Rating: M
Pairing: Naruto/Hinata, and more in the future.
Author's Notes: Hello, everybody. Mr. Alaska here, with a brand new story. But before we get started, I feel I should give everyone the lowdown. This story was inspired by Hinote Tora's I'll Never Let Them Take You. The theme of the story had it all. Tragedy, action, angst, romance, everything. So I decided to start a story like that on my own. I'll give you the setting. Third part of the Chunin exam, Hinata's and Neji's match, and right when Neji was going in for the final blow. And the other reason I'm starting this story is that I'm having some trouble with all my other stories. So….. Until I get my stories straight, I'll give this one a chance. I hope you all enjoy. And, just like always, please leave plenty of reviews. And if anyone wants to chat outside FF, contact me if you have either an Hotmail account, AIM account, or a Facebook. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the touching story about what SHOULD'VE happened in the Anime and Manga. PEACE!
Chapter 1: The Fallen Angel
The entire stadium, minus a select few, gasped as they witnessed Neji deflect Hinata's attack… and readied himself for a counter strike. Hinata tried to dodge it, but her strained muscles and lack of strength took their toll. Neji's attack connected. "HINATA!" Naruto cried out, as he witnessed Hinata Hyuuga receive a hard palm strike to the face. The person who struck her was her cruel cousin, Neji Hyuuga. Everyone watched as the Hyuuga girl stumbled backwards, with blood dripping from the side of her mouth and nose. Naruto's hands squeezed around the railing, his teeth grinding together at the sound of Neji's cruel chuckle. 'How could you…? She's your COUSIN!'
As his injured cousin coughed up blood, Neji smirked and deactivated his Byakugan. He dropped from his Jyuuken stance, and stood up straight. "Withdraw, Hinata-sama. You can't win… not now, not ever." Naruto's blood turned to ice when he heard what Neji said. But he turned from Neji, and looked at the girl across from him…. And his face dropped with dismay. Hinata stood there, looking down with blood dripping onto the floor. She had one arm cradling her left ribcage, and letting out loud gasps of pain with every breath she took. Her legs were struggling to stay upright, but one leg seemed to be buckling under the weight of her own body.
Neji continued as he stretched his arms in an insulting way. "It is said that leopards can't change their spots. That they're what nature intended them to be…. That's as true in the lives of humans as it is in the animal kingdom. No matter how hard you try, you can't change who you are. You're shy, you have no self-esteem, and you're afraid to inflict pain on anyone else. The Hyuuga clan wasn't built on weaklings… they were built on cold, hard, disciplined shinobi… which you're not." Rage began filling every inch of Naruto's being. "You can't change facts, Hinata-sama. Once a failure, always a failure."
That right there, was all Naruto could take. "YOU'RE WRONG!" Naruto's booming voice echoed throughout the tower, causing everyone to look in his direction. His hand tightened around the jar of healing ointment Hinata gave him earlier. "Anyone can change! Just because you say she can't doesn't make you're right! So don't go talking shit about stuff you know nothing about!" His dark glare went from Neji to Hinata. "Come on, Hinata-chan! You can still win this!"
Abruptly, Sakura's fist came down and banged against the back of Naruto's head. "Shut up, Naruto-baka! She's barely able to stand up!" A large lump began forming on Naruto's head, as Sakura continued. "Don't be an idiot! Hinata is practically DYING… and you still think she can win? Stop encouraging her to kill herself!" Naruto growled angrily as he shook Sakura's hand off his shoulder.
'What a loud-mouthed moron…' Neji thought bitterly, as he turned back to his opponent. "Just give up, Hinata-sama. If this continues, you will surely die." His tone had a hint of smugness and sadistic pleasure. Neji smiled evilly when he saw Hinata cough up some more blood onto her coat. "You can't survive as a ninja if you're always trying to be the peacemaker. You weren't meant to be a ninja…. This is my final warning Hinata-san. Withdraw NOW. The responsibility of the Hyuuga Main branch has been forced upon you. You have always hated yourself for your own weakness… but people cannot change. Our destinies have already been chosen for us."
