There's a Hero in Me
Pairings: Naruhina, Shikaino, Nejiten, Sasusaku
Summary: Having been found after months of being MIA, Hinata and Ino return to Konoha battered and beaten and with a new sense of determination.
Chapter one:
Sakura sighed slightly as she heard the distant thumps of a kunai hitting a poor, defenceless target dummy, walking up the dirt path to her former team's training ground. As she neared, her black-haired teammate greeted her with a slight nod and she continued on to stand beside him. The trees provided shade on that warm summer day, and Sakura found it hard to believe that anyone could be training in such humidity. Then again, Naruto wasn't just anyone.
"How long has it been this time?" she asked Sasuke quietly so as to not disturb their other teammate.
"I've been here since six o'clock and the dobe still beat me here," he replied as he watched another kunai soar to hit its intended target. "Sometimes I wonder if he's even human."
"Well, you can't exactly blame him. If he wants to get stronger, he'll have to work for it," Sakura retorted with a pitying glance. Even when the teams disbanded, the three teammates often met up at their old training ground, however lately their training mostly consisted of Naruto's hard work and the other two observing his actions. It almost became a ritual.
"Don't tell me you're not even the slightest bit worried," Sasuke countered nonchalantly, turning to her with a raised eyebrow. A different set of thumps began making contact with its objective as the blonde switched from target practise to hand to trunk combat.
Sakura scoffed, "of course I'm worried Sasuke-kun. I'm not that much of a heartless fool as to not even care about my teammates!"
"I didn't mean it like –"
"I'm just trying to understand him, and support him when he needs it! Unlike you who doesn't even care if he dies or not. He just needs his space right now. I don't want to smother him!" Sakura exclaimed, her voice raising an octave with each word. Unbeknownst to them, the thumps began to cease.
Sasuke's voice also got louder; though remained as calm and cool as he could muster. "I do care about the dobe; that's why we can't let him go on like this! He's been acting like everything is okay, but we can see right through him! It's annoying the hell out of me!"
"Is that all you can think about; yourself? Who cares if it annoys you? This isn't about you! If Naruto needed help he would have asked for it!" The medic transferred to all out screaming by now and Sasuke recoiled slightly. He knew her crush on him subsided long ago, but it was still a shock when she yelled at him. The only other time he she raised her voice at him was when their blonde teammate finally managed to drag him back. He would never in all his life admit that he was even the slightest bit frightened.
"You guys should really keep your lover's spat at home, especially when someone is trying to train," a new voice joined the conversation, making the other two jump. They turned slightly to find the foxy grin of Naruto's directed right at them.
"Sorry Naruto," Sakura apologized, blushing profusely from embarrassment and anger at his stupid 'lover's spat' comment. "We didn't realize we were disturbing you."
"Don't worry about it," Naruto laughed, "What were you fighting about this time? Was Sasuke here getting jealous because you finally realized how much you loved me? I heard my name quite a bit." A vein popped on both his teammates' heads as two lumps formed from the contact of two fists hitting his blonde head.
"It was a joke," he whined rubbing the spots where they hit. "Besides, I already have... never mind." Naruto's bright blue eyes darkened a bit as the conversation began to crash and burn.
Sakura and Sasuke exchanged looks of regret before turning back to their teammate, looking for a way to change the subject.
"You know," Naruto continued before the two could say a word, "Baa-chan said that I had to wait at least another month before searching again, considering what happened on the last mission." He laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "That wasn't even technically my fault, that guy had it coming. And it's not like I meant to blow up his restaurant! Don't people know that fire and gas don't work together in the kitchen? He shouldn't have given me either!" He turned away, his voice straining just enough for his teammates to hear it.
"Shut up," Sasuke mumbled, shuffling over slightly to lean against a nearby tree, crossing his arms defiantly. "You're an idiot, you know that?"
"Yeah, I know."
Sasuke looked over at his blonde friend, while Sakura's eyes started to water slightly. Their teammate had a faraway look in his eye, looking up at the sky in a casual yet dismal manner. They could hear the brokenness in his voice, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.
