Re Do Chapter 1: Part I, a naruto fanfic

Re-Do: Three parts

Disclaimer: not mine

Dedication: To Briony (ohgoditsbriony). Happy birthday and I hope it's full of awesomeness!

Re-Do

By: Just Lovely.

...-...

Part I

Hinata loved dancing. She loved the feel of the satin dress against her skin and her indigo hair bouncing up and down in its curls as she spun on the floor. She loved the flashing white and blue lights, the snowflakes that hung from the ceiling, and the scarlet and ruby red hearts that decorated the walls. She loved dancing.

...

Cut corners, use shortcuts and live life to the fullest.

Those were the three rules to life that Naruto followed with unwavering loyalty. That, and to have fun no matter what you're doing; people like him, they never changed. Whether it was under the influence of a parent or of a teacher or of any other adult, it wasn't expected; no one ever took into account the opposite sex's influence though.

...

He saw her out of the corner of his cerulean eye, just barely a noticeable presence in his peripheral vision but all worth the second glance. She stood at a table with a group of friends, her pale hands neatly folded on the surface, back straight and head thrown back in laughter; opal eyes sparkling and rose lips smiling.

His brows furrowed, his mind searched for where he had seen her. Raves? Frat house parties? Underground dance offs? But he realized, then, that a girl with a perfect poise would never be caught somewhere with beer bottles instead of wine glasses, skinny jeans instead of dress pants. She was high-class and he: he was probably out of her league. He was way down low on the food chain.

But that never stopped Naruto before, and so, he put on a friendly face and walked over to her as graceful as a twenty-year-old Uzumaki could.

...

She was slightly bored, aware of everything around her but the low murmurs of conversation happening in front of her. She smoothed down her indigo curls, wary of the thoughts that ran through the minds of the numerous onlookers because she was Hyuuga that came with a reputation. Her hands tingled with an urge to move away, her dancer's feet were stiff in her lavender heels and her body swayed to the soft beat of the music.

Softly, her fine brows crinkled in confusion because some blond guy with cerulean eyes and skinny jeans was walking over to their table, to her, actually. And he looked out of place, with dark wash skinnies, a white t-shirt with a stray, misshapen tie and all. He was Uzumaki Naruto, the guy from Calculus and so, with his familiarity proven, she let him take her pale hand and whisk her to the dance floor.

...

It was...odd, actually, to hold a girl by her waist instead of by her hands but Naruto, he didn't mind. Because she was smiling, her eyes were lit and she didn't look like the girl with high-class status – not like the one he'd seen – she looked free and in her element.

He glanced down at her and couldn't help but smile; she had an effect on him that he couldn't describe.

...

"What... um,changed you? You beat me in Calculus – which is, you know odd, but not bad, or anything – you listen more than you used to. What... was it?" Hinata asked, her voice solid. Curiosity peaked in between the words as her hands involuntarily clenched on his shoulders, a nervous habit as she talked to him.

Naruto peered down at her, his hands on the filmy white satin of her waist. "M' not sure what ya talkin' 'bout."

"I'm talking a-about our Calculus class," she specified, opal eyes staring up at him unblinkingly.

"Ya mean the one with all th' numbers, right?"

"Yes." she let a small smile grace her lips as she looked at him. He was out of place but he was comfortable surrounded by all the overdressed, quite admirable she concluded.

"Oh yea', nothin' changed; I just do better."

Hinata rolled her eyes at him but something, something told her that there was more to him than that. "Yes, but how," she asked as the music changed into a tempo too fast for a slow dance and they stood still, his arms still on her waist and her hands still locked on his shoulders.

Naruto shrugged secretly at her, his eyes gleaming with a grin on his face. "M' not tellin'." he dropped his hands and stuffed them into the pockets of his jeans as she carefully unlocked him from her grip; eyes still trained on him.

"See ya 'round, Fairy."

