you're living here now. The least you can do i-"

"I didn't ask to live here! I didn't ask for your kindness or an act of charity. I told you that I wanted to alone and fend for myself but you couldn't accept it or do what I wanted. I guess you just wanted to keep your conscience clean." Hinata's bloodshot eyes narrowed as she gripped the sheets tighter her hands trembling from lack of sleep. Naruto felt as if he were staring at a stranger.

"How can you say something like that?! It's not like you at all Hinata!"

"That's right. I'm not alright like this knowing what...knowing Gaara...he should have come by now. He would have brought me back even after I... I don't understand. Why...

Why.

Why.

Why isn't he here instead of you...

Answer me!" she yelled out turning to look at him. The sight of her almost made Naruto physically sick. Her nose was red, her face scrunched together from her held back tears, her eyes blotched and black from the lack of sleep. She looked as if she was dying slowly and all because of Gaara.

"Because he does nothing but cause you to suffer Hinata. Can you honestly not let go of someone as abusive as that?!"

"Shut up."

"No! If you want to run back to him then you're just as sick as he is. You have to break free." he said stepping a foot close to her which only caused her to recoil.

"Don't. I have no choice but to live now. But I can't live anymore. Not after what I've become. What I did to him..." she said her voice empty. Turning away she let her cheek rest against the wall with a look of disdain.

Naruto stood there looking at her the disgusting expression of pity that he wasn't familar with creeping across his facial features. He felt sick. As if someone had taken away his air and he couldn't breathe. An emptiness seemed to cover his soul with her spoken words, and the loneliness. That feeling had grown stronger than it had ever been even though she was so close to him.

He opened his mouth and let words reluctantly escape it.

"I'm leaving the food here. Eat something... okay. I don't want you to get sick." He quickly exited the room and headed outside. He felt that he couldn't bear the weight of pain in the air any longer.

Days passed and night surfaced like a blur in Naruto's consicousness. Another hard and long day of training only to come home to an emotional battle. He had visited friends but no one knew he had a visitor staying with him as of yet. He was disinclined to tell anyone since he wasn't sure how long she would even stay.

He stretched out a bit exhausted as thoughts of the future rambled in his head. The Hokage's funeral was soon and before long they would have to find someone new.

The thought that he might have a chance at the position would have once rushed through him but the pain and remembrance of their beloved Hokage seemed to cloud it all.

"I'm home." Naruto spoke dejectedly not expecting or hearing a reply. He was a little afraid to check on Hinata but knew he had to just in case.

"I'm coming in." he said and saw Hinata shift on the bed to turn away from him once more. He sighed at the rejection he was used to and moved to pick up the breakfast sack but to his disappointment it was still full.

"You didn't eat." He said in quiet anger.

"You can't just lay there Hinata! At least eat something!"

"I don't need anything." she said her voice void.

"Just tell me what you want! Whatever you need I'll get!"

"I need...I need Gaara..." she stammered out the words of denial to herself clearly aware she could never obtain her wish. She'd been the one to destroy everything from her own rage after all.

Naruto pursed his lips in anger. This was getting old and fast. He thought things would change with all the days that had passed but she was deeper in her depression than he had expected.

"Just stop it. You have to eat." he strongly spoke briskly walking to the bed and forcibly turning her onto her back.

"If you won't eat then I'll take you to the doctor and make you eat!"

"Then I'm not staying here." She said in a determined voice moving to clumsily try to get out of bed before falling against Naruto.

"You can't make me want to live. No matter what. There's only one person I've lived for all my life."

"You're starting to remind me of a broken record. Just lay back down alright. You can't be standing when you have no energy."

"Stop." She commanded her voice strict almost leaving no room for argument. Naruto had no idea what to make of her words.

"H-Huh?" Naruto stammered in confusion at the suddenly strict voice.

"Stop being kind to me. Stop... trying to touch my heart. Don't come anywhere near me. Just let me stay here... alone. Ok." She said firmly turning away as he laid her back down.

"You can't force somebody to go against themselves. I won't do that for you. Ever." Naruto responded before taking the food.

"I'm switching it out with something fresh. Don't make me waste anymore money. Okay." He said tenderly before heading out her door.

Hinata's eyes closed. She was glad he was gone. Her heart couldn't seem to think of anything but what she had done to Gaara lately. She knew she was crushing Naruto but she couldn't bear to be kind any longer.

As the month passed by Naruto went through the motions of attempting to feed and comfort Hinata however through all those moments she kept her back to him.

She wouldn't eat hardly anything and he knew she wasn't sleeping because he could hear her restlessness throughout the night. It had gotten to the point that some of the neighbors around had began to complain but he didn't care about them.

The moment they got a look at what he was dealing with they couldn't say anymore but sorry for the boy who they were considering more noble than before.

Naruto gripped the doorknob suspense coming over him as usual. As he moved to open the door he saw a sight that he wasn't to familiar with yet wasn't sure if he exactly liked. Hinata was reaching down to pull off her t-shirt her jacket laying on the floor.

He'd forgotten she was wearing that burly jacket throughout all of this time of course then he hardly had the nerve to look at her much less attempt to convince her to undress.

"It's good you're moving around." he said with an awkward smile rubbing the back of his head nervously as he looked to the side. Suddenly he felt himself being embraced tightly around the waist and a face burying itself into his chest.

"I missed you...I missed you so much. I'm so glad that you're here." Those words struck Naruto hard and he almost for a moment felt relief wash over him before it was crushed a mere second later within the wind of her words.