"Na – "
"I wonder how Shikamaru's taking it," he wondered out loud, cutting off the hurt Sakura. "I hardly ever get to see him anymore what with him passing the jounin exams and whatnot. Choji too, I mean she was their teammate after all. Hinata was just a friend, and just look at the impact she had on me."
"That's it!" Sakura shouted, shaking the ground beneath their feet as she stomped on it. "This is ridiculous. First of all Naruto, you and I both know that Hina-chan was not "just a friend" to you! How can you even say that? Hell, even Sasuke-kun noticed whatever it was going on between you guys! I know that you weren't technically officially dating, but there was a connection and don't even dare to deny it! Second of all, I know that you care for them, I do too, more so than you will ever know; but you can't keep going on like this! One of these days you are going to collapse from exhaustion and what if that's the day Hina-chan and Ino come back? I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to be trapped in a hospital room when they do! Thirdly –" the cherry blossom paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath and trying to hold back tears. Sasuke watched her intently then diverted his eyes to Naruto who was boring a whole in the ground with his own eyes. " – you have to let us in! You have to let us help you. We're your teammates after all. Your pain is our pain! We feel what you're feeling. I loved them just as much as you! They were my best friends and I can understand your pain! We have..."
"You don't get it," Naruto's deathly low voice cut off her confrontation and she looked at him, unable to suppress her tears. "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND AT ALL! I SHOULD HAVE PROTECTED HER! I WAS SENT THERE FOR BACK-UP AND I COULDN'T EVEN MAKE IT IN TIME! I'M A NINJA FOR CRYING OUT LOUD; I CAN'T BELIEVE I WAS SO WEAK AS TO NOT EVEN BEEN ABLE TO KEEP HER AWAY FROM THOSE CREEPS," his shouts filled the training ground and the atmosphere dropped several degrees. Sakura slid to ground, her shocked face tear streaked. Even Sasuke's eyes widened slightly, standing up straighter and unfolding his arms. "But I will promise you this. I will get them back, no matter what it takes. I will get them back."
Naruto paused slightly, a strangled look of guilt crossing his face before he fled, not even bothering to clean up the wide range of destruction he'd caused just fifteen minutes prior. The two leftover shinobi sat in silence for a moment, unable to find words in their mouths. Finally, Sakura stood up again, brushing off the dirt from her clothes and putting on a fake watery smile.
"Well that didn't go as well as I had hoped," she said in a soft voice. "I wonder how Tenten is doing with Shikamaru and Choji. She still has her own team to worry about without looking after those two bums." She attempted a small laugh, but it merely came out sounding like a strangled cat.
Sasuke raised his eyebrows inquisitively. "How long do you two plan to keep this up? We all know what you're trying to do and really, I find it stupid. Instead of looking after the guys, why don't you look after yourselves? Girls are more emotional after all. It's been about five months since they've first disappeared and all that time I've only probably seen you cry about three times. You shouldn't be lecturing Naruto about letting his teammates in. You'll just be labelled as a hypocrite."
"Just because I don't let you guys in, doesn't mean I've closed myself off from the world," Sakura bit back, glaring at her teammate. "Tenten and I have found support in each other, and that's really just enough for us. But with you guys, everything just seems broken. Naruto has completely alienated himself from the human population and is so deep in his guilt-ridden depression that he fails to see what really needs to be done. We feel just as helpless as he feels, but it's not as if we're trying to do nothing. We feel that we at least owe it to Hinata and Ino to support their friends and teammates, no matter the cost. Even if I have to be yelled at by Naruto ever other day, it's my duty as Hinata's friend and Naruto's teammate to just let him know I care. And I know deep down he recognizes that."
Sasuke couldn't find anything to say back to that. He knew that the girl was hurting. He had lied previously; he had seen her cry, many times in fact, she just didn't know it. There were those odd moments when he stumbled upon Sakura and Tenten having private meetings and get-togethers to just keep each other company and cry. He would never admit it, but he sort of felt jealous that it was Tenten his teammate went to for a shoulder to cry on, instead of him.
