Disclaimer:
I do not own any of the characters intorduced within the following story. They are, unless explicitly stated otherwise, the property of one Masashi Kishimoto, et al.
Thank you.
The steady sound of feet pounding dirt was all that was audible in the still night. Kiba veered sharply, ducking under a tree and swerving around a corner, heading for the end of the Aburame complex. He jogged up to the wall, jumping over it with one fluid motion and landing neatly on one of the many paths that crossed the still garden.
As he ran, he mentally reviewed the catalogue of Hinata's injuries and compared them to another day, two weeks before when Hinata had missed practice. Another staged fight with Hanabi had given her numerous cuts and a broken rib. His brow furrowed as he noted what a difference the two weeks had wrought in Hanabi's attacks.
With a quiet grunt, Kiba leaped to the sill of his teammate's window, which was, as was the habit of the bug-user, locked. "Shino."
The quiet call was enough to rouse the man within. The window opened without so much as a creak and the impassive face of said young man was lighted by the moon. "Kiba."
"Hinata's hurt." Kiba clenched his fist, relaxing it only when he noted how Shino gazed at the slight splintering of the wood on the sill.
"She fought Hanabi." Shino raised one brow elegantly, waiting for Kiba to continue.
"I found her unconscious..."
With a nod, Shino pulled on his coat, pushed his sunglasses up his nose, and waited for Kiba to jump down from the window before doing so himself as well. The two young ninja ran down the streets of Konoha, making their way to Sakura's house, and their injured teammate.
Shino knocked on the door of the house once, briefly, in his understated way, asking for admittance within. The door was opened by a very sleep-rumpled Naruto in pajamas who yawned widely, leaving the door open as he turned and disappeared up the stairs, presumably to resume his interrupted sleep. Shino raised an eyebrow, shot a sideways glance at a stunned Kiba, and made his way to the back of the house, where Sakura tended to her wounded friends most often.
He entered the small, sterile room quietly, nodding once at Sakura before allowing a hand to hover over Hinata's pale one. A tiny black Kikaichuu crept from beneath the sleeve of his large coat and dropped onto Hinata's hand. A few seconds later, the tiny bug flew back to his master, landing on a fingertip. Shino studied the bug carefully before nodding and allowing it to run back to its home beneath his skin. He looked up at the other two ninja and reported. "Her chakra is very weak. She seems to have expended almost all of it, though she shows no sign of exertion."
"Blocking." Kiba's voice was almost a growl as he spoke. "She did her shield technique."
"Shugohakke Rokujūyon Shō, Kiba..." Shino's words were accompanied by a small smile which he hid beneath his coat collar.
"Whatever she calls it. It drains her and she did it to keep from having to attack Hanabi." He growled and turned away. "And Hisashi still calls her weak..."
Sakura shrugged once and looked from one man to the other. "Whatever she did, if her chakra is weak, then she'll have a hard time healing herself for a few weeks. Which means..."
"No missions, basically. If she gets hurt..." Kiba trailed off.
"She won't." Short, abrupt, classic Shino. He turned away from the three and began to exit the room when Hinata stirred, her breathing becoming labored and her brow furrowing.
"Don't... Hanabi, don't listen to him..." She tossed and turned, sweat breaking out on her face as her hands began to wander over the blanket. Suddenly, she sat upright, a half-choked scream escaping her as her eyes snapped open. "No!!" A tiny spark of chakra built up on her palms before it flickered and disappeared.
"Hinata!" Kiba grabbed her hands, enclosing them in his as he struggled in vain to calm down his panicking teammate. He grimaced, feeling the sluggish flow of chakra within her hands. He turned, wild eyes landing on Sakura. "She's building up chakra, but it's so... weak..."
Sakura nodded and prepared to knock out Hinata again, hands glowing a light green. Just as her hand reached the base of Hinata's neck, said girl jerked violently, virtually throwing herself on to a startled Kiba. She curled into his body, even as she tensed. "I'll take her place, please. Please, let her go. She's just a child... please... Please!!!"
Kiba wrapped his arms around the trembling woman on his lap, eyes narrowed into slits as she began to cry. Shino's brows were raised, one hand half reaching for the tormented girl. Sakura drew her hand back, a soft gasp escaping her as the context of Hinata's pleading words reached her.
"It's ok, Hinata. You're ok. Hanabi is fine. Just sleep. I have you. Shino and Sakura are here, too. We'll protect you. I promise..." Kiba spoke softly, lulling Hinata into a restful sleep, safely encircled in his arms.
Author's Note:
Ok, so this chapter was posted a lot earlier than I thought it would be… special thanks go to fishgirlclw, bscharming, and Elviella for reviewing and giving me the encouragement to post this chapter.