"I love you Gaara. I love you so...so much. I love you only more than I have anyone." She said angling her head up to look into his eyes. Her vision seemed to swim for a moment as she saw the crimson hair and...teal eyes? No they were emerald or was that jade. She squinted for a moment swaying a bit weakly as her vision swam.

"Please...we can forget all this...we can start all over. I do care about you. I let myself be taken apart. Please don't hate me for what I've done."

"I-I could never hate you." Naruto found himself suddenly wrapped in the moment and he embraced Hinata close to his chest reveling in the feeling of her loving him for the first time... even if it wasn't really him she was holding so tightly.

"Really. You really feel like that?"

"Yeah. You're someone who's precious to me. More precious than anyone else now. Hinata to me you've become someone who gave my heart the strength to live. Naruto...can't seem to live without you anymore. Now you are... a part of him." Naruto's words came out slow and true and he saw Hinata's eyes refocus.

For a moment it seemed as if she was looking at him for the first time. She blinked for a moment before slowly releasing her hold on him. Moving back a bit she could barely take a breath before Naruto crushed her back into his arms.

"If that's all it takes to bring you back to normal then you can see Gaara instead of me. But in the end when you open your eyes...it's...it's just me...I'm the only one who's here. And I'll always be here. I swear to you." He pulled back angling her face up as he neared her to look directly into her eyes.

"I swear that I'll never hurt you." Her eyes shook at the words her body weak and her emotions drained. She couldn't answer him, couldn't be kind and had no energy to fake a smile. She could only look away dejectedly unable to face the person who put themselves in front of her.

"Ok." She answered pulling back away from him and turning her back to him to move to lay back on the bed. She awkwardly reached down to pull her shirt over her head uncaring if Naruto saw her bare back or not. He cared for her that was certain but her heart didn't want to open up to him. It wanted so badly to bleed closed within itself.

"Will you eat something now Hinata?" He asked warily.

"Ok." She answered softly turning her face even more into the pillow. The answer was enough to propel Naruto into the kitchen as he searched for something to give her. He'd kept all the food refrigerated and took out some rice he'd bought moving to heat it up in the microwave.

The foreboding hum echoed throughout the small home and both humans within were awaiting the bout that was sure to come. The beep resounded and Naruto pleasantly headed into her room napkin, bowl, and tray in hand.

"Here you are. Now say ahh!" He gestured moving the spoon towards Hinata's firmly closed mouth.

"Wait til I sit up at least." She half growled in a miffed tone struggling to move herself into a sitting position holding the quilt close to her chest. Seeing Gaara alive in that mirage covered haze was enough to give her hope for a moment and a sudden strength to run across the room so quickly but the thought suddenly occurred to her that it was Naruto who had given her that strength.

He was the one who was grasping her so closely and she wanted more than anything to receive his feelings but she couldn't seem to do anything but open her mouth ignoring the tingling sensation that came over her as he gently fed her.

The End.

Heh of course not I'm not that cruel ^^

"Gaara!" Temari cried out loudly urgently rushing forward towards her little brothers still body.

"He's not breathing!" She'd never felt such panic come over her as she did in that moment. She finally had her brother back and she wasn't going to lose him again.

"No pulse. What should we do?"

"Where's Hinata doesn't she know how to heal?"

"I didnt see her when I got here." Glancing down Temari analyzed Gaara's fallen body seeing no visible damage.

"But it could have been a gentle fist attack. Something like that would be hard to detect."

"If that Hyuuga brat did this then Shes gonna pay." Baki sensei hands pumped Gaara's chest as he began to perform CPR.

"Come on boy." With a focused look he balled his hand into a fist and sent a strong hit of chakra against his heart. Gaara's chest convulsed upward quickly beginning to rise and fall once again.

"I can feel his pulse again. Just hold on little brother til we make it to Suna." Temari reassured sqeezing Gaara's lifeless hand tightly.

"What of Hinata?"

"We'll worry about her later if we don't get Gaara to Suna soon he's as good as dead."

"Let's focus on getting back to Suna and getting Gaara to a hospital." Kankuro pursed his lips in frustration as he lifted Gaara onto his shoulders.

GaaHina Theatre Chapter 15:

Gaara: This is some mess. Are you legit serious?

Hinata: Where are you supposed to be from the Dirty South?

Gaara: You've gotten mean this chapter!

Hinata: I've been through a lot thank you very much. I've been beaten within an inch of my life, betrayed, and not to mentioned riddled with guilt by what I did.

Gaara: *tears drips down cheek* But-but you killed me.

Hinata: Did I?

Gaara: Yes you said so in your guilt ridden stupor!

Hinata: Oh G-Gaara I'm so sorry baby. *moves forward and cuddles him close to her* B-But you deserved that! *turns with a huff*Come on Naruto my feet are cold I um...need you to sleep beside me tonight*blushes*

Naruto: Oh yes! *winks back at Gaara* Catch you later Tanuki-san!

Gaara: Grrr...I have changed. I have changed. I do not murder anymore yes that is my mantra.

Mic Mic: * glances at Gaara with remorse and waves bye to Hinata and Naruto *

Well that's that. *slowly shrinks down in hiding* Yes yes that's chapter 15 and this time no joke 16 will be surely coming at you much sooner especially since it'll be Christmas themed and it's legit written this time. You are going to love it! I'm looking forward to your reviews!