This is going to start out as an oneshot. If you like it, and enough people request chapter two, I'd be happy to post it. Reviews of all kinds are appreciated; especially those that criticize the work in a positive way and help me improve my writing. I hope you enjoy this.
October Mysteries
Enter: Miyako Inoue
It was just another day in Konoha. It was almost frighteningly normal. Hinata, Kiba, and Shino were of course in their usual training, Shino talking to his bugs, and Hinata trying to fight Kiba. Over the past year, Hinata has been training real hard to live up to her dad's expectations, trying to be just like Neji. The group was fighting from six in the morning until late afternoon when Akamaru was too tired to keep trying to attack Hinata, and Kiba was just simply exhausted. Hinata's eyes began to hurt, and Shino's bugs got hungry. The threesome sat beneath a tree, eating rice and drinking green tea.
"How cool would it be if…" Kiba trailed off, the breeze carrying his words away.
"If what?" Hinata asked getting more rice from the picnic box. Her eyes were fixed on the brown haired boy who was lightly hugging his knees, rice in one hand that was around his right knee. It was as if he were about to drop his food to the ground. The dog eyes were looking at something invisible, a small smile tugging his features.
Kiba just shook his head, and brought his right hand to his mouth to take another bite, which he barely chewed.
Shino was quiet as always. Hinata just sighed, not bothering to inquire further, and turned to watch the breeze as well. The only thing left to hear was the whispers in the wind, the songs of the trees, and the melody of the crunching leaves.
It was October. Tomorrow was Naruto's birthday.
Maybe that's what Kiba had in mind. How wrong she was, she was just about to find out.
The silence was broken by Akamaru, who started to wail and cry. Kiba understood what the dog meant. He couldn't tell her yet, but tomorrow, she'd just take it even worse.
It was now…he had to tell her now.
"Hinata," Kiba rose his voice over the small whimpers of the small white dog.
"Hai…" the girl said, not turning to him.
"Look at me," Kiba used his free had to guide her face in his direction.
The moment Kiba came in contact with her skin, a surge of electricity was sent down his spine. This was probably the last time he'd touch her like this. Her eyes widened at the contact too, but she didn't seem to express her feelings by fainting, blushing, or stuttering in her voice.
"Naruto…" Kiba looked at the ground for a moment, eyes watching the grass sway, "Naruto is leaving for and extra super mission today. He might not…." Kiba swallowed hard, "ever return…"
"Ever…" her small voice decreased it volume.
"He wanted me to tell you something in case he doesn't see you…" Kiba seemed to be taking this hard as well.
"He…" Hinata's eyes grew wider by the second… "He lo-loves you …" Kiba stuttered.
Hinata just shook her head, "NO!" she cried as she got up, the rice that was in her lap falling to the ground, the tea that was in her hand spilling onto the ground. Kiba sat in silence as he watched her leave.
"I'm sorry…" he whispered. Only the wind would know.
--
Hinata ran. She had no idea where she was going, why she was going, or what the hell just happened. Naruto loves her…in her seventh heaven that would be true. No, Naruto didn't love her…he barely even spoke to her. But Kiba said Naruto told him to tell her. She didn't care what the truth was; she would try and run away from it.
On her little 'escape path' Hinata bumped into the last person she wanted to see at that moment: Naruto himself.
"Wow...wow...what's the rush there Hinata?" Naruto's voice softened in a worried kind of way as he caught her.
She looked up at him. He was wearing a black and orange T-Shirt, his usual orange pants, and his black ninja shoes. Her eyes widened for the umpteenth time that day; she couldn't tell him.
"What did your father say?" Naruto asked again, "Where is your stuff? He told me and the Hokage he'd let you come with us…" Tomorrow, Hinata remembered, Naruto was thirteen.
"What…what are you talking about?" Hinata asked.
"You mean Kiba didn't tell you?" Naruto laughed a little. Kiba was known to forget.
"Kiba lied…" the words escaped her mouth before she could stop them. The last thing she saw before she fainted was Naruto's confused features and the most beautiful women behind him
--
"Feeling any better…" The woman asked as she replaced the dried towel with a cold wet one on her forehead.
"A little…." She admitted as Naruto appeared through the trees.
"What did you mean, 'Kiba lied'?" Naruto asked, sitting down next to her.
Hinata just shook her head, not bothering to explain. Naruto had come back with her stuff, and explained to her what was actually going on.
