N.A.N.O.

(Arc I)

"You know, I've always enjoyed watching people go by near the train tracks. At times, they become discoloured, a black and white blur, coming and going, and passing me by, it makes it seem as if I'm watching everything from the shadows, and watching for too long a time. It's rather hard to know whether I'm dead or alive. It makes me forget who I am, and makes me remember why I'm here."

-:-:-:-:-

Northern District of Manaiya,

City of Baele, Seienia,

55 D.M.S (Descent of the Monarchial System,)

It feels nice to write to you after such a long time, Neji. I hope you're doing well with Tenten over there in Manaiya. I'm sure you've heard of the recent explosion in the district as well, and I hope no harm has come to you two. Truly, I miss seeing you and Hanabi so much, and sometimes I feel like abandoning all this and giving up, if only to see you face-to-face, just once. But you know I can't do that, don't you? I know Hanabi must be crying after receiving my letter (she was always so sensitive, even when she never showed it) and I was hoping if you could perhaps arrange for a trip to Finiche and reassure her a bit. I feel guilty, Neji, for putting her through this, even if it's only to keep her safe. Take care of yourself and Tenten. I miss you.

Sincerely,

Your sister.

-:-:-:-:-

Hinata Hyuuga pressed her trembling knees to her chest, wrapping her arms tightly around them. Resisting the urge to screw her eyes shut in apprehension, she pressed a pale hand against her panting mouth, and dared to sneak a tentative glance outside the alleyway. The torrential rain fogged her cautious gaze, but a lone silhouette caught her eye. Gulping down a squeak, Hinata pressed herself against the wall of the alley, kneeled down, and covered herself from head to toe with her dark-coloured overcoat.

"Is she there?"

"Doesn't seem like it. I think we lost her."

Her keen ears caught a defeated sigh, before the unfamiliar, vague voice answered, "Never mind. She looked like one of the street rats, anyway. Let her get away with theft once, it won't matter."

So that was it, she thought, breathing a muted sigh of relief. I'll have to be careful with the pick-pocketing from now on.

Berating herself for the lapse of caution, Hinata patiently waited in the cold alleyway, rubbing her hands together every once in a while, for the rain to relent. When she emerged from the alley roughly an hour later, shivering violently, the telltale colours of dawn were already beginning to paint the sky a mixture of red, pink, and violet.

"Time for breakfast," Hinata murmured to herself, a wry smile stretching her lips upwards. She dug her hand inside the overcoat pocket, and fished out a few bronze coins. Sighing, she said to herself, "Nothing except for a good cup of coffee today, unfortunately."

The former-Hyuuga contemplated visiting a different cafe than the one she'd eaten at the day before (it wouldn't do for her to be known as a regular, after all. Not when she was trying to lay low) but it had been a torturously long time since she'd had the pleasure of drinking black coffee that good— and she would need a good, strong cup of coffee if she were to stay awake all night, keeping watch for trouble.

Soaked overcoat hanging off her arm, Hinata entered the cafe with careful footsteps and eyes subtly scanning the spacious shop. She collapsed in one of the chairs in the corner, limbs aching and a mild headache plaguing her peace of mind. Stifling her moans and groans was becoming a harder task day by day.

Honestly, living the kind of life she did, there was seldom any 'plan of action' or any 'suvival tactics' at all. She simply did what she had to do, and may God help her from there. Waiting for her coffee to cool down, Hinata vaguely registered the ring alerting her to the arrival of another customer. It had become a habit for her to discreetly observe any new arrivals from the corner of her eye, judging them— from their appearance, their expression, their way of talking and walking— within mere seconds. She'd become quite good at it, if she said so herself.

The new customer evoked an odd tingling at the back of Hinata's mind. A brunette with chocolate-brown eyes behind square-shaped spectacles, looking to be about thirty years old, with an angular face and a lean physique. He seemed strangely familiar, if the alarms ringing in a vague corner of Hinata's mind were any indication.

The nameless brunette gracefully seated himself at the table directly behind Hinata's. One of the waitresses approached him, and warmly said, "Welcome, sir. What would you like today?"

Hinata's keen ears missed neither the use of the word 'today,' nor the obvious smile in the voice of the waitress. He must be a regular.

"An expresso and a brownie will do just fine, Lena. Thank you," he replied amicably.

"It'll be ready in minute," the waitress— Lena— said. "Ah, and I heard about that explosion in Manaiya yesterday. Is everything alright up there?"

