The next few days passed in a blur, with Hinata training as hard as she could. Her bruises slowly faded from her wrists, and she forced herself to work through the soreness around her bones. Sometimes Neji would join her, but most of the time she was alone in the training yard, focusing on getting stronger. Somehow she thought that she could develop her chakra enough to where she wouldn't get beaten by Itachi again.
She knew that sentiment was foolish, that it was impossible to happen in a time span of a few days, but that didn't stop her from trying. On the day before her birthday, friday, her father called her out of the training yard just when she was thinking about calling it a day.
"We're having a party for you, tomorrow night. I expect you to be there, and to have an escort." Hiashi stared down at his daughter, who tried her best to meet his gaze. Truthfully, she had thought about skipping out on this party. She didn't like those sort of events, they made her feel awkward. But now there was no way out of it.
And an escort? As in...a date? Hinata's eyes widened. There was no way she could do that! Well, she could just have Neji escort her. Feeling immensely relieved, she let out a small sigh. "I think i'll just have Neji-sama escort me-"
But Hiasha cut into her words. "Neji already has someone he's going with."
Hinata blinked. "What?"
Speak of the devil, her cousin emerged from around the corner, his gaze shifting from Hinata to Hiashi. Slightly puzzled by their stares, he stopped walking. "Is something wrong?"
"You've got a date for tomorrow night?" Hinata had blurted it out before she could stop herself, and, to her immense shock, she saw a faint pink tinge to his cheeks. That was almost worth her impending panic.
"There's not much time for me to speak to Tenten outside of missions so I..."
"Tenten?!" Hinata was stunned as Neji's face grew more red. He, unlike her, managed to keep his composure even when blushing.
"Yes. Tenten. Is that a problem?"
"Well, no, of course not." When Neji nodded, Hinata realized she had to come up with a response for Hiashi. "I...I'll find an escort."
"Good. Then there's no reason for me to worry. It would certainly be embarrassing to think no one values your company enough to spend one night in your presence." Hiashi turned away, leaving behind two cousins with skin roughly the color of cherries.
They stood there in silence for a few seconds, until Neji glanced at her sideways. "You're going to ask someone to go to a social event with you?" There was something like amusement in his voice. "How will you manage that without passing out?"
Hinata, if possible, blushed more. "I-I'll just do it. It's not a big deal."
Neji chuckled. "Right. Who's it going to be then?"
Hinata fiddled with her fingers, looking down at her hands. "I don't know...Maybe...uhm..." Her voice faded away and she smiled a little sheepishly.
"Oh god. Not Uzumaki."
"Why not?" Hinata looked up, eyes wide and a little defensive. "What...what's wrong with Naruto-kun?"
"Hm? Nothing's wrong with him. But your feelings for him are so intense you can barely be in the same room with him. And now you're going to ask him to attend your birthday party? With you?" Neji had a point, although Hinata didn't want to admit it. She remained silent until Neji spoke again. "I could ask him for you, if you want."
"No!" Hinata's response was immediate. "If I can't do it myself, I...I don't want someone else to do it for me!"
Neji blinked, then smiled a little. "All right. Hiashi'll want to know who you're going with by tonight, so get a move on it."
Hinata showered and changed out of the clothes she had been training in, then started towards Naruto's house. As she walked, she went over possible things to say. But every suggestion was disregarded as stupid or pointless. Before she knew it, she had reached the blond's apartment, and was standing outside his door. She noticed the morning paper on the railing just outside the door, at around chest height, and considered bringing it in for him. But still, she didn't knock.
Knocking would mean she'd have to come up with something to say to him, some way to start conversation. Or she could just blurt it out. She started to lift her hand, then shook her head. Maybe she could just find someone else. Shino would probably go with her. So would Kiba. She turned away from the door, then paused again.
She wanted to go with Naruto. She wanted him to be with her when she turned sixteen, and maybe even...maybe she could get her first kiss. It had been her dream, on her sixteenth birthday, to get a kiss from Naruto.
Hinata turned back towards the door. She just had to do it. Like ripping off a band-aid. She took a deep breath, lifted her hand, and started to rap on the door. Before her knuckles made contact, the door opened. Inside, Naruto was wearing his boxers, and his eyes were closed.
