Hey guys, this is my first Naruto Fanfiction and I just want to say that I'm really excited to see what you all think!
Just to be clear I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.
Dragons: Prologue
"Promise you won't forget?" an eight year old Hinata asks, sticking out her pinky for her best friend to take in his. Her boy-cut indigo hair barely touches her cheeks and her leaf-nin headband, from her dojo, is settled around her neck.
"I don't think you would let me Hina-chan. " Sasuke Uchicha jokes as he takes Hinata's pinky in his and lifts up his wrist to show the black leather string with a red pendant, decorated with a black dragon, wrapped around it multiple times. She lets out a small laugh and raises her other wrist to show her matching 'bracelet' a bleached white leather string is laced around a lavender pendant, matching her eyes, decorated with a white dragon.
They each got theirs at the going away party Sasuke and his friends held for Hinata the previous day. Their friends gave them the bracelets because, in their Dojo, they were known as the unstoppable Dragon Duo.
"Hinata, it's time to go" her mother calls from the airplanes loading gate. She throws a nod behind her and turns back to her friend with tears in her large eyes.
"Come on Hinata, it won't be that bad" Sasuke's brother, Itachi, says with a falsely cheery smile.
"Yes it will! It's going to be hot and sandy and it won't have you guys there" she pouts with a tear rolling down her cheek. Sasuke and Itachi share a look before enveloping the small girl in a tight hug.
"We're gonna miss you Hina-chan." Itachi say truthfully "But, you can always write"
Sasuke breaks from the hug and grins at her "Yea so stop your ugly crying" he mocks as he flicks her forehead. She nods and looks down at her feet for a few moments. She lifts her head and has a grin plastered on her face.
"Maybe I'll just find a new best friend, idiot" she says and sticks her tongue out.
"You wouldn't!" Sasuke nearly shrieks in disbelief
"I guess you're right, duck butt." she grins wickedly, for an eight year old.
"Hinata" her father's demanding voice rings
She takes a deep breath before giving Itachi another hug and thumping Sasuke on the back of the head.
"Goodbye guys!" she says before picking up her bag and running to her parents and sister. She turns and gives her friends one last wave before disappearing through the gate.
She's leaving to live in Suna, across the world, somewhere in America.
Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha walk up behind their sons.
"Let's go home boys" Fugaku says solemnly. He treated the little Hyuuga like she was his own daughter.
Sasuke chin wobbles a bit before he sniffs and stands proudly.
"I won't forget" he says resolutely to himself as he turns and walks to his parent's car.
Eleven years later, Hinata Hyuuga, nineteen years of age, stands in that same airport. Her indigo hair has grown to her hips and looks as silky as the night. Her large light lavender eyes observe her surroundings warily. Her leaf-nin headband was replaced by that of Suna's, decorated with a large gash through the symbol, and her face is set in an emotionless mask. She absentmindedly fingers the pendent on her bracelet as she continues to seek a face out of the crowd when she notices a man, much too old to be doing so, eyeing her up. She shoots him a glare and he cowers in his seat. A shriek rips through the business.
"HINA-CHAN!" a smile lights Hinata's face as she scours the crowd. They part the way for the screaming blonde.
"Ino-chan!" Hinata laughs as the boisterous female grips her into a hug. Some of her other friends follow behind.
"Ten-chan! Shika-kun! Naruto-kun! Shino-kun! Kiba-kun!" she says happily. Each of her friends greets her and chats animatedly about their lives since she's been gone. She gets lost in the commotion.
"What happened to you Hina-chan? You just stopped writing all of us one day! We were so worried!" Naruto's voice rings above the rest. Hinata's cheeks flush when all of the eyes are on her. She stutters, trying to find a way to answer them when a new person walks up slowly.
"Leave her alone Naruto. If she doesn't want to answer, she doesn't have to" says a cool voice. Naruto let's his head hang in defeat. The others return to their conversations. All except Ino who gives Hinata a look that proves she'll be asking the same questions later.
"Sorr-" Naruto begins but is cut off by Hinata flying over to the new member and flinging herself onto him in a hug.
"Itachi-kun! I've missed you so much!" she mumbles with her face buried in his neck. He lets out a chuckle and returns the gesture. She sighs happily, feeling safe for the first time in a long while.
"Missed you too Hina-chan and so does somebody else. Do you know how hard it was keeping this a secret from him?" he grins. She lets herself down and beams to each of her friends.
"But you all did, right?" she asks. They each give her some form of a yes.
"Perfect" she grins "And Itachi, did you get it?" she asks, turning her attention toward him and holding out her hand. He chuckles again, dropping Sasuke's twin bracelet in her hand.
