Red Is A Pretty Colour

98

Hiko's pov

It was my last day in the Sand village and Gaara, Konkuro, Temari and myself had spent the whole day together. Unfortunately though Konkuro and Temari had to cancel on our dinner plans so it was just me and Gaara going out for dinner. I had a feeling the two of them weren't actually busy but I wasn't going to argue.

Gaara and I were sat in a fairly fancy restaurant eating dinner together and having a great time talking. Gaara was making terrible attempts at flirting using lines written for him by Konkuro which I was getting a kick out of.

"Konkuro's pick up lines are funny but what about what you want to say?" I said.

Gaara glanced away, his cheeks turning red.

"I don't know how you would feel about what I have to say." Gaara said. "What if you don't like what I say?"

"Gaara, did you ever feel like that before?" I asked and Gaara shook his head. "Then you don't need to feel like that now. I'm your girlfriend and I love you and nothing you say can change that."

"Okay then, I think your hair is really pretty. I have since I first saw you." Gaara confessed.

I looked at him in surprise. I hadn't expected him to say that at all. Most of my life I had been convinced my hair made me unlovable, that it separated me from everyone else. The only one to convince me that my hair was something to love and celebrate was Shikamaru and I didn't think anyone else would ever see my hair the way he did.

' I had just started at the academy and was hoping to make some new friends. I spotted a few girls playing with flowers in the school grounds and decided to approach them.

"Hey, my name is Hiko. Can I maybe play with you guys?" I asked.

The girls all looked at me, eyeing me up and down. There was this cold look in their eyes like they didn't want me to exist. They seemed almost disgusted by me talking to them. I wasn't a stranger to that look, I got it every time I was with my brother.

"You? Play with us?" One of them said incredulously, the others laughing like it had been some kind of joke.

"Not with that hair you won't." Another said, her voice laced with malice.

In that moment I felt so small. I was on my own island surrounded by vast waters, I was alone while surrounded by people. Just that one phrase was enough to separate me from everyone else and isolate me from everyone else.

"You're kidding, right? Get rid of that ugly red hair of yours and maybe we'll think about it." The third girl said, the others laughing at me again. '

"I knew I would upset you." Gaara said looking down at his lap.

"No, no, I'm not upset! People would always make fun of my hair growing up so you saying that actually means a lot to me." I explained.

"People made fun of you?" Gaara asked surprised.

"Yeah." I said.

"I think it's the most beautiful colour I've ever seen." Gaara said. "I don't understand why they would make fun of it."

'I was quite nervous, pacing up and down behind the academy. I was waiting for my crush to arrive. I had left a note on his desk asking for him to meet me here in hopes of finally confessing my feelings.

"Hiko, hey! Are you the one that wanted to talk to me?" Kiba asked as he approached.

"Yeah." I replied, looking down at my feet.

"Well? What is it? Is Naruto planning another prank or something because I don't want to be involved with him unless we're ditching class." Kiba said.

"No, it's- it's nothing to do with him." I replied nervously.

"Woah! What's up with you? You're turning red." Kiba said.

"I uh... I just wanted to tell you that- that I have a crush on you and I wanted to know if.... if you liked me too." I said.

"Jeez, I think you're cool and all Hiko, you're one of us, ya know. I see you like I see Choji or Shikamaru. You're just not pretty enough for me to see you like that." Kiba said.

"Huh?" I said.

"It's just that I want to think my girlfriend is pretty but your hair is just such an obnoxiously ugly colour that I just don't think I could date you." Kiba said.

"Oh, okay." I said before hurrying away.

As soon as I was out of sight and out of earshot I burst out crying. It was always my hair, why did people care so much about what I looked like? Why was I so ugly?'

"Thank you." I said, smiling at him.

"You're blushing, is that a good thing?" Gaara asked.

"It's a change from you blushing." I said teasingly.