Apparently he was reaching for the newspaper. He probably did so every morning. Probably knew exactly where the newspaper lay on the railing. Probably knew that lifting his arm parallel to the ground and reaching out would place his hand directly over said newspaper, and he could take hold over the daily news, turn around, go back inside, and read it.
That's the reasoning which flew through Hinata's head when Naruto lifted his hand and placed it directly on top of her left breast. But even with that reasoning, she couldn't ignore the fact that Naruto-kun was actually feeling her up. Right there, on his front porch. Hinata's eyes widened suddenly as it sank in, panic settling over her face and turning it a brighter scarlet than she would have thought imaginable.
Naruto cracked open one eye, and looked slightly puzzled to see Hinata standing there. Then his eyes traveled downward to where his hand still groped her. "Hinata...chan?" There was a frozen moment where his half asleep brain tried to comprehend what he was seeing, then Hinata let out a squeak and swung her open palm around at the blond's face. It connected squarely and he spun around almost comically, landing flat on his back.
Immediately Hinata turned around and bolted away, flinging herself around the first corner she could find and flattening herself against the wall. Breathing heavily, she waited for her heartbeat to calm down. Okay, so maybe she'd just go ask Kiba instead. She sure as hell was /not/ going to face Naruto ever again. She'd die of embarrassment, she was sure of it. Finally, she was able to squeeze her eyes open. The small street was empty and quiet. Slowly, she stepped away from the wall. Part of her wanted to pretend that what had just happened hadn't actually happened. But it had. A small sigh whispered past her lips. So much for her ideal sweet sixteen. Then Hinata shrugged off her disappointment. She was a ninja. She didn't need such things as fancy parties or dreams. She had to focus. That's all.
Hinata moved off through Konoha to where Kiba lived with the other members of the Inuzuka family. She rapped twice on the door, noticing as she did that she didn't feel nearly as nervous approaching Kiba's house as she had Naruto's. Her shoulders sagged a little. Maybe things with him really weren't meant to work out. Then she shook her head. No, that couldn't be possible. She wasn't going to give up on Naruto. Ever. She was lucky that Kiba opened the door himself, since she would have rather not spoken to his sister or mother. Not that she disliked either of them. It was just...easier. Hinata frowned. Did she always look for the easy way out?
"Hello, Kiba-kun." Hinata said, and her teammate smiled a little in greeting, tilting his head to one side.
"Hey, Hinata. Something wrong? You look weird." Hinata blushed a little, and the grin slid off Kiba's face slightly as he lifted one hand nervously to the back of his neck. "Sorry, I just meant, you know, you look different or something."
Hinata shook her head. "It's okay. I just...uhm...Well, my birthday's tomorrow night..." Her voice faded a little, and Kiba took that as an invitation to jump into a conversation.
"Yeah? That's right! I almost forgot! I actually got you something, a while ago. Hold on, i'll go get it!" He started to turn away, and Hinata's eyes widened as the door closed in her face. Well, she was off to a good start. Kiba returned a few moments later, holding out a slightly damaged box. "Here! Go on, open it!" Hinata took the box, blinking. Kiba had actually gotten her a present? Actually put thought into a gift? He seemed to read what she was thinking, since he spoke again. "It's not much, I got this and one for Shino at the same time, whenever his birthday is."
"I think it's on January 23rd." Hinata peeped, sliding one finger beneath the lid of the cardboard box and flipping it open. She wasn't entirely sure what she saw. Some sort of red stuff in a jar, with a small paintbrush next to it.
"It's face paint!" Kiba said. "The kind I wear, you know? It has the ability to hide your scent from enemies." Clearly, he thought this was an excellent, appropriate gift for a girl's sixteenth birthday. But for some reason, it made Hinata giggle. She beamed, closing her eyes.
"Thank you, Kiba-kun. I love it."
"Heh." Pleased with himself, Kiba folded his arms comfortably across his chest, grinning wildly. There was a bark from inside the house, and Akamaru came trotting down the hall, his head level with Kiba's shoulder as he gazed at Hinata, dropping a bone at her feet, which seemed to be his present to her. Hinata blinked, then giggled again and reached out, scratching the large dog between his ears.
"It's not really why I came though, I wouldn't bother you just about giving me a birthday present." Hinata tucked the small box containing Kiba's gift (and now Akamaru's) close to her stomach as she spoke.
"Oh, it wasn't? What is it then?"