She watched as he slouched into the crowd of dancers, immediately disappearing. How intriguing, she thought to herself as she glided out of the throng of twirling steps and spinning hair.

...

The snowflakes hung from the ceiling, sparkling with clear white glitter and simple elegance. Her opal irises stared up at the white forms that seemed to be suspended in air as his blond head kept reappearing in her mind. He was odd, that much Hinata could tell; easy-going and maybe a little slow, but he was something that was out of her world of ranks and reputation. He was refreshing with his laid back attitude and he caught her attention more than the suaveness of the businessmen at her father's functions.

"You're a little w-weird, aren't you," she murmured quietly as she carefully folded her hands on the table in front of her. Her eyes flickered to the spot beside her, barely catching his movement.

"Ya could say tha'" he drawled, elbows resting on the table, chin perched on top of his adjoined hands as he surveyed the scene.

...

There was something off about him, it put him on the verge of high alert and she could see it in the tension of his shoulders and the narrowing of cerulean eyes as they looked this way and that. Like he was searching for prey or he was the prey, she couldn't tell.

But when she surveyed him again, a wave of shock hit her; hard.

His eyes weren't just cerulean, not the pretty blue she had seen when she accepted his hand to a dance; no, there were shards of yellow and green in the round iris, bright and reflective. There was a purple hue that faded in and out of focus along the perimeter of his eyes – and for a second, Hinata could have sworn she'd seen a flash of something red that resembled a circle, a circle with a lining of navy blue.

She pulled away from him, putting a distance between them, opal eyes wide and surprised. He wasn't human, she fought the urge to scream right then and there. A lump formed in her throat.

"What ar-are you?" she choked out, voice barely a whisper and mind whirling in frenzied hurried speeds.

...

He casted her a bemused glance, a little surprised that she could see through the fuzzy glitch he had put over himself.

"Wha' do ya think I am?" Naruto tossed back, eyes flashing as they watched her shaking form, he wasn't going to lie to her because she must be something if she actually saw him, if only a little part anyways.

"I do-don't know." she whispered and she could see people turning towards them, heads rolling as they observed. She could hear the murmurs, the assumptions already made and the very thought of her tarnished reputation made her sick to her stomach, which was almost as bad as the very thought of her classmate being something other than a human being.

"Don't even think 'bout doin' tha', Fairy." Naruto advised quietly, already thinking ahead as natural urgency told Hinata to scream and point, panic and terror.

Her voice caught in her throat, words stuck inside her mouth and she was frozen there, unable to speak, unable to scream, unable to reveal his odd identity.

"I don' need any mo'e problems t'night, so keep ya mouth shut."

His voice was hard and powerful, the extension of his powers or whatever was doing this to her were unknown and all Hinata could do was helplessly nod. She was frightened beyond belief and Naruto could only watch with a little remorse.

This had to be kept undetected.

...

"Don' say anythin' 'bout wha' happened. Jus' act yourself, Fairy." the blond murmured quietly to her, his hand made a small line motion in the air and her lips unglued themselves.

"What are you?" she blurted out on reflex, instinct. And then, suddenly, an immense wave of heat surged up her arm as if her skin was burned and she hissed out in pain; unable to maintain the scorching.

"I told ya to zip you' lips. Don' make me do tha' again."

His voice sounded strained to her ears and she couldn't help but ask, "Why?"

"Ya'll know it when ya need to. 'Til then, go dance to you' little heart's content, Fairy."

Hinata couldn't see much in that time span but she soon found herself waltzing with a partner. She glanced over his shoulder, catching the pair of glowing cerulean eyes of Naruto Uzumaki who stood with his arms crossed and chin jutted out.

She couldn't figure him out and it was weird because someone like her – a Hyuuga –, had a high I.Q. But she couldn't read the look in his eyes or the motive(s) behind his words, or get an understanding of his body movements. It was like something was blocking her from seeing.

...

Screams ricocheted of stone walls, shrill and piercing. And suddenly, it was chaos.