He waited for an response. At first, Hinata didn't answer. But after a few breaths of air, she finally looked up with a frown, with blood dripping down the side of her mouth. "Th…that's not t…true, Neji-niisan." Hinata's voice was shaky, quiet, and would've been unable to be heard if the stadium wasn't already dead silent. After hacking up some more blood, the girl continued. "Be…because… y…you've got it b…backwards. I can see…. (COUGH) I can s…see that the p…person suffering the (COUGH) m…most be…because of the destiny a…and tension be…between the two branches of the Hyuuga Clan… is y…you, Neji-niisan,."
Suddenly… something in Neji snapped. His Byakugan fired up, the veins around his eyes pulsing with pure rage. Chakra started to radiate around his hands, as he abruptly dashed forward… with the intent to kill. The Chunin instructor saw this, and immediately dashed in from the sideline. "Neji! Stop! The match is over now!" But the enraged Hyuuga prodigy didn't stop. Instead, he just kept on charging. The instructor increased his speed, and leapt forward to intercept him. But at the last second, Neji used chakra in his feet to double his speed. And in doing so, Neji dashed right past the instructor. The other Jounin appeared on the scene…
But they were too late…
Neji's chakra filled palm shot forward, slamming into Hinata's chest. The chakra expelled from his attack was so intense, some of the chakra traveled through Hinata's body and came out the other side. Hinata's eyes went wide, and her Byakugan deactivated, fading from her face. Every muscle in her body locked up, as her vision became blurry. And for a few seconds… nothing major appeared to have happened. But suddenly, blood poured out of Hinata's mouth, as her body folded forward and slammed into the ground.
"HINATA!" Kurenai shouted, as she ran to her student's side. The woman knelt down, inspecting the unconscious girl's body. Blood was oozing out the sides of Hinata mouth, and flooded out of her left nostril. Panicking, Kurenai turned to the medical team who were still in their little corner. "MEDICS! GET YOUR ASSES OVER HERE NOW! WE NEED SOME HELP!" The medical team leapt in surprise, and rushing directly to Hinata.
The whole time, Naruto stood on the balcony, devastated. The blond boy stared in pure shock, as the medics lifted Hinata onto the stretcher. 'N…no… Hinata-chan…' Everything seemed to melt around Naruto, as a medic attached a portable respirator onto Hinata's mouth. His ocean blue eyes were as wide as they could possibly get. Even from where he was standing, he could see Hinata's face. She looked as if she was in pain… even though she was unconscious. And when he looked closer, he saw a single tear roll down her face, to mix with her blood on the floor.
Suddenly… just like Neji, something inside Naruto snapped. Rage once again filled Naruto's mind and he turned to Neji. Then, his eyes went from light ocean blue to a shade of purple. (Remember… Orochimaru placed a seal on Naruto earlier…. But Naruto is SO mad… the seal is only BARELY working. Just thought I'd share that with you.) "NEJI!" Naruto roared, as he leapt from the balcony with animal-like prowess, and landed on all fours in the middle of the stadium. With a savage look on his face, he bore his now enlarged canines at the Hyuuga and growled. "RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Letting out a fierce, possessed-sounding roar, Naruto jumped to his feet and charged at Neji.
But before he could reach him, Kakashi-sensei, Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei appeared out of nowhere. Asuma was behind the wild boy, holding both of his arms back. Kurenai was beside him, holding his ankles down. And Kakashi appeared in front of Naruto, with either hand in his shoulder. "Naruto….. CALM DOWN." Kakashi did his best to calm Naruto… because he knew what was happening to his student. 'Damn… This is bad. Kyuubi is breaking free…' "Naruto… Please calm down." Kakashi's soothing voice ended up doing the trick. Naruto was thrashing wildly at first… but soon, it subsided. His fox-like purple eyes slowly morphed back into his regular blue ones.
"Let me go!" While he was no longer showing symptoms of the Kyuubi anymore, he was still, nevertheless, out for blood. He yanked his arms and legs to break free from Asuma and Kurenai, but it was all in vain. Looking past Kakashi, Naruto watched as the medics carried Hinata's crippled body through the two large doors. Then he turned to Neji, who had on a devilish smirk on, which was Neji's silent way of asking, 'What are you going to do now?' The rage quickly returned to Naruto. But when his eyes started to change to purple again… Kakashi reached out and struck some of Naruto's pressure points. After that, Naruto's body became limp. Asuma and Kurenai released Naruto's arms and legs, allowing the boy's unconscious body to fall forward into Kakashi's arms.