"Anyways, I'm off to find Kiba-kun and Shino-kun to see how they are doing. Kurenai-sensei isn't having a very easy time with those two apparently. And I'm set to meet up with Ten-chan later; we're going to go shopping! So, I'll see you around Sasuke-kun." Sakura gave the Uchiha a cheery smile and wave before running out of the training ground, leaving the stoic boy to mull over his own thoughts.
Tenten hummed a soft tune as she walked through the empty streets of Konoha. Despite it being just after noon, the usual hustle and bustle in their beloved village seemed to be just as dead as she felt. She passed by a small tea house and stopped suddenly, looking inside to see her close friend Nara Shikamaru with a blonde beauty; yet, it didn't seem like he was actually enjoying himself. Tenten sighed. Ever since the disappearance of Hinata and Ino, each of the boys in her life seemed to be having a stranger and stranger response to the situation. Neji was hot and cold around her. One minute he would be all touchy-feelings, hugging her and begging for her company and the next he would be shoving her out the door and not coming out of that bat-cave he called a room for weeks on end. It infuriated her. Naruto was training his butt off to prove to Hokage-sama that he was strong enough to get those two back, nearly killing himself and worrying Sakura in the process. Even Choji seemed to be having some kind of withdrawal symptom to the situation; eating less. It was a surprise to have at least ten people in one day comment that he seemed to be losing weight. Lee was slightly indifferent; he didn't exactly know the two kunoichi as well as the others, however he was affected in some way. He smile wasn't as bright and Tenten oftentimes found him spacing out for no apparent reason, which that in itself was weird, especially for Lee. However, Shikamaru's reaction was by far the most noticeable. He was turning into a responsive equivalent to Sasuke!
Tenten giggled to herself as she mulled it over, deciding to wait until Shikamaru was done with his date before going to talk to him, since it was her he was supposed to be sitting with inside that tea house instead of that blonde. Her and the lazy genius weren't that close initially. She had spoken to him quite a few times over the years, considering he was part of the Konoha 12 and Ino's best friend, however she never really got close to him on a personal level. It was only until Ino's sudden disappearance that they had even begun to talk. Over the last few months, the two had grown a strong bond, with him unconsciously relying on her for almost everything and her being his pillar of support. It was a unique friendship, but a strong one at that. Tenten usually kept him from going totally overboard with his drinking and flirting, which was definitely a good thing. He usually kept her busy Friday nights when Neji would be a jerk and he would be out drinking. She played the good, clean sober friend and brought him home every day, making sure he didn't do anything to taint his virtue. He was, after all, a year younger than her, plus a shinobi. Getting some random girl pregnant could be the end of his ninja career as he knew it.
She didn't know when or how it started, but she knew why. After Ino left, Shikamaru was a total mess and Choji wasn't much better. It was bad enough that their beloved Asuma-sensei had been previously murdered, but to lose another one of their family was totally unbearable. They probably had the closest bond as teammates out of all the squads, despite their bickering. But when Ino suddenly disappeared, you would expect the two remaining teammates to lean on each other right? Well, that definitely wasn't the case. Choji would be totally MIA during long periods of time and during the times he was seen, he wouldn't be eating. Shikamaru would spend his nights going to bars, downing sake until he collapsed and flirting up random chicks. It was a good thing Tenten found him that one night when he was being led away by some blond bombshell, or else who knows what would've happened.
Now that Tenten thought about it, Shikamaru was always seen around blondes. Even Temari of the Sand, whom the genius had always had a good relationship with, had been seemingly a lot closer with him than he would usually allow. Tenten wondered why she even put up with him now-a-days as the flirting seemed to be growing more intense with each day.
"Tenten, why are you just standing there and looking inside like a creeper?" a voice asked, shaking her out of her thoughts. Shikamaru was standing at the entrance of the little shop, raising his eyebrows at her mockingly.