It was pitch black, there was a distant sound of flapping wings and yells in a language that sounded Greek. Hinata was pushed and pulled against the throng of pushing dancers who sped toward the nearest exit, to any escape out of the havoc. Her arm was pulled back and frightened opal eyes found the blond boy's, there was a ripping sound and everything whipped away.

Wind blew against her face, forcing her eyes shut, her feet weren't touching the ground anymore – no longer stable footing, - and it was like flying. She didn't quite know what had happened but she could still taste the fear on her tongue and her scream still ringing in her ears.

"Ya'll be safe here," he murmured quietly to her as their feet landed softly on the ground.

She couldn't see anything but the black night and his glowing eyes, his grip still firm on her upper arm. "What was t-that?" she whispered, her voice low and hoarse, laced with fright.

Naruto looked down at her, not responding as he silently synchronized her.

"What's wr-wrong?" she pressed, opal eyes wide and unsettled, not sure if she should trust him or not; but he had saved her.

The blond tugged her along, they sank into the dark shadows and their path seemed to light up as they walked along. Her pale fingers were clammy with perspiration and her eyes furrowed in confusion.

"Where are we g-going?"

"Stop talking or I'll seal ya lips together."

Hinata shuddered involuntarily as the feeling of scorching pain resurfaced in her mind. Her lips smacked shut and she gulped back words.

"A safe house." he responded bleakly a few moments later and as she looked over at him, she noticed the ashen colour features, like his usual bright sun-kissed skin was drained dry. His eyes looked awry and his jaw was taut tight.

They stopped again and walked up the steps that seemed to crack and creak under their weight but never seemed to collapse. He turned the rusty gold knob of the house – that seemed to only have one window – and quickly ushered her inside. The paint-chipped door slammed shut, shaking in the frame as the rest of the house seemed to follow after.

...

The house was old and uncared for, the dusty floorboards cracked and creaked beneath their feet as they walked into the living room. Like the rest of the house, dirt and dust layered the surfaces of everything, cobwebs hung to the corners and tangled in the crevices of the plaster walls. He sat himself down, watching her carefully as she lingered, unsure in the doorway.

"Well, tha' was quite the surprise." the blond drawled.

"Didn't you see it c-coming?"

His eyes narrowed down, the purple perimeter bright against his skin. "No, I didn'" his voice was clipped and serious, a tired undertone.

"...why didn't you? You 'claimed' to be powerful but you didn't sense anything?"

He could hear the fear and disbelief in her voice and the insecurity in her words. "I had my hands full," he replied curtly but his mind was elsewhere; distracted in the tight seams of the sudden attack. Because he hadn't sensed anything abnormal, he hadn't seen any fuzzy glitches that distinguished a real human from one hiding as one, he hadn't heard or felt any odd surges.

He gave a once-over her shaking form, her hair was out of its neat arrangement, her eyes were fearful, her face was bone white and she wouldn't stop trembling. Naruto looked carefully at her, an observing look.

"Sit down, Fairy."

She didn't budge as he ran a hand through messy locks and let a sigh escape his lips. "M' not gonna bite ya." he smiled fleetingly at her.

"My name... is Hinata," she murmured as she cautiously took a seat across from him.

"I know."

"Then don't call me 'Fairy'." she replied a little offended as she absently rubbed the inside of her palm.

"Whatever ya say, Fairy." there was a small grin in his voice but it didn't reach his eyes which seemed to be flickering in bright lights in the dark of the house. He could see something – in or on her hand, he wasn't sure – but it was a fuzzy glitch and it glowed, flashing a dangerous blackish-red.

In a quick movement, he seized her hand – against her outbursts – and held it between his fingers. It was a crescent lined with sharp indentations that Hinata seemed to be unable to see. He pushed against the mark with one long finger. She let out a short scream as heat and pain flashed up her arm like exploding fireworks, he placed his cool hand onto hers and watched as the icy coldness of his skin burned the burning scarlet semi-circle.