(TEN MINUTES LATER)
'Uh…. My head!' Naruto finally awoke from his forced slumber, and sat up. He rubbed his head, soothing the sore spot where Sakura hit him earlier. 'What the hell happened? The last thing I remember, I was charging Neji… and…!' That's when Naruto remembered. His eyes snapped open, with a panicked look filling them. "Hinata-chan!" The first thing he saw was Kakashi, looking down at him. He soon discovered he was in the balconies again, propped up against the wall. "Kakashi-sensei… Where's Hinata-chan?"
Before the one-eyed man could answer, Sakura scoffed. "She's still almost dying… Thanks to you." The girl's cold words struck a nerve in Naruto, who looked up with a nasty glare. But since Sakura had her eyes shut, she continued her snobby rant. "I can't believe you encouraged her to continue, you moron! She was clearly outmatched, but you insisted that she go on. What the hell is wrong with you?" That's when the bratty pinkette opened her eyes. But after she witnessed the light purple gaze of the blond boy, she leapt back in fear.
But that's when the seal started working again. The rage was suppressed, and his eyes turned blue again. Naruto leapt to his feet, and looked at Kakashi. "Where is Hinata-chan, Kakashi-sensei?" He asked, trying his best not to look in Neji's direction. But Naruto clenched his fist when Kakashi didn't give his question any acknowledgment. The silver-haired man merely flipped the page in his orange book and continued reading. So Naruto repeated himself. "WHERE IS SHE?" This time he didn't even bother to gradually rise to a yell. But… it seemed to have worked.
Kakashi sighed, and put his perverted book back into his pouch. "Hinata-san is in the emergency room… The doctors haven't given out any further information about her condition. But you're more than welcome to go and visit… seeing as everyone else's matches are over." Confused, he looked around. And after scanning the remaining ninjas, Naruto discovered that both Lee and Chouji weren't there. "They will be choosing who'll be fighting in the next matches."
Naruto sighed, and leapt to his feet. "Tell me who I'm placed against…" Thankfully, Neji was on the opposite side of the balconies. So there wasn't a chance of another incident to arouse like earlier. He dashed down the stairs, across the stadium and busted through the doors to the waiting room. He looked around, and saw Kurenai-sensei and Shino Aburame sitting in the chairs beside the door. Shino was being… well… Shino, as he stayed cool and composed. Kurenai, on the other hand, wasn't. her foot was tapping, as she tried to calm herself. And seeing Hinata's sensei acting nervous made Naruto fear the worst. "Any news?"
Kurenai looked up, and shook her head. "No… they're still trying to get her stable enough to find out what ALL is wrong with her." Naruto looked down, and bit his bottom lip. And while Kurenai was worried to death about the life of Hinata, she was also surprised to see Naruto, the boy the shy girl had admired who hasn't ever given her any attention before was worrying now. But she hid her suspicions, and allowed a small smile to creep onto her face. "Please… take a seat, Naruto." Kurenai nudged her head towards the chair next to her. And after letting out a long, tired groan, Naruto smiled and took the seat. He slumped down into the comfortable waiting room chair, and removed his headband to wipe the sweat from his brow. 'Hmm…. He's stressed too.' Kurenai thought, as she notice Naruto was already tapping his feet impatiently.
The Jonin was about to say something else, when Naruto interrupted. "Sakura is right, Kurenai-sensei… it's my fault Hinata got hurt." Hearing this, both Kurenai and Shino turned to Naruto with strange looks on their faces. What? His fault? "If I hadn't convinced her to continue fighting…. If I hadn't encouraged her to keep from calling the fight, she might not have gotten hurt the way she did…. But now, because of what I told her to do… she's in pain." The two watched in silent awe as they witnessed the normally hyperactive blond boy… holding back tears. "She was in pain the entire match. She was coughing up blood, and gasping for breath…. But I made her fight on. And now…" He paused, squinting his eyes and clenching his pant legs.