"Shut up, I was just waiting for you to finish your date," she snapped, walking over to cross the threshold as her companion smirked. "I thought we made plans, but it looks like I've just been stood up."
"What? Are you jealous?" he taunted, guiding her to their table. "And it wasn't a date; Isa-chan just happened to be there, so while I was waiting so darn long for you to come, she kept me company."
"Yeah whatever Shikamaru; just cut the crap with me okay. I'm not one of your sluts that you have recently begun to take a liking to, so there is no need to pretend."
"Why so touchy today Tenten? Did Neji do something to irk you? And if so, please don't go crying on my shoulder again. That one time was troublesome enough." That lazy drawl of his was finally coming back. Tenten sighed in relief; there was the Shikamaru everyone knew and loved. The Shikamaru Ino loved.
"No he's just being so... ugh again. Why does he have to do that? Every single time! I'm trying my best to be there for him, what with Hina-chan's disappearance, but every time I mention her name or it's brought up even in the slightest bit he draws back into his shell like a turtle and cuts me out. I was with him late last night and then Hanabi-chan comes in holding one of Hina-chan's favourite fans and Neji tells me to leave. He didn't even say why! Just "Tenten, it's time for you to go. I believe you know your way out." Like... UGH! I can't just drop everything for him and abide by his schedule! It's bad enough having Naruto-kun believe that it's his fault for their kidnapping, but now Neji too? Sometimes I wonder why I even bother anymore."
Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "It's not like this is anything knew. Neji has been like that for the past five months. And it's not like he can help but feel that way. Hinata was his responsibility, and he was on that recon team with Naruto. Obviously they'd all have that same guilt," he countered, taking a sip out of the tea he had ordered before Tenten got there.
Tenten perked up, happy that the conversation had been easy to transition into. "So does that mean you feel guilty too? You and Choji-kun were on that team, as well as Shino-kun."
"No, what would I have to feel guilty about? Besides, Ino and Hinata are big girls, they should have been able to handle themselves," the tactician muttered, looking out the window as Tenten balled her fists.
"How can you say that? Do you even know what the mission was about? How can you say that they 'should' have been able to take care of themselves when you don't even know what danger they were in? You say it as if they are weak kunoichi! Sakura told me that the mission was originally a B-class mission, but by the end, it suddenly turned S-class! S-class, Shikamaru. Why do you think you were sent for back-up?"
"This is why girls are troublesome; they are too emotional," he mumbled, taking another sip out of his cup. However Tenten could see that she hit a nerve, as she could see the way his grip tightened on the cup. "Besides, they're ninja, they should know that whenever they take on a mission, there's a high possibility that they'd never come back."
Tenten sighed, unclenching her fists, "that's true. But seriously Shikamaru, I'm not telling you to feel guilty like them, even though I know you are. But it just seems like you've gone totally heartless."
"Who says I'm feeling guilty?"
"Oh please," the brunette scoffed, "I think I know you well enough to know how you are feeling. And look at how much you've changed; you've become a man-slut."
"Whatever, what about you?" Shikamaru retorted trying to keep his composure. "Earlier you mentioned that Neji can't expect you to just drop everything for him; but the thing is, he doesn't. You do that all on your own, he doesn't ask for it."
Tenten flushed crimson, opening and closing her mouth like a fish. "Don't change the subject! Seriously dude, I'm worried about you. Sakura and me both; why are you going around with all these girls? And have you noticed that a large percent of them are blondes?
"Tenten, I've told you this before, nothing is going on with me, so you don't have to keep pestering. I just want to have a little fun. And stop calculating my every movement, it's such a drag!"
"Shikamaru, you haven't always been like this. Come on; just tell me what on your mind. You've danced around this question for about four months now, I think it's finally time for you to come up with some answers," the weapon mistress prodded.
Her companion seemed to think for a moment, analysing the situation. After a moment of looking back at Tenten's fierce glare he relented, knowing that it would only lead to more troublesome situations in the future.