...

She could still feel the shocks of electrocuted blood in her hand a few minutes after what had happened; and still, she didn't fully comprehend what had happened. There was nothing on her hand and yet, when he touched a certain spot on the palm, there was so much unbearable heat and pain.

"Something or someone either bit or marked ya. M' not sure," he replied as if reading her thoughts.

She didn't respond, she couldn't. It was just too insane and unreal to be happening.

"You're goin' t' have t' trust me-"

"I don't even know you," she cut in, shaking her head as tresses fell all around her head like an angel's halo. And she couldn't quite believe what was happening, on instinct, she wanted to run, right then and there. And forget everything, just so that she wouldn't have to face the unnatural face of whatever this was.

"Ya won't live if ya don'."

"Are you threatening m-me?"

"M' statin' a fact, Fairy. But yes. Now, do ya want to live or die?"

She could see the fine line between a statement and a question, he didn't phrase it like a question because he already knew the answer, Hinata thought to herself. To anyone, it wasn't a live or die question, it was always to keep on living to the bitter, or to the sweet, sweet end.

But it wasn't like that for Uzumaki Naruto.

...

"Close ya eyes and don' open them 'til I say so, 'kay?" the blond instructed tensely.

Hinata nodded her hand and her opal orbs fell shut. There was a ripping sound again and wind blew harshly against her face but she kept her eyes closed. She didn't see his image whip away from her or the dark room peel away – she didn't see it.

...-...

He saw her out of the corner of his cerulean eye, just barely a noticeable presence in his peripheral vision but all worth the second glance.

His brows furrowed, his mind searched for where he had seen her. It was the first repeat, he nodded tensely to himself, eyes wide and bright as they looked all around. He needed to protect her, and even if he stood out a little, it had never stopped Naruto before, and so, he put on a friendly face and walked over to her as graceful as a twenty-year-old Uzumaki could.

...

Softly, her fine brows crinkled in confusion because some guy with cerulean eyes and skinny jeans was walking over to their table, to her, actually. And he looked out of place, with dark wash skinnies, a white t-shirt that seemed a little stained with dirt, with a stray, misshapen tie and all. He was Uzumaki Naruto, the guy from Calculus and someone so very familiar to her.

...

"Ya pretty, y'know tha'" Naruto said, a smile on his lips as he looked down at her.

The indigo-haired girl blushed, a soft haze of tomatoe red seeping through the high cheekbones of her face. "Th-thank you." she whispered shyly, eyes turned to look just a little above his shoulder. And not his face, never his face when he made her act so foolish and terribly shy.

"Did ya just stutter?"he replied, a contagious smile blooming faster across his face.

Hinata nodded, shyly; deep scarlet painting itself onto her pale features.

"It's nothin' ta be shy 'bout, I thin' it's kinda cute."

That did it, no matter how hard Hinata tried to fight the urge to faint and go even redder than she already was, she seemed to – fortunately – only succeed in the latter. Her pale heart shaped face was bright red, contrasting against the darkness of her hair.

But then, something struck her. An errant thought, off-topic and odd as to how it suddenly made her speak.

"What changed you? You beat me in Calculus, you ac-actually listen more than you used to. What w-was it?" Hinata asked, her voice wavering in the loud bass of music. Curiosity peaked in between the words as her hands involuntarily clenched on his shoulders where the fabric had already been wrinkled, as if by a pair of hands.

Naruto peered down at her for a moment before speaking, not at all confused as to how she suddenly changed the topic. "M' not sure what ya talkin' 'bout."

"I'm talking a-about our Calculus cl-class," she specified stammering, opal eyes staring up at him.

"Ya mean the one with all th' numbers, right?"

"Yes." she let a small smile grace her lips as she looked at him.

"See ya 'round, Fairy."