Immediately, the hair at the back of Hinata's neck stood upright, her shoulders tensed, and her sense of hearing sharpened. She tilted her head to the side slightly, furrowing her eyebrows at the unexpected turn of the conversation.

"You must've heard the death toll, surely. A pity how many scientologists had to die. Several are in the hospitals, removed from active duty. It's a shame, really."

"I do hope your colleagues get well soon, Mr. Cassidy. I'll be praying for them."

Colleagues?

"Thank you, Lena. I'm sure they'll appreciate that."

A scientologist? Here?

"Oh, God," Hinata mumbled, a toe-curling sensation of dread spreading through her rapidly. Forcing herself out of her stupor, she thought frantically, I need to get out of here. I need to get of here, and I need to get out now.

Slowly inhaling and exhaling, she calmed her laboured breathing. Several possibilities racing through her mind, Hinata forced away the panic overcoming her senses, and inwardly considered her options, I need to wait for a while, wait so that he doesn't get suspicious. I can't rush out of here like a bat out of hell, because if he gets even the slightest bit suspicious, I'm

From her peripheral vision, the lilac-eyed NANO caught sight of a waitress, sauntering towards her table with a tray carrying Hinata's order. Her eyes widened in trepidation at the thought of the attention that may be drawn to her. No, not now. No, no, no

Quickly bundling her overcoat in her arms again, she stood up abruptly, startling some of the customers around her. In big strides, she scampered towards the exit, warily aware of the stares aimed at her back. Just before pushing the door open, Hinata barely caught the narrowing and sudden widening of cocoa-brown eyes in realisation, and broke into a run as soon she stepped outside.

Twice in the same day? I knew that cafe wasn't a good idea. I knew it.

Alarmed by the jingling of the cafe's bell and the sound of running footsteps behind her, Hinata quickened her pace. She made a sharp turn into the street leading to the main road, where the market-place was. She would have to dodge and blend in with the crowd somehow.

Chancing a quick glance behind her, the midnight-haired NANO shouldered her way through the thick crowd frantically with half-hearted apologies, before she found herself bumping into someone. Gasping when she hit the ground, Hinata looked over her shoulder to see how far her pursuer was. She stood up, panting, and prepared her aching legs to break into a run again.

"I'm so sorry," a voice behind her said apologetically. "I should've looked where I was— Y-Yamamoto-san? Is that you?"

Hinata whipped her head around, only to find jade-green eyes gazing at her with surprise.

"Kinimoto-san," Hinata briefly nodded, brushing past her. "I'm sorry, but I really have to go. I'll talk you some other time—"

"Please," Natsue grabbed a hold of her wrist, "wait. Where are you going?"

Tugging at her wrist and making a mental note to apologize to the pink-haired woman later, Hinata answered quickly, "That's really none of your concern, Kinimoto-san, but I really have to go now, so if you would please just—"

Natsue's eyes darted towards the brunette still following Hinata's trail, before her eyes narrowed and she whispered, "Follow me."

"W-what?"

"Please don't ask questions. Just follow me."

Natsue turned around, Hinata's wrist still in hand, and began pushing her way through the crowd. With one last look over her shoulder, Hinata decided to save all questions for later. She let Natsue guide her, and decided that if anything started seeming suspicious, she would just have to temporarily paralyse the woman before making her escape.

-:-:-:-:-

After several twists and turns through alleyways, narrow streets, and roundabouts, the two reached a secluded area— somewhere near the outskirts of town, Hinata guessed— where several old, abandoned buildings stood on the verge of collapsing.

"Come," Natsue said, tugging at her wrist.

"Kinimoto-san, where... where is this?"

"My home, Yamamoto-san."

"Y-you live here?"

Natsue partially tilted her head to smile faintly at Hinata, guessing her train of thought. "It's relaxing, though you might not be able to guess at first."

Hinata was led to the top floor of one of the buildings (and she wondered why Natsue chose the top floor when the bottom ones were deserted, but never voiced her queries aloud.) Natsue's steps eventually slowed, until she stopped in front of a doorway covered with nothing more than a tattered, grey cloth, which Hinata assumed was supposed to serve as a curtain.

Natsue pulled the cloth to the side, smiled, and welcomed, "Home sweet home. It's not much, but it's all I can offer at the moment. I hope you don't mind such a worn-down place."

