Disclaimer: I don't own ANY of Naruto, or the characters, or ANYTHING
This is set, Hinata is 16, Sasuke is gone, Naruto is at home, and Itachi is already dead, etc etc. This is just an "I fancied doing it" sort of thing, and I have a lot of material. Personally, I like a good long story, so that's exactly what I'm gonna give! I hope to get a few tears too… Anyway, away with the story!
Chapter 1; the Beginning
Pain lanced through Hinata's arm, as the trap triggered, sending exploding tags and shrapnel into different directions. But, her pain didn't matter. She watched, horrified, as Kiba was thrown away by the explosion, his blood staining the foliage.
"KIBA!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, and dashed to him, not pausing to think of secondary traps. A horrid realisation hit her as she watched his bloodied body fall with a sickly Thud to the floor. This was her fault. She had the Byakugan. She was the Hyuuga. SHEwas meant to be looking out for her teammates.
It was her fault that Kiba now lay in a pool of his own blood. Akamaru was howling out at no one, Shino was shouting a string of curses, fighting off enemy ninja, and Kakashi, temporarily standing in for Kurenai, was far away, scouting ahead for spies.
Their mission was merely to gather information on assassins, and it had gone horribly wrong. She chocked back a sob, and swallowed her vomit, before helping attach Kiba to Akamaru's back.
--
She waited, in the impossibly white and clean hospital, shivering. Kiba was in the medical room that her cousin Neji had been in after the mission to bring back Sasuke. The damage was that bad.
She sat, wringing her hands in her lap, her hair, matted and greasy, falling in front of her. She had refused to leave until the operation was done, and had resisted Kurenai and Shino's prompts to go home, and she knew Neji would be here soon to shift her by force. She didn't want to leave. The guilt and self-loathing was eating away inside.
I shouldn't even be a ninja. I'm useless, and a disgrace to the name of Hyuuga. As she thought this, she felt Neji's presence take the last few steps towards her.
"Its okay, I'm quitting as soon as Kiba is fine. After this, father will throw me out of the Hyuuga mansion, you'll become leader of the Hyuuga clan, and everyone will live happily ever after once I've gone" is what she desperately wanted to say, without one stutter on her words, to show she was serious.
Instead, she made an indistinct squeak, and began to shake uncontrollably again. Hinata felt strong arms encircle her, and jumped at the contact. It was the first touch from someone else in days. Neji was hugging her. Maybe he felt sorry for her, and wanted to lift her spirits a bit before kicking her down?
He let go of her quickly, but, the slight show of support for her, made her calm down, and stop shaking too bad. He looked at her, with his serious expression, and cold silver eyes, and she could see a hint of empathy, deep within them. His teammate, Lee, had been to hell and back too, with his injuries from Sabaku no Gaara.
"It's not your fault, Hinata-sama…" he said slowly, with that cool, monotone voice of his. Here, she snapped, and jerked her hands away from him.
"N-no, i-its a-all my fault, Neji-nii-sama!" she blurted out between sobs. "I-I'm a Hy-" she hiccupped softly, quietening down her voice, "I'm a Hyuuga h-heiress! I-I sh-should b-be better!" she finally forced out through her guilt ridden tears. "B-but, I-I'm just n-not cut out f-for being a n-ninja…." she said, and lowered her head onto Neji's shoulder, and quietly cried into his garment, ruining it with her salty tears.
"Is that what you really think Hinata?" said a soft voice to their left. Hinata's head jerked up, to see Sakura, pale and sweating, exit the surgery room.
"Kiba's surgery is finished, and he'll be moved to a ward presently. His condition is stable, he will live. But, my worry is you, Hinata-san" she said, and slowly walked towards them wiping her brow. "Your Kekkei Genkai is one of the most advanced, and you are very talented. And, what would Naruto think if he heard you talking like that? What would Naruto-kun say?" she said, and then smiled.
"Go home, Hinata, get washed, get fed, and get to sleep, you can visit Kiba tomorrow. He should be awake by then. Neji-kun, please take care of her. Excuse me" she said, and bowed her head to them both, and took off running down the corridor. Neji watched her go, and turned his attention to Hinata, who'd been watching Sakura with a certain look of awe.
"Come on then, Hinata-sama. I'll get you in without Hisashi-ojii-sama seeing" he said, and swiftly picked her up bridal style, and hushed her before she could stutter out her complaints. "Just let me serve you, Hinata-sama" he said, and took off back to the Hyuuga compound.