She watched as he slouched into the crowd of dancers, immediately disappearing. But everything seemed to flow too well, as if she had done everything before; had experienced this precise moment already. Hinata couldn't help but be nervous and anxious at the same time.

...

"You're a little...abnormal aren't you," she murmured quietly as she carefully folded her hands on the table in front of her. Her eyes flickered to the spot beside her, barely catching his movement.

"Hmmm." he drawled, elbows resting on the table, chin perched on top of his adjoined hands as he surveyed the scene, surveyed for any fuzzy glitches.

...

But when she surveyed him again, a wave of shock hit her; hard.

She pulled away from him, putting a distance between them, opal eyes wide and surprised. He wasn't human, she fought the urge to scream right then and there, her mind ablaze with a fiery fear and it just couldn't be real even though her body convulsed away so easily, so naturally. A lump formed in her throat.

"What a-are you?" she choked out, voice barely a whisper and words fumbling altogether.

...

He casted her a bemused glance. "Wha' do ya think I am?" Naruto tossed back, eyes flashing as they watched her shaking form. She wasn't any different, there wasn't anything odd about her but the way she stood and the way her eyes seemed to be directed this way and that way; she was getting confused with all the mind blanks and repeats, almost like she knew what was going to come next.

"I d-don't know." she replied, a cracking undertone of words.

"Don't even think 'bout doin' tha', Fairy." he suddenly said, already anticipating her movements from before as she stood erect and her lips slightly parted, to scream, to yell, to panic.

Her voice caught in her throat, words stuck inside her mouth and she was frozen there.

"I don' need any more problems t'night, so keep ya mouth shut."

His voice was hard and powerful, the extension of his powers – or whatever they were – were unknown and all Hinata could do was helplessly nod. She was frightened beyond belief and Naruto could only watch with a practiced sternness.

...

"Don' say anythin' 'bout wha' happened. Jus' act yourself, Fairy." the blond murmured quietly to her, his hand made a small line motion in the air and her lips unglued themselves.

His voice sounded strained to her ears and she couldn't help but ask, "Why?"

"Ya'll know it when ya need to. 'Til then, go dance to you' little heart's content, Fairy."

Hinata couldn't see much in that time span but she soon found herself waltzing with a partner. She glanced over his shoulder, catching the pair of glowing cerulean eyes of Uzumaki Naruto who stood with his arms crossed and chin jutted out.

Forty-five seconds left.

...

Screams ricocheted of stone walls, shrill and piercing; it was chaos.

It was pitch black, there was a distant sound of flapping wings and harsh, thundering yells in a language that sounded Greek. Hinata was pushed and pulled against the throng of pushing dancers who sped toward the nearest exit, any escape out of the havoc.

Thirty seconds left.

With a hurried frenzy, Naruto moved around the crowd, voice hoarse and loud as he directed the humans this way and that, blazing eyes flashing dangerously as they peered around for her indigo-haired head. She needed to be taken away fast, before the time he had done so before.

Twenty-five seconds left.

Her arm was pulled back and frightened opal eyes found the blond boy's, there was a ripping sound and everything whipped away.

Fifteen seconds left.

"Ya'll be safe here," he murmured quietly to her as their feet landed softly on the ground.

She couldn't see anything but the black night and his glowing eyes, his grip still firm on her upper arm. "What w-was that?" she asked, her voice low and hoarse, laced with fright.

Naruto looked down at her, not responding as he silently synchronized her. He casted a quick glance down at the old golden rimmed watch that adorned his wrist.

Ten seconds.

He'd been close, too close but still safe. She hadn't been bitten or marked, he let out a small sigh escape him.

"What's w-wrong?" she pressed, opal eyes wide and unsettled, her brows were scrunched up and the words that seemed to flow naturally out of her lips made her anxious.

The blond tugged her along, they sank into the dark shadows and their path seemed to light up as they walked along. Her pale fingers were clammy with perspiration and her eyes furrowed in confusion.

"Where...are we g-going?"

"Stop talking or I'll seal ya lips together."