"Well, Hiashi-sama wanted to throw me a party, and..." She stared to drift, then forced herself to continue on. "He wants me to bring an escort. It's just custom, and you wouldn't have to do anything. Just kind of stand there, and look nice while people arrive, then you can leave. An hour at the most." Heat rose in her face until she thought she might burst, but she forced herself to smile a little, shrugging off the embarrassment as she had seen Neji do earlier.
"Ah." Kiba was silent for a few seconds then shrugged. "Okay, sure. Tomorrow, right? What time should I be at your house?"
Hinata's eyes widened, and she quite forgot to look calm and composed. He had said yes. Just like that. Would Naruto have accepted that easily too? This wasn't so bad at all! "About seven o'clock, I think. And you can be home by eight, if you want." She held out a small piece of paper with the official time and such listed on it. She had a few of them in her pocket. And Neji said he'd give one to Shino for her.
"Don't worry about it. This'll be fun." Kiba smiled reassuringly, clapping Hinata on the shoulder somewhat roughly. She tried not to stagger under the weight of the friendly gesture, smiling a little nervously. Sometimes, very rarely, she wished her male friends would remember that she was in fact, not male. But she always immediately dismissed the thought. She wanted to be treated as an equal. Nothing more, nothing less.
After speaking with Kiba, she waved goodbye and made her way back home. As she did, she passed Naruto's street. Pausing, she glanced towards his apartment, biting her lower lip. Taking a long breath, she turned and started back towards his door. It wasn't so hard. She could at least invite him to the party. She could do that. And she wanted him there.
She hesitated again when she reached his door, placing one hand on the cool wood. But Kiba had said yes, she realized. That's what made it so easy. If he had said no, it would have been extremely awkward. And if Naruto said no...Hinata pulled her hand away, holding it to her chest. This was precisely why she had never told him of her feelings. If he didn't share them, if he never did, then she'd...she'd be devastated.
Hinata took a step back. She couldn't tell him. At least not yet. She reached into her pocket with her free hand, removing one of the invitations from it with a slow, deliberate movement. Fiddling with the paper for a moment, she made up her mind and slid the invitation into Naruto's mailbox, closing the lid and moving away from Naruto's door. 'Okay, that's it. He's invited.' She turned her back on the door and mailbox. 'Just walk away now. Don't run.'
She forced herself to walk down the porch to the street, but just as she neared the edge of the building, she heard a door open, and bolted the rest of the way home.
"Hinata?" She had nearly run her father over upon reaching her home.
"T-tousan!" Hinata clutched at a stitch in her side, staring up at Hiashi with wide eyes.
"What's wrong with you? Are you hurt?"
"N-no. I just thought i'd...run home..."
Hiashi quirked one eyebrow, then let out a puff of air, something like a snort, but more dignified. Leave it to a Hyuuga to make a snort sound dignified. "Whatever. Did you find an escort for tomorrow?"
"Y...Yes. Inuzuka Kiba. My teammate." Hinata spoke between pants, trying not to breathe heavily in front of her father. She had to be strong.
"Inuzuka Kiba...Very well. And do not wear your uniform tomorrow night. You can wear your clan clothes." Hinata winced a little. She didn't like to wear those clothes. They always made her feel like she was making Neji uncomfortable, reminding him that he was, inevitably, not part of the head family. "Just do it, Hinata. Stop worrying about others so much. Worry about yourself for once." Hiashi brushed past his daughter, leaving her staring at the ground with a frown on her face.
Then she glanced up, sighing. She'd have plenty of time to get ready for the party tomorrow, and she didn't want to worry about it until then. Hinata turned away from the main gate, and walked back to the training ground for the second time that day.
Neji watched Hinata vanish around the corner, frowning a little. This guy, this Uzumaki, he was tearing her apart. And he didn't even know it. Neji's frown creased his brow further. She needed to find someone who she was comfortable around. As much as he didn't like to admit it, he didn't like seeing her this way. He had hated her once, but...she wasn't like the other head family members. She was kind, humble, not like some of those who automatically believed themselves superior.
And he hadn't told her, but he valued her as he would a younger sister. Heaven help any guy who thought it fitting to hurt her.
Hinata removed her clan clothes from the bottom drawer of her wardrobe, pulling them on and smoothing out the wrinkles with her fingers. She frowned at her reflection. There was the main branch insignia stamped across the sleeves and hem, and she hadn't worn the clothes in so long that they were a little tight. She bit her lip, feeling uncomfortable.