"I just miss her okay? I have the strongest feeling that she isn't dead, but there's that stupid demon in the back of my mind telling me that I'm some hopeless idiot for believing that. Nobody really knows what their original mission was; all I know is that it was a seduction mission. When I first found out of course I was slightly bugged. But I had no right to say anything or tell Ino not to take it. She's a big girl; she should have been able to take it. It was only B-ranked after all. But when Tsunade-sama summoned us to back them up, telling us that we had to get there right away because the girls could be in bigger danger than she originally thought, we all raced out of Konoha as fast as we could. But when we got to the bar the girls were supposed to be at, there was nothing; absolutely nothing besides dead corpses and smashed glass, Ino and Hinata gone along with their captors. Obviously I feel it's my fault, who wouldn't in this situation. You didn't see it Tenten, it was horrible, and to think our girls were a part of that, it just made it ten times worse. I don't know if she is really dead yet, but I guess I just can't think straight without knowing she's safe. All these girls, I feel nothing, but it just fills the emptiness. She was my teammate after all. We had a bond."
'You were more than teammates you idiot,' Tenten thought, preferring not to voice her opinion out loud. In any case, she was slightly shocked; that was the most she had ever heard him speak ever in all her years of knowing him, let alone about the subject at hand.
"Shikamaru, you have to stop this, you can't go on with this depression. Why don't you go find Choji and go do something together, I never see the two of you talking anymore. You've both been so distant."
"I'm pretty sure everyone's been distant," he mumbled, though nodding slightly in acknowledgement.
"Come on, go find him and just sit around and watch clouds like you used to," Tenten advised, standing up swiftly and grabbing his arm. "If you haven't noticed, that boy hasn't been eating much and never sees anyone anymore. You're his best friend, make an effort to stay his best friend!"
Shikamaru considered the suggestion. He was slightly worried about his friend, but he was so caught up in his own life that he hadn't really paid much attention to anything else. Finally, he relented, allowing Tenten to lift him and lead him out of the tea shop, but not before throwing a few coins down to pay for his tea.
"Anyways, I'll see you later buddy," Tenten said, putting her arms around his neck in a tight hug. "I have to go meet up with Sa-chan and see how she's doing."
"Yeah, and thanks for your help Tenten. You've been a good friend. And don't worry about Neji, he'll come around."
The brunette smiled softly. "Let's hope so."
"Hey Sa-chan, sorry I'm late. Shikamaru was with some random blonde chick before I came so I had to wait a bit. But good news, I finally got him to go talk to Choji!" Tenten ran into the Dango shop, her face bright and flushed, betraying the fact that she had to rush to their meeting place.
Sakura laughed, shaking her head in response. "No it's okay. I just got here myself. Kiba-kun and Shino-kun didn't really take long. For the most part Shino-kun ignored my presence completely, as usual, and Kiba-kun had to run home early to run an errand for his sister. However, Naruto was kind of interesting today. He finally snapped after all this time."
"Yeah, Shikamaru snapped too... well, he didn't really start yelling at me, but I did manage to break his resolve. Neji on the other hand, locked himself in his room again and Lee, I couldn't even find him!" Tenten put her head down on the table, completely put out and exhausted.
"Do you think they'll be okay?" Sakura suddenly asked, whispering her question with a blank look.
Tenten didn't get up, nor show any reaction to the question, yet her best friend still knew the answer she would have given.
I hope so.
The medic sighed. "Come on, no sulking today. Let's go take a walk to get our mind off everything."
Tenten grumbled but allowed the younger girl to grab her by the arm and drag her along, pouting childishly all the way. The two girls stopped just by the waterfall, taking off their ninja sandals and dipping their feet into the water.
"I really miss them," Sakura commented, splashing the water slighting at Tenten with her feet. "It's been exactly five months since they disappeared."
Her friend nodded, splashing her back. "I really want to know what their mission was and why its class was changed. Tsunade-sama won't even let us go out and look for them anymore since that information is classified. That and the whole Naruto incident two months ago. Jeez, that boy is hopeless."