Hinata shuddered involuntarily as the feeling of scorching pain resurfaced in her mind. Her lips smacked shut and she gulped back words.

"A safe house." he responded bleakly and as she looked over at him, she noticed the ashen colour features, like his usual bright sun-kissed skin was drained dry. His eyes looked awry and his jaw taut tight.

The worry that flashed around him sent a wave of pity over her; hesitantly, Hinata reached a hand forward, her fingers gently brushed against his cold arm.

With a quick snap of his head, Naruto turned toward her with wary eyes and shook himself away from her. In disgust or insecurity, she wasn't sure but a shot of hurt slapped against her heart.

They stopped again and walked up the steps that seemed to crack and creak under their weight but never seemed to collapse. He turned the rusty gold knob of the house – that seemed to only have one window – and quickly ushered her inside. The pain-chipped door slammed shut, shaking in the frame as the rest of the house seemed to follow after.

...

He sat himself down as she lingered, unsure in the doorway.

"Well, tha' was quite the surprise." the blond drawled, his words sticking to an invisible script.

She merely glanced around the room and then, there was a rushing movement that threw her balance off. Hinata grasped the hilt of the door frame, a hand clutched to her forehead as things, movements, seemed to flash in and out of focus in her mind.

His eyes narrowed down, the purple perimeter bright against his skin.

"Was it?" she murmured quietly, "Shouldn't you have p-prevented it anyway?"Hinata asked, already assuming his status as some sort of a guard.

"Sit down, Fairy."

She didn't budge as he ran a hand through messy locks and let a sigh escape his lips. "M' not gonna bite ya." he smiled fleetingly at her, his eyes caught her form, her hand on her forehead; quickly synchronizing the position, eyes narrowing as they watched her carefully.

"My name... is Hinata," she answered as she cautiously took a seat across from him.

"I know."

"Then don't call me 'Fairy'." she replied a little offended, but there was a strange sense of déjà vu surging in her mind as her eyes furrowed down in confusion. It was all so familiar to her.

"Whatever ya say, Fairy." there was a small grin in his voice but it didn't reach his eyes which seemed to be darting in and out of focus as he glanced all around. "Now then, are ya alright?" he asked her, eyes searching her face and around her body.

There were images flickering in her head - dark and flapping - words of trust. "I'm sorry, w-what was it you said?"

Naruto's grin disappeared as a frown took place, eyes secretive and a little surprised. "I said, are ya alright? Not hurt, right?" he repeated slowly, enunciated each word with a clear precision.

"Oh, um, well I...guess I'm a-alright, no injuries."

And she was right, the blond found as his eyes scanned over her again, second glancing and triple glancing, specifically over her hand. But there was nothing to find and nothing more to see than her pale skin and the tissue, muscle, underneath.

Relieved, he let a sigh escape his lips but it wasn't full-hearted, just a little slice of calmness, a soothing fact. His powers didn't prevent the attack, just her being marked and now, he could see the little cogs in her mind whirl in a rapid speed as they tried to rearrange scattered memories – both real and fake.

"You're goin' t' have ta trust me-"

"I don't even know you," she cut in sharply, shaking her head as tresses fell all around her head.

"Ya won't live if ya don'." Naruto needed her to trust him, fast, and get this going again. They were running out of time.

"Are you threatening me?"

"M' statin' a fact, Fairy. But yes. Now, do ya want to live or die?"

She could see the fine line between a statement and a question, he didn't phrase it like a question because he already knew the answer, Hinata thought to herself. To anyone it wasn't a live or die question, it was always to keep on living to the bitter or sweet end.

...

"Close ya eyes and don' open them 'til I say so, 'kay?" the blond instructed tensely.

...-...

His brows furrowed, his mind searched for where he had seen her. The repeats, he suddenly concluded. She needed to be kept safe and even though he was underdressed, it never stopped Naruto before, and so, he put on a friendly face and walked over to her as graceful as a twenty-year-old Uzumaki could.

