Echoes in the Rain ~Completed Story~

Chapter 5: An Argument

The little group left the teashop, Temari giving evil glares to the serving girl. The serving girl was oblivious to this and kept staring at Gaara. Gaara, of course, was not paying the slightest bit of attention to her.

As they were leaving the teashop, a strange girl walked over to them. She had long blond hair in a pair of pigtails and was wearing an orange jumpsuit. A jumpsuit that look strangely familiar.

"Hey! I'm new in Konoha! My name is Nara. Could you show me around?" the girl said brightly.

Sakura looked around at everyone else, who nodded, "Sure. I'm Sakura."

"I'm Ino."

"Tenten."

"H-Hinata." Hinata

"I'm Sabaku no Temari. And this is my little brother, Sabaku no Gaara."

The girl put on a face of surprise and asked, "Gaara? Gaara the Kazekage?"

"Yes. Can we get out of here?" Temari asked, glaring at the serving girl who had looked up at Gaara's name.

"Sure!"

Once they were out of there, Hinata figured out what was up with that girl. It was so obvious. Hinata wanted to reveal it, but knew not yet. They walked through the lightly falling rain to the park. That's when Hinata decided to make her move.

Hinata got behind the girl and punched her. For a small girl, Hinata could punch pretty hard. Nara fell forward and into the mud. Before anyone could yell at Hinata, Nara was engulfed in a large puff of smoke. Once the smoke had disappeared, Naruto was sitting where Nara had been several seconds previously.

"NARUTO!" Sakura screamed, her voice hitting a B two octaves above middle C (For those who don't play an instrument, that's relatively high.)

"I told him that it would never work," Sasuke said, walking over to them with Sai, Kiba, and Shikamaru following him.

Sakura turned to Sasuke and shouted, "Why didn't you stop him then?!"

"It wasn't my place to," Sasuke said, with his cool attitude.

Sakura screamed and started attacking Sasuke. Temari, Tenten, and Ino contented themselves with attacking Naruto. Shikamaru, Sai, and Kiba ended up going after the girls and Naruto. That left Hinata and Gaara standing all alone.

"Um," Hinata said. What was she supposed to say?

"Why don't you let anyone hear you sing?" Gaara asked. "You sing fairly well."

Hinata's eyes widen and she just stared at Gaara with her mouth opened. It was one of the first few compliments she had ever been paid.

"Please stop staring at me with that stupid expression on your face and answer my question," Gaara ordered.

"B-because I'm a s-s-shinobi," Hinata stuttered out. Because I'm a shinobi. "S-shinobi's d-don't s-sing." Shinobi's don't sing.

"You're allowed to have a hobby, are you not?" Gaara's voice was cool.

"I-I guess." I guess.

"Then what is the conflict?"

"I-I s-should be g-g-going back n-now," Hinata said, dodging the question. I should be going back now.

"I shall escort you then," Gaara said, his voice was cold as ice and told her that there was no arguing.

Hinata and Gaara walked back through the streets. They were empty now, but they could hear Naruto's screams and the girls' yells of triumph. They walked in silence for a bit. Gaara decided to drop his question. For the moment at least. Talking with Hinata made him feel oddly happy. Same darn emotion that he couldn't figure out.

"Don't stutter so much. It makes people think that you're weak," Gaara instructed her.

Hinata was silent, but actually felt slightly angry at him. He was always talking to her like she was a little child. That got under her skin.

"Repeat after me: I will stop stuttering," Gaara ordered, grabbing Hinata's face in one hand and forcing her to look at him.

Hinata did not try and look away from those crystal turquoise eyes. Slowly, she repeated, "I...will...stop....stuttering."

"Good girl. Just do that all the time," Gaara said, still holding her face.

That's when Hinata got a little angry. Quietly, but venom in every word, she said, "Who put you in charge anyways? You have no right to order me around!"

Gaara smirked. She was so cute when she was angry. "I am the Kazekage, chosen by the people of Suna. You and your friends were instructed to make sure my stay here is pleasant, so that I sign the treaty."

Hinata glared at him. It was true, making things worse. Finally, she retorted, "That is true, but this is a violation of my rights."

"What is a violation?" Gaara asked, his gaze cool.

"You did not have my permission to touch me!"

"Oh. And I thought you were enjoying it, little Hinata," Gaara said, smiling.

Hinata was stumped. He could read her so easily. It was so infuriating. Hinata jerked her face out of his grasp and walked off.

"Thank you very much!" Hinata said over her shoulder, her tone hostile.

Gaara smiled at her foolishness. She didn't realize that he was just playing with her. Running to catch up, Gaara said, "You're welcome."

They moved to the Hyuga compound in utter silence. Upon reaching the gate, Hinata moved inside quickly, desperate to put some distance between her and Gaara.

The gate stuck, so Gaara got his chance. As Hinata wrestled with the gate, Gaara said, "Until our next meeting, my Hinata."

Gaara smirked as he heard her gasp of surprise at the emphasis on the word 'my.' So she had noticed, as he had intended her to. Gaara, his mission accomplished, walked off into the lightly falling rain, his red hair standing out against the bleakness of the scene.

Hinata stayed frozen for a few seconds, before she shook herself and walked inside.

"Why was he here?" Neji asked her as she took off her shoes.

"Gaara-sama was merely walking me home since Temari and the others got

caught up killing Naruto. What is it?" Hinata asked in question to Neji's shocked face.

"You said a whole sentence without stuttering or pausing," Neji said in surprise.

"Blame Gaara-sama," Hinata said dejectedly. "I'm going to my room."

Neji stood there wondering what to do. He was glad that his cousin had stopped stuttering, but he did not like the amount of influence the Kazekage had over her. He'd have to have a 'talk' with Gaara. The next day. He wouldn't tell Hinata. She'd just get in the way.