"N-no! No, of course not," Hinata replied. She wrung her hands together anxiously, pushed a stray strand of midnight-blue hair behind her hair, and inquired with a small voice, "Kinimoto-san, w-why— why did you bring me here? I mean, why do all this?"

"Ah, well," Natsue said offhandedly, stepping inside her abode and gesturing for Hinata to take a seat. "You just seemed like you needed... a place to stay in, is all. I figured I might as well help out, you know?"

"Is that it?" Hinata quietly asked, filtering the suspicion out of her voice and readying her fingers for striking a few pressure points, if it proved necessary.

"I understand that you might not trust me," Natsue sighed, holding her arms up in a sign of surrender, "but I can tell you that I only intend to help. No ulterior motives, I swear."

"It's not that I don't— well, I don't trust you, to be completely honest, but I'm grateful for all the help you've given me. I really am, but I still don't understand why you would help me, and forgive me if I sound a bit suspicious— even though I really am grateful for your help— but it just isn't a normal occurence for people to offer strangers a home and... and such hospitality, Kinimoto-san."

Natsue looked at her with eyes no different than the ones Hinata had seen in that cafe just two days before, but the self-assuredness and tenacity swimming in the sea-green depths made her feel as if she was talking to a different woman; someone more confident, more certain, more willful.

"I know where you're coming from, but you'll have to understand that I don't feel obligated to tell anyone my reasons, Yamamoto-san," Natsue said calmly, quietly, before letting loose an ironic smile. "By the way, I think I should stop calling you that, shouldn't I?"

Hinata froze, and for a few seconds, the rustling of the curtain was the only sound in the room.

"I beg your pardon?" she whispered, feeling a heart-stopping wave of dread sweep through her.

"'Yamamoto,'" Natsue repeated casually. "That isn't your real name, is it?"

She knows.

Hinata took a step backwards, eyes rapidly losing their trusting glint, shoulders rapidly losing their relaxed posture. Natsue looked up at her curiously.

She knows who I am. She knows what I am.

"You knew about the scientologist chasing me the whole time, didn't you?" Hinata murmured, barely able to make her lips move.

"Wait—"

When Natsue stood up with an arm outstretched, obviously intending to stop her, Hinata's honey-brown eyes hardened and her lips tightened, dipping into a sharp frown. When Natsue saw the guarded expression, her pretty features contorted into a flinch, and she lowered her arm.

"This isn't— listen—" Natsue explained futilely. "Please, I only want to help you. I'm not ratting you out to the scientologists, okay? I'm not. Listen to me, please."

I can't trust you. I'm sorry. I can't trust anybody. I can't—

Unheeding of Natsue's desperate pleas, Hinata sprinted.

-:-:-:-:-

Yes, there IS a reason why Natsue is so desperate to help Hinata ^_^ And some other characters from the Rookie 9 will be making an appearance soon as well (probably not in the next chapter, but maybe in the one after that.)

If anybody cares, song of inspiration: A Hero Without a Name, by An Cafe (An cafe is really, really awesome, by the way ^_^ but Dir en Grey is still the best *_* )

Anywayyyy, I hope you guys enjoyed this one, although the plot still isn't in motion as of yet, and it's not going to be for the next three or four chapters xD

Review replies:

FallenRaindrops: Wow, thank you =D Personally, I thought the first chapter was kind of boring, so the fact that you found it interesting is actually very reassuring to me xD I hope you'll be with my throughout this entire fic (which I think is going to turn out to be pretty long xD)

hannah askance: Whoa, that has to be the longest and best review I've ever gotten O.O You are officially my new best friend xD As for your assumption of the Rookie 9 being NANOs, that's not entirely correct, and not entirely wrong. I'll try to update as fast as I can to show you the development of the plot (which, like I said, has yet to be set in motion.) I really, really appreciate everything you've written in your review, and I hope to hear from you again soon =D

MmmmChineseFood: Thank you very, very much ^_^ I truly appreciate your review, and I hope you'll continue supporting me.

LadyOfMist92: Thank you so much! I'm glad that you enjoyed the first chapter and I hope I won't let you down in the future. And as for the animals, don't worry, no bunnies and mice, I promise xD

Echo Uchiha: Thank you, I'm glad you liked it! =D

misamisa3: I'm relieved you found the plot interesting. I hope you're willing to stick with this fanfic until it ends, because it's honestly due to reviewers like you that a chapter can turn out as good as it does ^_^

Yours sincerely,

Moonlight Gal