...

He was Uzumaki Naruto, the guy from Calculus and so, with his familiarity proven, she let him take her pale hand and whisk her to the dance floor; but the spin, the eyes, the hair and the event; it was all too eerily familiar.

...

"You're a little...abnormal a-aren't you," she murmured quietly as she carefully folded her hands on the table in front of her. Her eyes flickered to the spot beside her, barely catching his movement.

"Y' could say tha'" he drawled, "But you're an odd one too y'know. Always stutterin' but I dun really mind it, it's kinda cute." His elbows rested on the table, chin perched on top of his adjoined hands as he surveyed the scene, something was odd, too calm and too normal like all the other times.

...

There was something off about him, it put him on the verge of high alert and it made her force down the flush of scarlet that was winding up her neck. She could see it in the tension of his shoulders and the narrowing of cerulean eyes as they looked this way and that. Like he was searching for prey or he was the prey, she couldn't tell.

"Is something – is something w-wrong?"

He looked over at her, carefully masking his expression. "No, what could possibly be wrong?"

"I, I don't know; I just have th-this...this feeling that something big is going to happen."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, just barely an inch before he pasted an amused grin onto his face. "Maybe someone's going to ask you to dance." he offered, giving her a cute grin.

Hinata couldn't see much in that time span but she soon found herself waltzing with a partner. She glanced over his shoulder, catching the pair of cerulean eyes of Naruto Uzumaki who stood with his arms crossed, watching her like a hawk.

One minute left.

Forty-five seconds left.

...

Screams ricocheted of stone walls, shrill and piercing. And suddenly, it was chaos.

Thirty seconds left.

With a hurried frenzy, Naruto moved around the crowd, pushing everyone away as he hurried toward the moving bob of indigo hair. He sped further and faster as his glowing eyes caught a slight pulsing thing that lurked in the shadows, watching like the eyes of a hawk.

Twenty-five seconds left.

Her arm was pulled back and frightened opal eyes found the blond boy's, there was ripping sound and everything whipped away.

Fifteen seconds left.

"Ya'll be safe here," he murmured quietly to her as their feet landed softly on the ground.

Naruto looked down at her as he silently synchronized her. He casted a quick glance down at the old golden rimmed watch that adorned his wrist.

Eight seconds.

He'd been close, too close but still safe. She hadn't been bitten or marked, he let out a small sigh escape him.

"What's w-wrong?" she pressed, opal eyes wide and unsettled, she wouldn't look up or down, right or left, no, she wouldn't because it wasn't happening. It just couldn't be. His eyes were glowing, he-they had been flying.

The blond tugged her along, they sank into the dark shadows and their path seemed to light up as they walked along. Her pale fingers were clammy with perspiration and her eyes furrowed in confusion.

"Where are we going?"

As if on instinct, she reached a hand toward him, her skin warm as she gently placed a reassuring hand onto his shoulder. He sent a graceful glance to her, ends of his lips stretching in a thankful half-smile.

...

He sat himself down, watching her carefully as she lingered, unsure in the doorway.

"Well, tha' was quite the surprise." the blond drawled.

Hinata let heavy breaths escape her and into the air, so scared and so confused.

"Are ya alright?"

She didn't answer, and her eyes were shut tight, a feeling of familiarity and déjà vu visions moving in her brain.

He gave a once-over her shaking form, her hair was out of its neat arrangement, eyes were fearful, her face was bone white and she wouldn't stop trembling. Naruto looked carefully at her, an observing look.

"Sit down, Fairy."

She didn't budge as he ran a hand through messy locks and let a sigh escape his lips. "M' not gonna bite ya." he smiled fleetingly at her, words careful.

"My name is Hinata," she murmured as she cautiously took a seat across from him, face still scrunched and unsure.

"I know."

"Then don't call me 'Fairy'." she replied a little offended, the words felt so natural coming out of her mouth.