--
Hinata awoke, some time in the early hours of the morning, and feeling very unclean. She quickly jumped up, and shivered in her freezing room. She was still dressed, minus coat and shoes.
Neji must've just left her here, she figured, and wondered what time she had arrived back at the Hyuuga compound. Embarrassingly enough, she had fallen asleep easily in Neji's strong grasp. She tiptoed down the hall, glancing at her watch. 3 AM, great. She quickly drew a bath, and scrubbed all the dirt, explosive powder, and cold sweat she had collected from the last few days, firmly off her skin, till she was as pale as a piece of paper again.
Hinata looked at her bath water and grimaced. It was a brownish colour, with bits of grass and grit floating in it. She shivered, I have to get into some warm clothes, I think I might freeze to death, she thought to herself, and she ran down the hall with only a towel wrapped round her.
She dressed quickly, towelling herself dry in the process, and she felt the need to busy herself with mundane tasks. So, she then brushed her hair, tidied her room, completed a report, arranged her wardrobe into colour order, fished out shoes from under her bed, arranged her books by alphabetical order on her shelf, emptied her bin, and collected all her weapons and ninja gear together.
When she was done busying herself, and could find not other excuse to shuffle around her room like a wounded dog. She sat on her bed, and cried a bit more. Her thoughts drifted back to that night, and she realised where she went wrong.
She had trained endlessly the past few nights, and she was exhausted, so her eyesight wasn't at perfect form. But that was still no excuse! She chastised herself, and stood, pulling her jacket and ninja sandals on, before, slipping out her window, and into the morning air. As she jumped easily from rooftop to rooftop, her azure hair, dry now, and flicked at the ends, whipped behind her.
It felt nice to be out, the crisp still air covering Konoha. She stopped on an apartment block roof close to Hokage tower, and looked out across the green village. The sky, already brightening in the east, was a thick black/blue colour, which melted into the rich yellows and orange of a sunrise. The chilly air signifies a hot day, as the summer reaches its peak.
The terracotta roof tiles began to lighten as the light spilled across the land, casting a romantic light over the trees and birds and intricate houses of Konoha. People would be stirring from their sleep right about now, ready to enjoy the summers day. Not for Hinata though.
She turned away from the rising sun, and jumped on towards the Hokage tower. As she entered the stairs, she heard a brief chatter of someone further up. She paused, and carried on up loudly, not bothering to hide her presence. She didn't know what she was planning doing, maybe going to collect her punishment from Tsunade-sama, but, she knew she was far too early for the Hokage to be awake. So, she might as well see who was up at this time, just to have someone to talk to.
She got to the head of the stairs, and saw a man, looked like he was in his late 40's, talking animatedly with a young man, who couldn't have been much older than Hinata herself, and who was looking straight at her. She could tell he was a ninja, but, not a ninja from Konoha. She continued on un-hindered, and walked straight past them, sighing deeply.
"Ah, I tell you, my son, we must at least ask, I mean we've paid for the informati-ah!" the old man stopped suddenly as he caught sight of a sullen Hinata. "Ah, excuse me miss, sorry to be a bother, but I was wondering if you could help us" he said, pleasantly enough. And, if Hinata had not been very wary, at this moment in time, and had been normal, she mightn't have been too wary of the two strangers.
"Ah, I-I a-am Hinata, and, m-may I ask w-who you are?" she said, bowing her head slightly. She heard the Ninja boy scoff at her, and she felt her embarrassment in her cheeks.
"Ah, yes, I am Asa Amaya, from the Water Country" he said, and bowed his head to her. Hinata turned to the ninja expectantly.
"What?" he asked gruffly. Hinata felt her dislike for him rise, and she flushed as he stared angrily at her.
"Y-your name, and F-forehead p-protector, s-sir" she said, and looked at him again, a resolve forming in her pale silver eyes. He grunted, and shifted his collar, revealing a forehead protector from the Hidden Village of the Mist, 4 lines, in a diagonal direction. "Kosuke Amaya" he said shortly. Hinata nodded, and turned to Asa-san.
"How m-may I help, Amaya-s-san?" she said, smiling slightly to be polite.
"Yes, I'm looking for the Hokage, we paid for a mission for the Ninja's of Konoha, and we'd like a result" he said, smiling cheerfully.
"A-at s-such and early hour?" she asked, smiling back. These men, if they were assassins, she could maybe take them. I mean, what idiots would come at such a ridiculous hour in the morning to see the Hokage? Had they never met Tsunade-sama?
