Title: Her Smile
Characters/Pairings: Kō and Hinata
Author's Notes: My new favorite Naruto character? You guessed it: Kō Hyuuga. He is so adorable and I love the fact that he's so concerned for Hinata's wellbeing. This fanfiction is to show what was running through his mind as he helplessly watched Hinata sacrifice herself to protect Naruto. Oh, and there is no information on the unnamed Hyuuga that was with Sakura during Pein's Invasion. He is not actually Kō's brother and his name is not Jiro. I have created an identity for him for the purposes of this fanfiction.
Disclaimer: I obviously don't own the Naruto franchise. If I did I'd actually have money, I probably wouldn't spend my time writing fanfiction, and KibaHina would be canon.
Chapter One - Destruction
Kō tried to free his arm from under the crumbled wall of a building. He fell back and gasped in pain as he finally managed to throw the crushing weight off. He didn't understand how this had happened. One moment, he had been escorting Hinata to the field outside the Hyuuga resident so she could collect flowers to press. The next moment, Konoha had been thrown into utter chaos. And now this. He solemnly glanced around the wreckage that was once Konoha. Everything had been destroyed.
Ignoring the stabbing pain in his arm, Kō managed to get to his feet. He scanned the area, trying to find Hinata. He spotted her a few feet away, crouching in the rubble as she tried to regain her bearings. Her clothing was coated with dust, but she seemed to be unscathed.
Which is more than I can say for myself, Kō thought, clutching his left arm as he made his way to her. He dropped to his knees beside her and asked urgently, "Are you all right, Lady Hinata?"
She looked up, and he saw her gaze immediately travel to his wounded arm. "Yes, but Kō, you're injured," she said softly.
She reached out to touch his arm, but Kō grabbed her hand and pushed it away. He didn't have time to worry about his wounds. A broken arm was nothing compared to the wrath he would endure if Hinata were harmed. Even though Kō was part of the main Hyuuga clan, he didn't need a curse mark to remind him of where his loyalties lie. The future generations, the ones that would keep the Hyuuga name alive, were all that mattered.
The look of concern on her face and the warmth of her hand in his was medicine enough for Kō. Attempting a reassuring smile, he said solemnly, "If anything should happen to you during Lord Hiashi and Lady Hanabi's absence, I will be dishonored for life. You need not concern yourself with me."
"But I must," Hinata answered simply. She pulled her hand away and reached into her medical kit for a bandage wrap. "If everyone is injured while the head of the family is away, I will be the one scolded."
She proceeded to wrap the bandage around his wounded arm. Kō couldn't understand why she would do this for him. How could she willingly give so much yet not be begrudging? Kō bit his tongue, remembering the silent frustration he had felt when Lord Hiashi had first assigned him to be Hinata's bodyguard. He had never understood why an esteemed member of the Hyuuga clan would be given a task usually passed on to a member of the branch house. Of course, he had protected Hinata with all his being for the sake of the Hyuuga clan but not without that slight pang of resentment.
"Lady Hinata…" he whispered. Kō winced silently as she tied the bandage and returned the unused bandages to her medical kit.
She turned away to survey the damage caused by Pein's attack. The dust lashed against her face and through her hair, but she didn't flinch. Kō studied her, wondering what was going through her mind. He was taken aback when she stood up and turned to Katsuyu.
"Katsuyu, how did this happen?" she asked.
Katsuyu split into several smaller slugs to escape the rumble she had been trapped underneath and then reassembled until she was her previous size. Inching her way toward Hinata, she said, "Pein of the Akatsuki released a powerful repulsion jutsu that targeted the center of Konoha. The fact that it even reached this far is extraordinary."
"Hmm," Hinata murmured. She scanned the area again until she could see the large crater where the center of Konoha had once been. "We need to get closer. The more information we can get about Pein, the better."
At her words, Kō tried to stand up. His knees buckled and he dropped to the earth once again. Hinata quickly turned to him and said, "Please, save your strength, Kō."
"I can't let you go on ahead by yourself, Lady Hinata," Kō argued evenly.
