Author's note:
This story is really special to me. I dedicate it to my older sister, who was killed by a drunk driver in her junior year of highschool. She started this HinaxSasuTemaxShika story. I wanted to finish it for her and add a twist to it to represent what happened to her. Please review. Thank you.
Hinata sighed. She squirmed a little.
"Hold still child!" Neji snapped at her. He was busy bandaging the wound she had on her arm. She had cut herself with a kitchen knife.
"You know honestly Neji, I'm fine!" Hinata said, moaning.
Neji nodded. "You would be fine if you didn't have blood coming from your arm. But there is so you're not!"
Hinata moaned.
"There fine, you can move now." Neji said.
Hinata slid off the table, shooting her cousin a deadly look.
Neji sighed and hugged Hinata. Hinata only hugged him back, she knew he would miss having a cousin to take care of.
"I'll miss you." Neji said. "I'll miss your smile my adorable little cousin."
Hinata smiled at him. "I'm not that little Neji. Temari and I will be fine when we move away."
Neji nodded. Hinata and Temari were moving into an apartment in a big city 2 days away by car. She sighed deeply.
"I'm going to go finish packing." She said. She would miss her family, but it was Temari and her turn to fly away now. Before Neji and the others. She knew that Neji believed she couldn't do it. He had always been so protective of her. She bit her lip as she charged to her room and opened the door. She could do it. She would prove Neji wrong.
"Don't talk to strangers." Kankuro said, handing Temari a first aid kit.
Temari took it reluctantly. "Um…thanks."
Kankuro nodded. "Just…be careful sis. The big city can be menacing."
Temari nodded. She knew that her brothers meant well. Gaara was out at the car. Putting luggage away. She crossed her arms. They didn't believe in her.
"So what's the plan again?" Kankuro asked. He was busy packing a travel for his sister.
"Hinata's having dinner here tonight. We have an early start. She'll be staying in MY room Kankuro. Not the guest one." Temari said.
"Why?"
"It creeps the heck out of me, that's why."
Kankuro nodded. Temari had always spooked easily. There was more than one place in the house that scared her. Such as the second pantry to the right from the fridge, Gaara's closet, The third door down under the bathroom sink and so on.
Temari leaned over the sink. Her eyes searching through the dark outside. Hinata wouldn't show up for several hours. She procrastinated. She probably hadn't even begun packing yet. She snorted. Hinata was her best friend she wouldn't make Temari wait.
But Neji is just as protective as Kankuro and Gaara….Temari hissed in her mind. She knew that Hinata was fed up with it too.
"Temari."
She jumped.
Gaara was attempting to smile at her. But he often didn't. "Temari, remember to be careful."
"I already got that lecture from Kankuro." Temair said. "Don't start."
"I just wanted to say," Gaara said, twitching nervously. "if you meet some guy, you know, don't be so quick to…you know…I mean, I don't see why guys would be…feel like…you're so-"
Temari jumped back and cut him off, "Watch it btch!" She snapped.
Gaara nodded. She got the point.
Ding Dong! Temari sighed. Saved by the doorbell.
"I'll get it." Kankuro said, sauntering over to the door. He opened it. "H-hinata!" He said as cheerfully as he could. He bowed, Temari wondered why, but soon she found out. Neji was behind her, prepared to beat Kankuro into a bloody pulp.
Hinata smiled at Temari. Temari expected for her to run to her and say 'hi' or something like that. It seemed as if she wanted to, but instead she stayed nervously in the entry hall, as if afraid of offending the family that lived there.
"H-hinata." Temari said. "Come in."
"I am in." Hinata stated simply.
"I mean-come over here. You don't have to take your shoes off or anything." Temari reassured.
Hinata nodded nervously. And walked towards her. Taking as wide a path as possible from Gaara. She smiled.
"Neji, are you staying for dinner?"
Neji shook his head. "I have to return as quickly as possible. But I thought I could say good-bye to you both while I'm here."
Temari nodded. Hinata leaned up against her. Neji walked up and hugged her cousin. "Bye." He whispered. He even turned and hugged Temari.
She felt the words hiss in her ear. "Take care of her." Neji whispered. He leaned back, pretending that he hadn't said anything. He turned and hugged Hinata, giving her good luck by 'kissing' her forehead, so much as just touching his mouth to her bangs. He smiled weakly and turned, seemingly strolling out the door. He disappeared.
Hinata blushed. Temari knew she was embarrassed of her forehead kissing cousin. He was all about luck and superstition. Just like Temari herself. Even Kankuro had teased at them making a good couple, only to be faced with her giant fan of certain doom.
Dinner was good, but silent. Hinata seemed so quiet, that even sitting next to her made your ears pound from overwhelming stillness.
Gaara spent most of dinner glaring at Temari. Willing her to behave when they moved away. Temari glared at Kankuro, who glared at Hinata, who glared at her plate.
Temari stood. "I'm done." She said cheerfully. "Hinata? Want to go watch a movie?"
Hinata nodded weakly. She didn't last long when they watched the usual chick-flick. She was woken by the brightening of the sky, as if it was an alarm clock too high to hear.
"Temari?"
She looked down to see that they were in Temari's room. Temari was on the floor, wearing fluffy pajamas, wrapped up in a blanket, snoring.
"Temari? Temari?!"
The 4-pony tailed girl sat up. "What?" She moaned.
"We should probably go. It's getting late."
"What time is it?"
"5."
Temari nodded. She got dressed into a pair of jeans, fuzzy brown boots, a blue long-sleeve shirt, and a light brown jacket. Hinata changed into jeans, tennis shoes and a t-shirt. Her short-short hair was a little messy. She didn't feel like combing it, she didn't have to. She was 20, as was Temari, but they still resembled their child-hood selves.
The air was cold and blue as Hinata took a load of plastic bags out to the van. It was Temari's green and shining as she always kept it clean. She looked out at the lawns of this neighborhood. The world was quiet. She opened the back and rested them carefully with all the other boxes.
"We're all ready!" She shouted.
Temari trotted out of the front door. Opening the gate and running over to Hinata. She was grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"Temari!" Kankuro and Gaara came running up. Kankuro hugged his sister, and then Hinata. Gaara hugged his sister, and only stared at her friend.
"Hinata." He said flatly.
Hinata leaned to the side, a sarcastic look on her face. "Gaara." She replied just as flatly.
Temari nodded and crossed between them, cutting off their stare, she grabbed Hinata to the passenger seat and nearly threw her in. She smiled at her brothers.
"Bye boys." She said. "I'll visit."
Her brothers nodded. "Bye Temari."
She nodded and walked over to the driver's seat. She climbed and smiled. "We're off like a herd of turtles."
"Turtles don't travel in herds." Hinata replied as the car began to move.
"Then what do they travel in?"
"I don't know." Hinata leaned back, both their seat-belts were buckled and looked out the window.
Temari turned the car and began to roll along the road, a little over the speed limit. She kept her eyes glued on the road ahead. Not knowing what she might see.