That's when one of the doctors came out, with Hinata's blood on his apron. A strong shiver ran down Naruto's spine when the man took off his mask, revealing an unnerving frown. The doctor began before Naruto could even ask. "Hinata Hyuuga is stable… but I need to discus something with you." That statement was aimed at Kurenai. "We scanned her whole body, and found some… problems."
Kurenai nod her head, and turned to the two boys behind her. "You two stay here… I'll go with the medics and see how she's doing." Both boys looked at each other, and reluctantly nodded their heads. Naruto watched as Kurenai walked back into the emergency room, smelling the overwhelming stench of medicine… and blood.
So the two sat in complete silence. Even though Shino didn't show it, he was really concerned about his shy teammate. But the Aburame still kept his cool composure, and turned to Naruto. "The assumption that you're the cause of my teammate's critical condition is irrational." Naruto stopped scowling at the floor, and turned to Shino with a raised eyebrow. "You weren't the one who hurt her in the match, Naruto. The only one to blame for Hinata's condition is her cousin, Neji."
But Naruto shook his head. "No, Shino… if I hadn't cheered her on to continue fighting, she wouldn't be here. While Neji was the one who hurt her physically, I was the one who put her in that situation." But again, Shino frowned behind his coat collar and shook his head.
"Naruto… after spending all the time I have with Hinata-san on my team, I know what makes her tick." He countered, in a matter-of-fact kind of way. "You may not know this, but Hinata-san is the only one who seems to listen to you and not mock or put you down… no matter how ridiculous you may sound at times." Normally, Naruto would've been offended at what the boy said. But once he thought back, he realized Shino was right. "And you also might not know this… but Hinata-san also has a self-esteem and shyness problem … which Neji knew about, and used in his advantage during their match."
This came as a surprise to Naruto. He always thought she was just a weirdo who didn't like to talk to people. He didn't suspect she was just shy around EVERYONE, and not with only him. And to be completely truthful, Naruto kind of suspected Hinata was afraid of him. Thinking back, he only really noticed her when she was trying to talk to him, and always rambling off in her quiet voice. But now… Naruto learned that the girl he thought was a weirdo was just shy.
Seeing that the slow blond was finally catching up, Shino took a deep breath and continued. "OK. Now, would you say that what you saw during her match displayed anything that I just told you?" Naruto looked to the ground, and thought about it. He learned that before the exams, she apparently had a self-esteem problem. But during her fight, she denied what Neji was telling her. And he also realized that if she had a shyness problem, she wouldn't have fought Neji the way she did.
But now there was a question that Naruto needed to ask. "But why, Shino?" He asked, scratching the back of his head in confusion. "Why did she go on, even though she was being beaten down? Why did she continue just because I cheered for her?"
At first, Shino didn't answer. A sly, all-knowing grin crept onto his face. And thanks the his high collar, Naruto couldn't see it. "Why indeed?" He asked, already knowing the answer. It was funny, in a way. Everyone who knew Hinata knew she had a serious crush on Naruto. But since Naruto is so dense, he never sees the signs. "Maybe when we're able to see her, you could ask her." Naruto frowned, and was about to say something when Kakashi walked in.
"Is she doing any better?" He asked, still using his uncaring voice… which made Naruto madder. When neither boy said anything, Kakashi let out a tired sigh. "I take that as a no." He put his orange book away again, and lazily looked at Naruto. "The opponents have been picked for the elimination matches… which will be held a month from now in the Konohagakure Stadium." At first, Naruto rolled his eyes, uninterested in the match. But Kakashi continued. "Your first opponent will be none other than Neji Hyuuga…"
Now he was interested. Naruto looked up at his sensei with an angry glare. "Yes, Naruto…. You will be going up against him a month from now. So that means you need to learn some new tricks before the match… since you both knows each other's moves now." He then turned to Shino. "You will be going up against Kankuro." The Aburame nodded his head. That's when Kurenai and the doctor walked out together.
"Is she alright?" Naruto blurted out, even though Kakashi was talking about something else. "Can she have visitors?"
