A/N: One of these days, I'm going to start a chapter without an Author's Note…
The 2nd Chapter
Hinata woke up with a start as the alarm beeped. She glanced at the calendar, where the day was circled in red.
'Chuunin Exam: Preliminary Rounds' it said in tiny handwriting.
Hinata let out a deep sigh. She really didn't want to go through this. She had just signed up because the matched had to be in groups of three, and Kiba and Shino really wanted to join. She didn't want to stop them from doing what they wanted, so here she was, dreading the day without a clue to what she was going to do.
"Hinata, are you awake yet? We have to be there early," her father's voice came from outside her door, "Neji's already ready and waiting."
Hinata groaned. That was another thing that made her nervous. Neji was joining. If she would have to fight against him…
She shook her head. She didn't feel like thinking about it.
"I'm…just getting ready," she called, scurrying out of her covers and grabbing her jacket. She strapped her pouch around her waist, filled it with kunai, then ran out the door.
"I'm ready." She said breathlessly.
Without another word, her father walked away. She followed him, knowing this day was not going to be the least bit memorable.
"Gaara, next time we leave for something as important as this, would mind telling us if you're planning to zone out on the rooftop?" Temari said, looking at her little brother in the eye, "We were worried."
"Actually, she was more worried about you. I was just worried about making it to the stadium on time," Kankurou, her other brother, said, hands laced behind his head.
Temari rolled her eyes. Gaara looked away, and the three siblings just kept on walking. They were siblings, alright, but they were nothing alike. Temari, the eldest, used wind as her choice of weapon. Kankurou, the middle child, preferred to use a puppet he had christened 'Karasu'. Gaara, true to his roots, controlled sand.
They only thing they had in common was their ability to stay quiet. For hours on end.
Gaara turned his head this way and that. They had been in Konohagakure for a long time, but he really hadn't seen much of it.
As they walked past a huge compound, his eyes fell on the nameplate.
Hyuuga.
He frowned. There was something familiar about that name.
Too familiar.
He shook it off. Probably heard it from his father. As Kazekage, his father had a lot of ties to powerful and respected clans. Just by looking at the compound of this 'Hyuuga' clan, you could tell just how respected they were.
Hinata closed her eyes as she watched Kiba hit the ground, face forward. That particular match had been too brutal.
His challenger, Uzumaki Naruto, grinned, and immediately, Hinata could feel her cheeks reddening. She had always liked him, and she was glad that he had won, but she couldn't help but feel guilty. He did beat her teammate, after all.
Naruto ran up the steps.
"Easy! Easy!" he chanted happily, as Sakura, one of his teammates, ran over to congratulate him.
Hinata gulped as she extracted a small, black box from her pocket. She hoped he would appreciate it.
Naruto walked past her, her back to him, still chuckling happily.
"N-Naruto-kun!" she gasped out, her eyes shut tight.
She heard him stop.
"Eh?"
Hinata turned to face him. Her thumbs played around the small surface, and she smiled nervously as she searched for words to say. She could feel her cheeks reddening.
Just hurry up and say it, she mentally scolded herself.
"Uh…um…h-here!" she said, bowing her head as she held it out to him. She tried to prepare herself for what he'd probably say.
"What is it?" he asked, his face up close to the object clutched in her hands.
"It's ointment," Kurenai explained from behind, smiling a bit at her stuttering, speechless charge.
Naruto hesitated, then took it. "Thanks, Hinata," he said happily, as he skipped away to Kakashi sensei's side.
"Excuse me," Hinata said softly. The medic nins holding the stretcher where Kiba resided in looked up.
"Um…this…this is ointment," Hinata said, showing them a similar black box, like the one she had given Naruto, "please use it on him. It will help heal his wounds."
"Jeez," a voice from the stretcher spoke up, "you're always so worried about others, but you're never worried about yourself."
"K-kiba-kun," she started, momentarily shocked.
"Listen to me," Kiba said, one eye still closed, as if trying to bear the pain, "the preliminary matches are almost up. That means that they're bound to call you sooner or later. Hinata," his face turned serious, "if you get paired up against Neji, forfeit. And if you get paired up against Gaara, forfeit as well."