"Tousan?" She leaned out into the hallway. "Uhm...these don't really fit me anymore...do you think there's some other clothes I could wear?"
Hiashi was standing with a few other clan members, going over some things for the party. Hinata had the distinct feeling that this wasn't just a celebration of her turning sixteen. There was some serious alliance and treaty work going on. She had learned not to inquire about that sort of thing. "What's wrong with them?" He asked. "Get out here so I can see you."
Hinata cleared her throat a little awkwardly, shifting half her body out into the hall. At the impatient glare from her father, she moved fully into view. "Oh." Hiashi's face remained impassive. "All right, just wear a kimono. Your mother's are in the back of my closet." He turned away, not leaving Hinata time to protest or even show her gratitude.
"H-hai, Tousan." She said quietly, scurrying away down the hall, past her room and past Hanabi's room, until she reached the one door she hadn't entered since she was very young. It had only happened once. Tentatively, she touched the wooden door, half expecting it to repel her violently. When nothing happened, she applied a bit more pressure and pulled the door open, pushing it into the wall and stepping inside her father's room.
Everything in the room was immaculate, down to the last tatami mat. The bed was perfectly made, and the furniture was dusted. It wasn't exactly the cleanliness that was strange, it was more the feeling that came from the room. Unused, as if emotion hadn't touched the place in...well, sixteen years.Which was probably true, now that Hinata stopped to think about it.
The Hyuuga made her way across the floor gingerly to the closet her father had indicated. There was only one. Small, as most shinobi's were. There wasn't much need for vast amounts of clothing in their profession. And now that she was dwelling on her mother's memory, it seemed odd that her father would keep any of her clothes. Perhaps he was far more sentimental than she had ever imagined.
There was no handle to the closet, nor any indication of a door at all save the faint line in the wall. She wouldn't have known it was there if the closet in her room wasn't built the exact same way. Carefully, with the same delicacy that she had opened the first door, Hinata opened the closet.
At first all she saw were her father's clothes. Three sets of shinobi wear, in addition to a few clan outfittings and something that was most likely formal wear. She pushed aside those clothes and saw a single splash of color. Hinata reached in and pulled the kimono off the hanger, slightly confused at the mess of silk. She balanced it carefully in her arms and made her way somewhat awkwardly back to her room, noting as she did that her father was no longer in the hall. She closed the door behind her with one foot, then tried to set the kimono down gently on her bed. It was difficult, but she managed to keep the elaborate dress intact. Even so, she had no idea how to put it on, never having worn such a thing in her life.
Well sure, she had worn simple kimonos, when she was younger. But this...it was an incredible spectrum of white, violet, and blue. At least twelve layers, from what she could see. And the obi was silver, as well as extensively long. Hinata bit her lip, then pulled carefully at one of the silken sashes, opening the topmost layer of the kimono. She gave a small sigh. This was going to be impossible, and she did /not/ want Neji or her father to have to come help her. She continued to undo the sashes with deliberate slowness until there were none left. She wrapped her arms around her waist, now thoroughly stumped.
"Hinata-san?" There was a light tapping on her door and Hinata turned, slightly puzzled at the female voice. She moved to the door and slid it open, smiling a little as she saw Tenten. The brunette was dressed in what must have been her formal shinobi-wear.
"Hello Tenten-san."
"I got here a little early, and just thought i'd...say hi." It was a little strange, since the pair rarely spoke. But Hinata had the feeling that if Neji had finally decided to admit he had feelings for his teammate, they would probably be seeing more of each other.
"Oh, all right." Hinata glanced over her shoulder, slightly troubled. "Say, uhm...I don't suppose you know how to put on a kimono?"
Tenten nodded, smiling encouragingly. She moved over to the kimono, and reached underneath, pulling out the Nagajuban. "This goes underneath," She told Hinata. "Leave some room between the back part of the Eri and your neck. This is the Datejime, place it flat over your stomach, and wrap it around your back then tie it." She turned her back while Hinata did as Tenten told her.
"Okay." Hinata said, a little anxiously. Tenten helped straighten out the folds in the back, then lifted the first layer of the actual kimono. This part was easy enough, and Hinata was just starting to feel confident when they had put on the entire thing and turned back to the bed. The silver obi lay there, looking innocently complicated. Hinata actually let out a little whimper of dread.