She was very powerful, but tended to sleep on the job, so it was ridiculous to expect her to be up this early. Hinata quickly surveyed their surroundings. They were in a small hallway, with a staircase at the far end and many doors all around. She could feel the chakra of a few tired ninja, working the nightshift in the lower floors, but no one who could really help her quickly. She felt the urge to reprimand these Assassins, sort of as a pay-back for Kiba.
"Ah, yes, well, we hadn't timed our arrival well, so we arrived a tad early" he said, and looked at her expectantly, as if his answer was good enough.
"So, y-you walked th-through the night, to a-arrive th-this early in th-the morning?" she said, glancing between the two. She suddenly felt her heart gallop away in her chest as she challenged these men and was sure that Kozue person would hear it. Asa looked taken aback.
"No, we err" he stopped, seemingly realising how odd their story sounded. Kozue shifted a tiny bit, and Hinata's bold eyes snapped to him.
"I'm a-afraid I'm u-unable to assist you. I c-cannot let y-you see the H-Hokage. F-for safety reasons" she said, and stood upright, looking at them both, and turning to go down the stairs. "N-now if you'll both q-quietly c-come with me-" she began, only to be cut off my Kozue's angry outburst.
"We don't have time for this woman! We need the information on the assassin attempts against the life of the Elders of the Amaya clan!" he shouted moving as If to grab her arm. She stood back, and lifted her hands into a defensive position. "Kosuke Amaya-san, c-calm down. I-I am not at l-liberty t-to d-depart with that information" she said, and remembered the night of Kiba's accident vividly.
That was the mission they were on, to find that information. They'd found out that the Amaya clan was susceptible to an attack. It was their fault as much as her own, for asking that mission to be done.
"Please…er, Hinata-san! We're begging you! These are our relative's lives at steak! From a threat within our own country!" he shouted again, stepping forward. Hinata looked into his dark chocolate brown eyes, the pleading evident, his cropped black hair, with golden and red streaks, flopped over his left eye, giving him a look of madness.
"WHAT'S ALL THIS RACKET, SO EARLY IN THE MORNING?!" The Hokage burst open her office door, standing in the hallway, looking exhausted. Looks like she had had a hard night. Hinata flinched, and scurried up to her, quickly explaining the situation to her in a quiet, jittery voice. All her adrenaline was catching up to her. She hadn't realised she'd been preparing herself for a fight.
"Alright, Come in, Amaya-san, both of you" she said, and stomped inside her office. Hinata sighed, and watched with a slightly sheepish look as they entered, waves of anger emanating dangerously from Kosuke. She was about to leave, when she heard the Hokage's booming voice asking her to enter also. She quietly followed them in, and stood in the corner, whilst Tsunade addressed the men. She told them nothing Hinata hadn't known, so she slowly drifted from concentration, and stared out the window sadly, thinking of Kiba.
"Well, Hinata?!" Tsunade demanded. Hinata jumped, her attention snapping back to Tsunade.
"Ano, s-sorry, Tsu-Tsunade-sama, I-I wasn't l-listening" she said, her face flushing a lovely fuchsia colour. Tsunade sighed, and Kosuke gave a huff of contempt.
"I said, since your team was the ones who collected the information, I think it makes sense that you are sent on a further mission to protect these men undercover back in Kirigakure (hidden village of mist), if your teammates and Yamato-san comply, of course" she said, waving her hand tiredly. Hinata stared at her blankly, shock evident.
"B-but, K-Kiba-kun, Hokage-sama…And Kurenai-sensei" she trailed away, hurt in her eyes.
"Yes, well if you'd been listening, you'd know I'd volunteered my apprentice Sakura Haruno as his replacement, for her excellent healing abilities. She would be an invaluable member out in the field. Plus, since Yamato hasn't got a team to look after, as Naruto is with the Toads, he'll replace Kurenai-san" she said, looking at Hinata with all sincerity.
But, had she forgotten that Hinata had nearly gotten Kiba killed!? Where was her punishment, her exile from the village for being a failure? She was instead being given a second chance? She looked at Tsunade for a few seconds longer, before registering what the Hokage was trying to do. She was trying to get everyone's mind off of Kiba.
His recovery must be a long one, for them to be given such a lengthy mission. And a giant dog was very suspicious going undercover. This is perfect for them, but Hinata could feel a niggling doubt in her mind, that made her want to run far away.
But she had to at least try and prove herself again! She has to believe, like Naruto does! Naruto believes in her! She must have the strength to protect her friends, and these people, no matter how much the boy might hate her. She quickly nodded, adding that if her team complied, she'd do it. This mission was for stealth, and with Shino's bugs, Hinata's Byakugan, Yamato's strange Mokuton jutsu, and Sakura's medic abilities, they were probably the quietest team.