"G-gaara?" Something about the name was familiar. "Who's that?"
"The guy up there. The one who controls sand. He's from Suna, and I've seen him fight. He's too powerful, even for you."
Hinata's pale eyes widened. That name struck something in her. Voices suddenly echoed in her head.
"My name's Gaara. Just Gaara."
"I want to show you something,"…a playful tone of voice…
"…and I want it to be a surprise!"
"I would never let that happen. Trust me."
She looked up at the board, announcing the names of the next competitors.
Rock Lee vs. Gaara.
She turned her gaze to where she knew the Suna Genin were staying.
There he was. The familiar teal gaze, the bushy red hair, the mask-like face.
The tattoo was still there.
Love.
Their eyes met, and in an instant, she could tell.
He remembered her too.
"Excuse me," the commentator said, "you're in the way for the next match."
Hinata mumbled an apology, still numb from the shock. How long had it been? Six years?
She walked up the steps slowly, feeling every eye on her. The looks on their faces clearly asked the very same question; What was that all about?
She said nothing. Gripping the railing, she looked down to watch her childhood friend enter the stadium. And from the look of shock on his face, he was no doubt affected as much as she was.
It can't be her, Gaara thought wildly, as he only half-concentrated on the match. The sand was doing its usual job of protecting him, so he didn't need to worry.
Fate was never kind to him. Surely fate would never allow him to meet his childhood friend. She meant…had meant…so much to him. It was just too unnaturally merciful for him to meet her again.
Perhaps…that's her sister that she said was still being born, he thought, remembering her words.
"My younger sibling's still in my mum's tummy."
Of course. That had to be it. She was related to Hinata, looked like Hinata, but wasn't Hinata.
Suddenly, he felt immense pain in his gut section. Looking around wildly, he realized that he was in midair.
How the heck did I get up here?
Suddenly, he saw a green blur moving toward him at incredible speed. The sand couldn't keep up.
He gritted his teeth. He wasn't focusing at all.
His opponent, Rock Lee, punched him with the force of an elephant. With a groan, he felt the cracks appearing on his face as he plummeted downward.
"Not yet!" Lee screamed. His hand was wrapped around the piece of white cloth Gaara always kept wrapped over his shoulder and around his waist. He cursed inwardly and made a mental note to burn the stupid thing later.
Lee's fist was drawing ever closer. For some reason, although Gaara was aware that he was moving at incredible speed, the whole thing seemed to be in slow motion.
Then, he felt it. The rushing blow to his stomach as Lee's fist made contact. With a shuddering intake of breath, he fell, limp, the floor yawning closer.
The gourd at his back started to snake, becoming sand with every foot he fell. With a soft thump, the sand completely cushioned his fall. He groaned inwardly, hoping that he would survive this match with only a couple of bruised bones.
He looked over. Rock Lee was down as well. He looked completely exhausted, like he had pushed himself to the utmost limit.
No harm in finishing this match, Gaara thought, raising his hand. Even just that took enormous strength. He felt completely wiped out.
The sand crept toward Lee. Lee saw this, and he attempted to get on his feet. Gaara's suspicions were confirmed. Lee was at the edge of his limit. He cried out in pain as he attempted to crawl away, and each move seemed to cause him extreme pain.
The sand reached him , and snaked up his left arm and foot. He panted, pulling at it. The sand wouldn't let go. Not unless Gaara told it to.
He let loose a cry of determination as he made one final attempt to pull away.
"Sabaku Kyu," Gaara whispered, closing his fist shut.
The scream he heard was traumatizing, yet he didn't care. He had never cared his whole life. Why should he care now?
He watched the blood appear. He still wasn't satisfied.
Might as well end it.
The sand reared up. It looked like giant snakes preparing to strike.
Alright…strike.
It rushed toward Lee's already-unconscious body. This was actually an act of mercy on his part. If Lee survived the Sabaku Kyu, he'd live his whole life in serious pain. It was like mercy killing, only slightly different.
Suddenly, he saw the sand dispel.
What in the-?
It cleared, and he found himself looking at Gai-sensei. An older version of Lee, it had to be said. Their resemblance of each other was scary.