"It wasn't easy. He never takes that thing off. I had to knick it while he was in the shower."
"Thank you, really, all of you" she says, bowing to each of her friends.
"Hinata-chan, stop with all of the formalities, we're your friends" Kiba says putting her in a head lock and ruffling her hair like when they were kids.
"Okay then Kiba" she smirks and knocks him off of her.
"Still a spitfire, I see. How troublesome" Shikamaru says drowsily
"I always will be." Hinata states. Ino walks up and links arms with her.
"Good, now let's get going! I'm starving and I'm sure the airline food was disgusting." Ino says in her signature loud tone
"Will you quiet down woman?" Shikamaru complains
Hinata pauses and turns to Shikamaru.
"You say woman like it's an insult" she says with a dangerous tone. He gulps.
"Sorry Hinata ma'am. It won't happen again" he says nervously. The others try to hold in their laughter. She puts on a triumphant grin and continues walking with Ino who is looking between the two with an open mouth.
"It's really great to have you back" she says with a giggle.
The group of friends find themselves at Ichiraku Ramen, Naruto's favorite restaurant.
"You baka! This is supposed to be about Hinata" Ino scolds the vibrant blonde.
"Is that little Hinata Hyuuga?" calls the cheery voice of the restaurant owner, Teuchi.
"Konichiwa Teuchi-sama, hai it's me" Hinata answers. "I don't mind Ino" she says, continuing the previous conversation and orders the beef ramen. Each person places their order and waits for their food to come out.
"So Hinata how was Suna? Any friends? Cute boys?" Ino asks, resting her chin on her hand
Hinata hesitates before answering carefully.
"It was…interesting. I did have two or three friends but, that's it. They're actually coming here for college so you all will be able to meet them. Though, two of them are a bit older than us. I believe that Temari is your age Itachi"
"Thank god! Itachi can finally have a friend his age." Kiba mocks
"Is that why you came back? You're going to college here? With all of us?" Shikamaru says with interest when he puts all of the pieces. All of the heads at the table turn to the Hyuuga.
"Hai, that's one of the reasons, another being I missed my home." She smiles
"And your favorite cousin, I'm hoping" greets a quiet voice from behind the bluenette.
"Neji?" Hinata says, turning in her seat to face her cousin
"Konichiwa Hinata-chan. I was not told you were coming home. Is Hiashi-sama and Hanabi-chan here as well?" he asks. The entire table waits for an answer.
"U-Um, n-n-no b-but, t-they m-might come lat-ter" she curses her infamous stutter that seems to resurface whenever she's presented in front of her family. "N-Neji, m-may I t-talk to you f-for a moment?" she grabs his wrist and pulls him into an adjacent hallway.
"Hinata-chan?" he gasps in shock
"Y-You can't tell me father where I am. H-He doesn't know I came here" she pleads
"Hinata what happened? We lost contact with your family about a year after you moved. Why are you here?"
"I-I had to get away" she whispers, hugging herself while tears glisten in her eyes.
"Hina?" calls Itachi from around the corner.
"H-Hai" she calls weakly. He steps around the corner and joins the cousins.
"Hinata" Neji begins again "What happened?"
"My mother died. That's what happened. After that, Father grew cold to me. He was just so angry all the time a-and I had to protect Hanabi a-and he-" she takes a deep breath before standing up straight an blinking back unshed tears "I couldn't take it anymore. I'm arranging to get Hanabi here as soon as possible but, to everyone else in Suna, I'm dead. The only people who know where I am are Hanabi, Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro. You can't let my father find me"
The two boys process the information.
"Okay" they say at the same time. She lets out a breath she didn't realize she was holding and hugs her friends.
"Thank you, you don't know how much this means to me" she smiles shyly. "We should get back"
The trio go to step out of the shadowed hall when they see their friends warning the off by flailing their hands and shaking their heads. Hinata looks towards the door and curses. Her and Itachi drop to the floor, dragging a confused Neji with them.
"Fuck" Itachi says under his breath "Sasuke's here"
The youngest Uchiha enters the door calmly. Though Hinata notices the small twitch in his left eye that shows he's irritated, annoyed, or worried.
"Hide" Itachi says under his breath before dusting off his shirt and standing. He walks over to the table and Hinata drags Neji through the kitchen doors, earning strange looks from the chefs.
~At the table~
"Hello little brother" Itachi greets cheerfully. The table's occupants give him worried looks and he shrugs.
"Have you seen my pendant?" he asks immediately
"No. Don't tell me you lost it!" Itachi says feigning innocence.
"Of course not, I mean, I was sure I had it before I took a shower." He says, taking Hinata's seat. Itachi takes his and an uneasy conversation begins within the group.