These were the keywords the Hyuuga heard: Mission….Hokage…two of us….girl and boy…Sakura can't….chose you…father agreed….three to four year mission…may not return alive…if we do…we MUST marry…
They made some sense…but not that much at all. She turned to the sensei next that was tending to her medical needs.
"Who are you?" Hinata asked after a while. The black haired woman smiled, her snow white eyes, outlined with a thick black line, and black pupil in the middle, danced with amusement and happiness.
"My name is Miyuki Inoue. You can refer to me any way you want, just don't add sensei to the end of my name…" she laughed a little… "It makes me sound so…old…"
All three laughed.
"What's our mission?" Hinata asked.
"Umm…that I cannot say," Yuki eyed Naruto with a knowing glance. He seemed profusely confused.
"Then how will we carry it out…" Naruto read Hinata's mind.
"Well…you'll be carrying out small missions from every country that wants us to do a mission for them, so we will be traveling a lot. But the real mission Tsunade-sama sent you both on..." Naruto cocked his head.
"I chose Hinata, not she…"
"Yes…but Tsunade-sama forced a task upon Sakura so that she couldn't go. So, indirectly, Hinata was supposed to go either way…" Yuki explained.
"Yuki-san…" Hinata started.
"Mhmm…" the woman answered, as she wiped water off Hinata's forehead.
"What if we fail to complete the mission?" Hinata asked, her eyes downcast.
"Well, either way you'll have to marry Naruto once you come back. This was sort of a prep --" Yuki stopped before she said anymore.
"I have said too much. We'll stay in the forest for the night. We will leave at the crack of dawn…" the beautiful elder woman suddenly stiffened. Her humor was lost, her eyes icy. Naruto and Hinata just eyed each other, and fell asleep not much longer afterwards.
As they slept, Miyuki watched them. This mission had just begun, and as Hinata was acting, it would take more than a year to get them to talk properly, but after that, if Naruto isn't blind still, things should go smoothly. They just look so perfect next to each other, Miyuki thought.
The mission…like she said to Hinata and Naruto by accident, was basically a prep for the real thing in three or four years. They had to get married, whether they wanted to or not. This mission was specifically made so that they could get closer.
The woman cast her white eyes to the moon above, and said a prayer before she herself drifted off to sleep:
"Beautiful Snow, white as the moon, shine on my life, make it glow. Let me be able to guide these kids, allow them to love each other like none did before. Let their love be stronger than life, these two kids of mine. Let my son have the courage to open his eyes…"
And with that, Miyuki fell asleep, thinking about her sister, Kushina Uzumaki, thinking about her love, Namikaze Minato. Finally, she was reunited…but no one must ever know…only the wind.
--
The next morning, Kiba awoke and went down to the Hyuuga mansion to ask for Hinata. They had a lot of training to do. Shino was with him as they approached the front door. Three knocks and on the third one, Hyuuga-sama appeared.
"Kiba! Shino! So nice to see you, but Hinata isn't here…" the head of the Hyuuga read their minds.
Kiba gulped. His plan should have worked. Naruto should have left without her.
"Naruto and Hinata and Inoue-san left at the crack of dawn…" and with that, the Hyuuga head excused himself, and closed the door.
"SHIT!" Kiba screamed, as he ran off. He would never have her now.
--
After four hours of running through trees, Yuki decided it was time to stop.
"Let's EAT!" she screamed as she made her way to the ground. Naruto was at the ramen box in less than one second, and Hinata was of course the last to arrive.
As they sat and ate like civilized human beings (besides Naruto, who was going ape on the poor ramen) Yuki asked Hinata the ultimate question.
"What the hell is wrong with your hairdo!?"
Everyone laughed.
"Well, I keep it short because when it's longer, it gets all messy and what not, and I can't take care of it properly…" Hinata explained.
"Well, you are going to grow it out of that ridiculous do! I mean seriously…." Yuki laughed again.
Naruto kept…god knows what he was doing with the ramen…but he stopped to take a look at her.
"From a male point of view…" he started, but never finished because Yuki began chasing him around with a rolling pin. Where she got one, Hinata would never know. But it was a funny site to see. This "mission" was going to be a good one, and she could tell.
--
A/N: That's it for Chapter 1. I hope you all enjoyed it. Like I said before, reviews of all kinds are appreciated. Some things are unclear in this chapter for a reason. If it seems rushed, or just plain bad, please tell me. Chocolate milk and Chocolate Chip Cookies for those who review!
Arigato gozaimasu!!
OctoberMysteries