"This match is over," Gai-sensei said, his steel eyes angry and determined.
Hinata bit so hard on her knuckles, she was sure they were bleeding.
That…that can't be him! She thought wildly. The Gaara I knew wasn't so…brutal!
"You won't let me get hurt, will you?" her words came rushing back, so nervous and worried.
"I would never let that happen. Trust me."
It's not him, she shook her head, it just can't be!
But then…what do I know? I barely even remember that day.
"Why did you save him?" the familiar rasp was in that voice.
A slight pause. Hinata peeked past the railings. Gai-sensei looked so worried, and why shouldn't he? She knew how close the two of them were.
"It's because he…he is an important subordinate I love." Gai said, his voice cracking a bit.
Hinata saw Gaara's eyes widen, and that stirred something in her memory.
"A…murderer?" Hinata stopped struggling, looking at him with a most curious expression.
"Yes, a murderer," he hissed, "it's no secret in this town. He murdered his caretaker, Yashamru. Quite brutally, it must be said."
"It was an accident!" Gaara burst out, sounding panicked now, "he had attached exploding tags to his body! I couldn't save him!"
"But you could save yourself," his dad said, slightly smirking.
"It was the sand!" Gaara nearly screamed, trying to ignore the words of distaste now issuing from the villagers' mouths, "You know it won't let me get hurt! It's like that!"
"I see. And…may I ask why Yashamaru decided to commit suicide?"
"You ordered him to kill me!" Gaara yelled, stopping the whispers. Everything fell silent. "You told him to kill me, coz you don't want me! You didn't love me! You never loved me!"
Of course, Hinata thought, Gaara can't understand those words.
Gaara said nothing. He just walked away. Away from it all.
Naruto jumped down. As he ran past, he and Gaara met each other's eyes. For a brief moment, something flickered between the two of them. Then, it broke, and Naruto hurried toward Lee.
What happened next was a blur to Hinata. She could hear Naruto screaming, but it was mixed with screams in her own head.
"How come he failed to kill you, then? You did something that made him resort to that! Admit it, Gaara. Admit it!"
"Gai? You're in the way for the next match."
Hinata snapped up at Kakashi-sensei's words. Of course. She had nearly forgotten al about the matches.
Not unexpectedly, the first name to flash was hers. She bit her lip. Who was left?
Choji.
She took in a deep breath. Choji was…rather large. His size was an advantage, but his speed left much to be desired. Still, Hinata was worried. She wasn't sure what to do. If she won, she'd advance into the main matches, but then, the probability of her fighting against Neji was increased. But then…if she lost, her Dad would be so ashamed.
She sighed, then turned and faced Choji. Choji looked determined, like he wanted this match over quickly.
Up in the stands, she could hear his two teammates, Shikamaru and Ino shouting.
"Yeah, go get 'er!" Ino yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth.
"Do your best…fatty." Shikamaru said, a smirk on his face.
Choji growled and glared at them, heat emanating from him.
"I'm gonna finish this, then you guys are gonna get it!" he yelled back up at them.
Hinata bit her lip. It seemed like Choji was confident that he was going to win.
Why? She thought nervously, does he have a secret technique of sorts? Or maybe…he has a plan all figured out. This just makes me even more susceptible to failure. I've hardly practiced!
She closed her eyes.
"Okay. 10th match." The Jounin called out. "Begin."
Immediately, Choji brought his hands together.
"Ninpou," he yelled, "Baiku no jutsu!"
His body bloated to balloon-like proportions. With a grunt, his arms, legs, and head tucked into his body, so that his resemblance to a balloon was increased.
"Meat Tank!" he yelled, starting to roll rapidly towards Hinata.
"Yeah!" Ino yelled from the sidelines, "Crush her!"
Hinata looked at the huge, green ball rolling toward her. It was traveling at a fairly slow speed. In a split second, she jumped away just before he could hit her.
I can't keep dodging forever, she thought, thinking of how useless she was right now. She wasn't as good at the Jyuken style as Neji was. Also, she was feeling apprehensive about approaching that 'meat tank'. One small, uncontrolled hit at it, and she was toast. Crushed toast. And his body was spinning too rapidly for her to clearly see the tenketsu.