~Back in the kitchen~
"Does anyone have a hairband I can use?" Hinata asks the surrounding staff. A waitress hands her one and she quickly puts her hair up into a high pony-tail; grabbing an apron off a rack she ties it around herself before grabbing an empty tray and a hat."
"Arigato" she says before entering the dining area. The others stare at her like she crazy. She puts her finger to her lips and they keep quiet. She throws them a grin before walking smoothly behind Sasuke and out of the restaurant. She races to the other side of the street before turning around to see a very confused Teuchi. She catches Itachi's eyes and beckons him over. He excuses himself before jogging to meet up with the Hyuuga.
~Back at the table~
Sasuke watches as Itachi excuses himself and scurries to the other side of the street, before walking away with a girl in tow.
He stares at them from a second more before turning back to his food when a glimpse of Indigo enters his line of vision. His head snaps back up to when Itachi and the girl once were.
Was that? he thinks to himself before dismissing it No, it's not possible. But the lingering suspicion that something wasn't right stayed with him.
~Itachi and Hinata~
"Okay now we go to Sasuke's dorm so I can leave him to note to meet me at the Sakura tree in the campus garden." She says, going over the plan again
"Yes Hinata, I know, you've told me the plan ten times since you first wrote us" he smirks
"I know…I just don't want to fuck this up" Hinata explains as she holds Sasuke's pendant in her hand
"You really nervous about this aren't you?" he says with a light laugh. She shoots him a weak glare.
"No! It's…just…that I don't want him to hate me" her voice trails to a whisper
"Hinata, listen to me, it is physically impossible for Sasuke to hate you. Don't you remember when you guys were little? You were like a demon in disguise and he still was your best friend"
"Yea but, that was eleven years ago. Time changes people. I mean, look at me, when I was little I couldn't go a day without either talking or seeing you and Sasuke and now, I can't believe that I went nine years without doing either."
"And who says that's a bad thing?" Itachi says lightly. Hinata looks at him with an open mouth. "That just means you became independent and that isn't a bad thing"
"Wow, such insightful words from a man who hangs out with kids five years younger than him." She drawls
"Oh ha ha. Just shut up and follow me" Itachi grumbles. They walk a few more blocks and the first drop of rain falls.
Sasuke Uchiha is not a man who gets flustered easily but, here he was, huffing up the stairs to his room, dripping wet, all because he lost a bracelet. His roommate, Naruto, follows him up as he observes his friend's behavior.
"You need to calm down man, it's just a bracelet" the blond reasons, shaking off some excess water from his jacket.
"You know it isn't just a pendant." Sasuke snaps. The duo reach they're room and unlock it. Upon entering, Sasuke notices a note lay neatly on his pillow.
"The hell?" Sasuke says loudly enough to get Naruto's attention. When Naruto sees the note, a sly grin spreads across his face.
"What's it say?" he asks. Sasuke picks up the note and reads it aloud.
"Sasuke, if you want your bracelet back, meet me at the Sakura tree in the campus garden at midnight." The raven haired boy crumples the paper and curses under his breath. He looks at the digital clock on his desk; 11:54.
"You going?" Naruto asks
Instead of answering, Sasuke grabs his jacket and an umbrella before storming out the door; leaving Naruto to ponder how the hell Hinata got into their locked room.
The rain is falling heavily on Sasuke's umbrella, drowning out the surrounding sounds. After what seems like hours he finally makes it to the campus garden. He checks his watch; midnight exactly. He follows the path to the school's Sakura tree. When its pink blossoms enter his sight so does a person's umbrella, followed by a person, whose back is facing him. He's about to demand for his pendant back when the figure cuts him off.
"You know you should really keep track of your jewelry" it says
"Give it back or I will hurt you" he barks. Hinata, from behind her umbrella, nearly gasps at the sound of his voice.
'He's grown so much' she thinks to herself.
The figure makes a tsking sound before continuing. "So violent"
"Listen, I don't care who you think you are but that pendant is important to me. My best friend gave that to me and if you don't give it back I am pretty sure she will kick your ass all the way from Suna" Hinata lets a little giggle escape.
"I don't think that will be necessary" she chuckles
"You don't know Hinata" he says under his breath. "She's very…adamant about keeping promises. And she also is very good at jumping to conclusions and she's abrasive..." He goes to continue but, Hinata cuts him off.
"Was that supposed to be an insult duck ass?" she asks, irritated. His head snaps up at the nickname.
"What'd you call me?" he says between gritted teeth. He's about to pummel this person to the ground he they keep insulting him. Hinata lets out a small growl before turning around sharply. Her eyes narrow on her oldest friend.
"I said was that an insult duck ass?" she hisses.