"Whatever ya say, Fairy."

"I, I have this feeling; like this has happened before, like..."

Naruto looked quickly at her, eyes wide and it was too soon. She shouldn't have been remembering things like this so soon.

"You're goin' t' have t' trust me-"

"I don't know you," she cut in, distress marring the soft features of her face as she struggled to grope through the hazy lines of memories.

"Ya won't live if ya don'." Naruto needed her to trust him, fast, and get this going again. They were running out of time, again and this time; it was getting shorter.

"Alright," she gave in quietly, opal eyes trying hard to trust because something in her gut, in her heart, told her that this man would save her, protect her from anything; even if it costed him his own life.

...

"Close ya eyes and don' open them 'til I say so, 'kay?" the blond instructed tensely.

...-...

Hyuuga Hinata. Repeat Girl.

There was a flood of memories as everything resurfaced. And it had been three repeats now, three Re-Dos and not everything had gone according to plan. With a heavy sigh, Naruto carefully made his way towards her, repeating the same notions, the same steps and the same friendly face plastered on his features.

...

As if her head was attached by invisible string, she turned her head with a natural ease, expectant but oh so confused as to why.

He took her hand and led her to the dance floor, like a puppet and he was smiling although, it didn't quite make him look happy or at ease.

...

"Are you...are you alright, Naruto?"

The blond looked down at her, not quite seeing for a moment as an odd surge trembled through his brain, a handful of fuzzy glitches and thin streams of light. "Oh, um, yea'; m' good." he answered a little sheepishly, an errant after thought.

"Are you sure?"

There it was again. Brighter and so luminescent, flashing in bright rays in his eyes. "Come with me, just fo' a moment, alright?"

Hinata stood there, her hands lightly grasping his shoulder; and without second-thinking the consequences, she nodded her head.

Naruto led them deeper into the crowd of dancers, his mind awry as he pulled her gently along, his much larger fingers wrapping around hers. And this, this was going to be a mistake, he knew for sure; she was going to get hurt, she wasn't even supposed to be involved in this.

"You're goin' t' have t' trust me-"

"Okay. I will," she smiled a little hopefully at him, her fingers winding tighter around his own.

"Close ya eyes and don' open them 'til I say so, 'kay?" the blond instructed tensely.

Hinata nodded her hand and her opal orbs fell shut. There was a ripping sound and wind blew harshly against her face but she kept her eyes closed as her fingers tightened around his and he gently squeezed hers back. She didn't see his image not whip away from her or the room not peel away – she didn't see it.

...

Heaving a sigh, Naruto quietly took her unconscious form into his arms and gently set her down onto the floor in a room, away from the crowds; away from anything that could harm her.

His powers weren't working and he should have been worrying – but he wasn't. He brushed her bangs aside, his hand softly touching her cheek and her pale face lingering in his mind as he pulled himself upright and left the room, quietly clicking the door behind him shut.

She'd be safe, he truly and honestly believed that and so, he left the safe haven and entered the ball room where screams ricocheted of stone walls, shrill and piercing. And there was chaos.

It was pitch black, and yells in a language that sounded Greek. There were surges of strong powers, lightning fast streaks of bright red and hazy blue. Demons.

"You know, you were so very close to stopping this. So very, very, very close." it was mocking him, the voice in the black air, the voice that blabbered and teased and poked and prodded. Waiting for some outrageous outburst, but Naruto, he wasn't going to give it the satisfaction.

"Just wha' do ya want?"

"Not want, have."

There was another piercing scream, something so familiar as he heard it ring and this was the fourth or fifth time now; he couldn't quite remember but her voice, he knew it and her like the back of his hand.

"Say bye-bye to her, little Uzumaki spawn. We're taking her."

There was a distant sound of flapping wings and whipping wind, he couldn't react, couldn't stop them and then, they were gone. She was gone.

Much appreciation to frandrinkstea who beta-ed.

Re-vieww!