She kept jumping away, trying to bargain for time to think this out. There was an option, but the chances of it working were very slim.
Oh well.
She jumped again, this time making sure her back was to the wall.
Choji's voice rang out. "You're trapped now!"
He accelerated, coming to her hard and fast.
One chance, Hinata, she told herself, you screw this up and it's all over.
He was this close when, at the last moment, Hinata jumped away. The stadium vibrated as he collided with the wall. Instantly, he was stopped. His legs were barely visible beneath all the body fat.
With him immobile, Hinata activated her byakugan and saw at least a dozen tenketsu that she could hit without seriously injuring him.
In a flash, it was over. Choji lay at her feet, limp. Hinata was strongly reminded of a deflated balloon.
"Um…Choji-san? I…I'm sorry if I…I h-hurt you."
"Barbeque…" he moaned, "I want to eat barbeque."
Hinata didn't know whether she should be relieved to find that he was still talking, or to be disgusted by the fact that all he could think about was eating.
Up in the stands, she could hear his teammates laughing fondly.
"That's just like him, isn't it?" Ino said, in between chuckles.
"He lost," Asuma-sensei said fondly, "but still, all he can think about is eating barbeque."
"Winner; Hyuuga Hinata," the Jounin called out, "that concludes the Chuunin exams; preliminary matches. Thank you for your participation. Will the victors please stay behind?"
All the winners assembled. Hinata looked down the line.
Naruto…Neji…Dosu…Sasuke should be here…then, ShikamaruShe gulped as her eyes rested on the three siblings from Suna.
Temari…Kankurou…she closed her eyes, then opened them. There was no denying it. That was Gaara.She opened her eyes to find him looking at her. She nearly gasped, but she kept it in.
Gaara's eyes were asking the same question she had been dying to ask as well.
Is it really you?"Okay," a rather stocky Jounin glanced at all of them, hands on hips, "congratulations on getting in. You are now contestants for the main matches."
"The main matches are an important event." The Sandaime cut in. "It will be shown in front of everyone, so please do your best, as your country's representative. The main matches will be a month from now, so…"
"What?" Naruto cut in, looking surprised, "we're not going to do it right here, right now?"
The Sandaime shook his head, "The month will be a time for you to contemplate and meditate on what may be one of the most important battles you will undergo in your life."
"I still don't understand." Kankurou interrupted rudely. "Explain."
He sighed. "We are going to announce to the feudal lords and head ninja of each country that the preliminaries are over. They, of course, are expected to attend. It will take time to gather these people. Use the month to know you and your opponent better. You have gathered data on each of your opponents, haven't you? Use it."
Hinata nearly drifted off. She didn't mean to be rude, but the Sandaime had a way of droning on and on.
"-judged not only on victory, of course." Hinata came back to reality. "You will be judged on other factors, all determining whether or not you will be suitable for Chuunin level."
"So," Shikamaru spoke up, "there's a possibility that all of us will be accepted."
"That may be true," he said, "but there's also the possibility that none of you will be accepted."
Anko stepped forward. "Okay, I want all of you to pick a piece of paper from this box. Just one. Quickly."
Each of them took out pieces of paper. Hinata took a deep breath and pulled one out, unfolding it a split second later.
2
Hinata frowned. What on earth did that mean?
"Alright," Anko said, "from right to left, announce your numbers."
"3," Naruto called.
"8," Dosu said.
"2," Hinata whispered.
"9," Shikamaru muttered.
"1," Neji said, his tone perfectly emotionless.
"4," Kankurou said in a flat-out voice.
"7, Temari said.
"5," Gaara murmured.
"He must be number 6, then," the Jounin muttered. Hinata was sure they were talking about Sasuke.
"Take a look at this," another Jounin stepped forward, "it's the match-ups."
They all crowded around the sheaf of paper he was holding up.
Hinata nearly fainted right then and there. Under the heading; first matchwas the very thing she had been dreading ever since she had signed up:
Hyuuga Neji vs. Hyuuga Hinata.
A/N: …and one of these days, I'm gonna end a chapter without an Author's Note, too.