The rosette giggled, tilting her head upwards to stare at the cloudy sky. Involuntarily, droplets of water began forming. "It's not fair. We're just sitting around here doing nothing at all. Why can't we help? They are out friends. It's just not fair."
"Sakura, you do realize the boys are here right? Do you want to let them see you cry?"
The medic shrugged, remembering her conversation with Naruto earlier. "It's okay to let others see moments of weakness every now and then." Larger tears began to form as she began to sob, hunching over to cover her face with her hands. Tenten remained neutral, still staring up at the sky, occasionally allowing a tear or two to slip by. She could feel their chakra presences, all of them. But she guessed Sakura was right, if they were curious about how the girls were taking it, she couldn't stop them from opening the Pandora 's Box that was a girl's emotions. And she was sure Sasuke was the one who dragged the others here, opting to show them what they were missing, as he had been watching them during their little breakdown sessions for some time now. She was just glad that he was finally showing an interest in Sakura's well-being.
As they watched the two girls sitting alone in quietness and trust, the boys all turned away in shame, not wanting to face the truth that their selfishness blinded their actions.
Just outside the gates of Konoha, two kunoichi staggered their way through the forest, desperately trying to stay alive. The blonde had her hair down, all long and choppy with a few streaks of grey painted on. Her purple attire was tattered and cut, nearly revealing her private areas to the public. There was dried blood all over her body and there was hardly a single place that was exempt from having a cut or a bruise. Her pale, cerulean blue eyes were sagging as she fought to remain conscious. She was relying heavily on her dark-haired companion, who was supporting both their weights as the blonde's legs were both broken. The other girl didn't look much better. Her skin and hair had the same type of damage, except her legs were still intact. She wore nothing but a bra and shorts, though the choice of clothing was probably not up to her since the shorts looked as if their original state had been altered. Her lack of coverage allowed everyone to see the large gash on her abdomen along with hand prints and bruises. Veins were sprouted around the young girl's pale eyes, allowing her sight, yet draining almost all of her energy. Yet she wouldn't give up. They had to get home.
"Ino-chan, you can't lose now! You have to stay awake. I can't do this all by myself," she whispered, dragging on slowly.
"I'm so sorry Hina-chan; I'm so weak. I've always been weak. You should just leave me, I'm slowing you down. I'll die anyways," Ino muttered, closing her eyes willing her inevitable fate to overcome her.
"No! Ino-chan, come on. We're almost there. Look, I can see the gates clearly now. We'll be able to get some help. Please, just hang on a little bit longer. I promise to you, we'll make it through this!" Hinata's frail voice echoed throughout the area.
"I wish I could see the gates. Hina-chan, there is no point anymore, to any of this. I can't be a kunoichi anymore. My sight has been robbed of me and both my legs are broken. There is nothing left for me besides death!"
"Stop it. We aren't blind; our eyes have just been locked. All we need is to have someone unbind them. And you're legs will heal in time. Come on, just don't give up. Look, only a little bit more to go. The people at the gate can see us already and they are coming for us. Please, you made a promise to me, and to the others. We have to stay alive!"
Ino's body began to grow limp just as Hinata collapsed on the ground. "I'm sorry Naruto-kun; I wasn't strong enough to make it all the way back," the Hyuuga whispered faintly before succumbing to the darkness that awaited her.
A/N: Hey everybody. How did you like that? Kinda long I know, but I think it was a fairly decent start. In commemoration of beginning a new story, I've decided to add a new chapter to all my other stories. I know, I'm sorry for leaving them and always forgetting to update, but when you get a new idea it's hard to resist the urge to keep writing. And that's all I want to do, just keep writing. So anyways, please tell me how you liked it, if it was good or bad or whatever. And also, just to let you know, I chose Ino and Hinata because many people would think they would be the weakest right? But they aren't, and you'll see how in this story. There's a lot of friendship and suspense and romance and action and all that jazz so please keep reading, and I'll try to update as much as I can. Peace out homies ;)
-amarie-chan