Kurenai frowned, and shook her head. "Sorry, Naruto… But she needs to be transferred to the Konohagakure hospital for much needed care. Her internal organs were damaged, and she needs medical supplies that they don't have here…" Naruto looked devastated. So Kurenai pulled off a fake, yet convincing grin. "But she should be able to take visitors in about a day or so, as the doctor told me." But it didn't help Naruto that much.
Seeing as they couldn't really do anything, both Naruto and Shino exited the waiting room and reentered the arena, where all the victorious combatants, minus Sasuke, were at. The remaining fighters were him, Sasuke, Shino, Shikamaru, Neji, Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, and that sound Dosu. Sarutobi was finishing up on a speech he was telling the others when Naruto and Shino regrouped with the others. "Oh. Naruto and Shino. So nice to have you join us," the old man said. "I trust Kakashi informed you about the circumstances of the next matches?" Both nodded. "Good." Sarutobi smiled, and turned to the rest. "The rules are going to be the same as this one. But if you refuse to listen to the instructor, it will result in an immediate disqualification…. Is the clear, Neji-san?"
Everyone looked at Neji, who rolled his eyes and nodded. He turned his cold gaze to Naruto, who was sending him a glare that would've scared the large tigers roaming the Forest of Death. Naruto's fists tightened as their eyes locked. But nothing was said… at first. But eventually, Neji took on a smug smile. "Let me guess… you're going to beat me because of what I did to Hinata-sama?" Grinding his teeth, Naruto nodded his head. "Heheheheheeeeee…" A cold chuckle escaped Neji's lips. "Hopefully you will be more of a challenge than my weak cousin."
"You son of a…!" Naruto had enough. He lunged forward, ready to beat the living daylights out of the boy across from him. But luckily, Shino and Shikamaru were there to stop him. Shino dashed forward and hooked his arms across Naruto's shoulders. Shikamaru was there in front of him, to make sure he doesn't advance forward in case he broke free from Shino's hold. "Let me go!" Naruto growled, thrashing to break free from his captors. He didn't care that the others were looking at him with mixed expressions. He was ready for the fight NOW.
But Shino and Shikamaru held him back. "Calm down man…. It's not worth it to fight him now…." Shikamaru groaned, keeping him from pulling away from Shino. "Naruto, believe us, we want a piece of him too…. Even though I never really knew Hinata, what he did was too nasty for me to ignore." Hearing this got Naruto's attention. He stopped struggling with Shino, and looked at Shikamaru with a raised eyebrow. "But it's up to you to fight him… And while I wouldn't mind watching him get canned… I honesty don't think it would be as satisfying beating him down here, instead of in front of a stadium filled with villagers."
A lazy grin appeared on Shikamaru's face, which caused a smile to appear on Naruto's face. "Ahem…?" All of a sudden, everyone heard Sarutobi. They turned to see the Hokage, with his arms folded across his chest and a raised eyebrow. "Is everything alright?" The three looked at each other, and nodded their heads. "Good. Now, unlike this time, you all will be scored on how you fight in your matches by judges. They will determine whether or not you become Chunin. They will be looking at your decision-making abilities, combat skill, etc. so even if you lose the match, you still might have a chance to become Chunin." He paused, and took a sip from his tea. "Is everyone clear on the rules?" Everyone nodded. "Then you all are dismissed. I'll see you all in a month."
To Be Continued…
Hey everybody! How was that? I hope you all enjoyed the fist chapter of what I hope will be a heart-yanking, tear-jerking story I'm going for. So basically, there is more to Hinata's condition than the doctor was letting on. And don't go to Hinote's version. For two reasons: It won't be the same, and it might spoil some things. This story will be slow at some points, since this will be more about Naruto learning about Hinata more than action. But once I have some ideas, I'll try to make a longer story out of this. And in case you didn't get the clue, this will consist Sakura bashing, and maybe some Sasuke bashing. If anyone has any questions, please contact me. If this seems to go by too fast, PLEASE TELL ME. I had to restart two stories because of THAT reason. And please, leave plenty of reviews. And, like I said before, if you have a Hotmail, AIM, or Facebook, contact me so we can talk outside FF. Hope to hear from you soon. PEACE!