--
That very evening, Hinata was packing for the following morning. She had visited Kiba, but he wasn't awake. Instead, she sat and told him in a wavering voice that she and Shino was to go on another mission. She had quickly fled the hospital when his scary sister had appeared.
She sighed, slowly re-packing her bag. She had packed and repacked a few times now, until had eventually asked Neji what she'd need. He just said a raincoat, and civilian clothes that could hide ninja weapons. She had packed lots of things, and as a last minute thought, packed her two Yukata's, just in case.
It was a long journey, but, there were plenty of towns on the way, they could book into a hotel or something, and she had a lot of saved money. She was never one for spending money.
She sighed, and pondered to herself as she looked at her insanely tidy room from this morning's episode, about what the country of the Water would be like, when a knock at the door tore her from her thoughts.
She opened the door, to see Neji looking at her solemnly. Hinata began to panic, as he said her father wanted her. She followed him quietly, her breathing becoming erratic.
What on earth did her father want? To punish her? She didn't really want to leave the Hyuuga compound, but what if he kicked her out? She didn't want to be the heiress in all honestly, but she wanted to please him, make him proud at least once. Her mind raced with the possibilities.
She had to stop as she walked into Neji in her daze. She stuttered out a failed apology, and registered this is where the clan meets were held. She walked in, and was ordered to sit at the back.
Hanabi was there, she had been here often, even though she was so young. Hinata's father had long ago disowned Hinata, leaving Kurenai to look after her, as a sort of surrogate mother.
But, ever since the Chuunin Selection Exams, her father had gradually began warming to her again. And now, about a week after her 16th birthday, she had attended a clan meet, even if she wasn't here for any specific purpose.
After the clan members had left, Hisashi turned to Hinata to generally berate her on her lack of confidence, and her weak attitude, and why couldn't she be more like Neji or Hanabi? And what was this talk of getting her Teammate killed? And why oh why had she started on a client?
Hinata merely sat with downcast eyes, letting her father walk all over her, feeling a slight lift as she realised Neji was unhappy at the way she was treated. But, anyone would. As she collapsed on her bed in the evening, she wondered why she had ever been born a Hyuuga.
--
The morning wasn't a happy one. It was scorching hot, she had a heavy bag, and she felt very uncomfortable without her big jacket. But, she just couldn't wear it. The words of her father, the lack of response from Kiba, the anger from this Kosuke boy was getting to her, and a faint wondering if Kurenai-sensei would be lonely, her concentration had literally died.
She'd just drift away in thought, and not return till someone physically brought her back. As they left the village, with their straw hats, and casual clothes, looking as much like farmers as possible, Sakura, who was uncomfortable with the silence, struck up different conversations with everyone.
The response was good, apart from with Hinata, Shino and Kosuke. Shino doesn't talk much anyway, Hinata was completely oblivious to the world, and Kosuke was desperate to get back, and had walked far ahead of them.
"You're from the Water Country, huh? So that means…he's from Kirigakure?" Sakura asked Asa as nonchalant as possible. She was, however, having flashbacks of Haku and Zabuza, as Zabuza has come from that hidden village, and their practise was to set children on each other.
"Yes, and I know what you're thinking, but, the Mizukage has long since abolished that practise, and Kosuke wasn't even born when that massacre occurred" Asa said sadly. He clearly remembered the terrible practise of setting children on each other as a graduation exam, and Zabuza's Graduation Massacre. Hinata had tuned into the conversation at the mention of "massacre" and wondered what on earth they were talking about.
They were forced to camp for the night, after a day's hard travelling. Hinata, unable to sit still, let alone sleep, had wandered into the night. She walked silently through the dense trees, and thick foliage, and had to stop and mentally slap herself.
Everything seemed like a floaty dream, like nothing was real. Merely 4 days ago, Kiba was attacked, and now, she was in the middle of a forest, having to protect some man and his stuck up son. It was a real shock to her system, but she could feel the pressure of the Hyuuga compound drifting away. She shook her head. She needed to focus, to get things straight in her head. She needed to practise her Taijutsu. She soon found a poor defenceless tree stump to torture, and set to work tearing chunks off of it.
--
WOW, that's a lot o' stuff. I've edited it from the last version as I realised it sucked.
Now it's better-ish!
So, I've edited it, like 3 times now, lol.
If you can be bothered to read, then, well done you and I hope you review with any ideas!
Thanks!
Ilse.