He expected her to silently accept this, to stay with Katsuyu and him until a member of ANBU showed up to evacuate them. He didn't expect her to crouch next to him and place her arm around his back until her hand rested slightly above his ribcage. Supporting his weight, she slowly stood up. Before Kō could protest, Hinata said, "We have a duty to Konoha as well as the honor of the Hyuuga name."
Kō kept silent as Hinata led the way through the rumble with Katsuyu on their heels. It seemed like ages until they finally found a safe vantage point that overlooked the crater in the center of Konoha. Before they could observe the scene below, another explosion rocked the ground. Hinata climbed on to a crumbled pillar and activated her Byakugan to try to spot Pein through the settling dust. She gave a sudden gasp, startling Kō.
"Lady Hinata, what is it? Has our position been compromised?" Kō asked urgently.
"N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata faltered, her voice barely above a whisper.
Perhaps it was the pain in his arm, but Kō didn't quite understand her. He glanced at her and noticed that her face had suddenly composed itself into an unreadable mask. Somewhat shocked, he activated his own Byakugan and looked down into the crater. He first noticed Pein standing in the center. He ignored the bile that rose in his stomach at the sight of Pein and instead directed his gaze to where Hinata had been looking only moments before.
He easily recognized the young shinobi. However, the chakra was something he had never seen before. It wasn't chakra from the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. It was something more balanced and perhaps more powerful. Fixated on the scene below, he said, "There's not mistake. It's definitely Naruto." Even if that chakra isn't, he added as an unspoken afterthought.
"He's fighting alone!" Hinata exclaimed, starting to run toward the crater.
He watched her run away. Two feet away, five feet away, eight feet away. Surely she should have come to a halt by now, frozen in fear? But Kō could see she truly meant to fight Pein. Kō's eyes opened in shock, and he called after her, "No, Lady Hinata!"
She stopped abruptly but remained with her back to him. Her hand closed into a fist as she said with resolve, "But Naruto is risking his life for our village!"
"If you enter such a battle, you will only get in his way and put him at risk!"
Kō waited for her shoulders to sag, for her to dejectedly return to his side. However, she didn't even look at him. Her eyes were fixed on Naruto.
Why? he wondered. Why is she suddenly so determined? Why risk her life for this boy?
He closed his eyes as he recalled all the years he had watched Hinata train and fall short of her father's expectations. They had been walking past the Academy one day when Kō had asked her what her goals were in life. He could still remember her reply. She had spoken it so adamantly, without pausing to consider the question.
"I want to grow up to be a great ninja…strong like Father and kind like Mother!"
That had been before training had started though. It had been before Hinata had proved to be a disappointment to Lord Hiashi, a disappointment to the Hyuuga name. It had been only a few days after her acceptance to the Academy that Lord Hiashi decided to see which Hyuuga heir was more powerful. He had forced Hinata to fight against her younger sister Hanabi.
Kō remembered kneeling at Lord Hiashi's side, already foreseeing the inevitable outcome of the match. Although Hinata had indeed inherited her mother's kindness, the strength of Lord Hiashi had been handed down to Hanabi. Hanabi was a ruthless fighter. They had barely begun fighting before Hanabi landed a lethal kick, throwing Hinata to the floor. Lord Hiashi had left before he could see Hinata's tears. Kō had seen them though.
"Does Father hate me?" Hinata had asked him later that day.
Kō could still remember his hesitance in answering that question. There was no doubt in his mind that Lord Hiashi was too hard on Hinata. He had faked a smile and answered a bit too quickly, "Lord Hiashi is very strict because he has high hopes for you."
"But I try my best. I train every day," Hinata had insisted, fighting back tears.
Kō slowly opened his eyes as he recalled the look on her face as she had run away from him. He glanced over at Hinata but instead of finding her standing amongst the rubble, he saw her running toward the crater once again.
"Lady Hinata!" he yelled, echoing the words from so many years ago.
Years ago she had run into a pack of schoolyard bullies after running away from Kō. This time she was running toward a danger far greater than bullies. Kō tried to stand, holding left arm but quickly collapsed again. He watched helplessly and realized that the look of her face was different from what it had been years ago. Instead of dejection, there was determination.
Why…? he wondered.