"It's all right." Tenten assured her with a small laugh. She folded the obi in half, tucking it into the obiita then wrapping it around Hinata's waist. The Hyuuga lost track of how it was put on, there were so many folds and although Tenten tried to explain it as she went along, she was submerged in a mess of names and instructions. The final two pieces were the Obiage and Obijime, which were a bit less complicated.
Finally, the pair were done. Hinata stood looking at her reflection in the single mirror in her room, eyes wide. The colors of the kimono began with a deep navy blue, then flowed smoothly to violet, and finally ending in the palest of purples, nearly white. The design on the back was wrought in shining black threads. It was a dragon whose flames crawled up her back and ended just below the silver obi. Both the Obiage and Obijime were dark blue.
"Great! Now your hair." Hinata looked at Tenten, eyes still wide but now filled with puzzlement. Tenten just shrugged and moved forward. After a few more minutes, Hinata's hair was swept back into an elegant bun, and there was a comb with a stream of violets that Tenten tucked carefully into the bun. "You look beautiful." Tenten gave the heiress a somewhat awkward hug. "Consider that my present, okay?"
Hinata giggled a little bit, then followed Tenten from her room. People had already begun to arrive, she could hear their voices outside in the courtyard. Neji nodded slightly to Hinata, then offered Tenten his arm, not smiling. Although Hinata saw a trace of some happiness in his eyes. She hovered in the hallway, then Neji nudged her shoulder very gently. "Kiba-san is being spoken to by Hiashi-sama. At the gates."
Hinata smiled a little, nodding and rushing out the door, sliding into the courtyard. It was far more crowded than she thought it would be. "Hello Hinata." The heiress glanced in the direction of the voice, and saw Shino standing under a tree, his arms folded. His hood wasn't pulled over his face, and he had left his sunglasses at home. Hinata gave the Aburame a small wave, then continued weaving through the crowd, every once in a while spotting other Konoha natives she recognized. And many she didn't, but still saw fit to speak to her anyway. She was polite to all of them, speaking little and smiling shyly, as she knew would be expected. Finally, she reached the gates to the courtyard. Hiashi was towering over Kiba, speaking in the low voice she was so familiar with.
Hinata quickened her pace as much as her kimono would allow. Kiba shifted anxiously from side to side, dressed formally but not so much that he seemed uncomfortable. As Hinata drew closer, she heard a snatch of the conversation, which seemed to be dominated by Hiashi. "...has been through a lot already-"
"Tousan!" Hinata darted forward, staring pointedly up at Hiashi, who blinked in mild surprise, as if he had never seen her before. Hinata shifted a little, wondering if she had done something wrong. But Hiashi simply moved away, not looking back. Hinata let out a long sigh of relief the tension almost visibly lifting from her shoulders. Kiba laughed a little, and Hinata offered a half smile. "I think you're done now...I know Hiashi-sama just wanted to make sure I wasn't here alone."
Kiba lifted one eyebrow. "You're kicking me out already? Aw man. That must be some sort of new record." Before Hinata could correct her mistake, Shino had wandered over, smiling in that strange way of his that involved only his eyes. Kiba draped one arm on Hinata's head, and the heiress let out a tiny squeak, blushing a little. She tried to push the doglike shinobi away, but he laughed and wrapped one arm around her neck, ruffling her hair with one calloused hand. Hinata waved her hands at her teammate, squirming away. Surely her face would burst into flame, it was so warm. Kiba reached out, grinning and poked her stomach. Hinata's eyes widened as another squeak escaped her lips. She darted away, hiding behind Shino. But there was a trace of amusement on his face, and in all honesty, Hinata was giggling a little bit.
With another small noise, Hinata dashed away from Kiba as he tried to tickle her again. She wove through the crowd, who didn't seem to notice her presence, nor Kiba's. Eventually, they had reached the back gate. The pair left the walls of the Hyuuga mansion, and out onto the streets of Konoha. Hinata increased her pace, surprised at how well she could actually move in the kimono. Sure, it wouldn't be practical in a battle. But running, in normal shoes, it worked quite reasonably. She glanced over her shoulder, catching the slight whirl of the violet comb as her head turned. Kiba was catching up. With a slightly louder giggle, she increased her pace, darting around a wall and behind a building. Still, he managed to track her, although now the distance between them wasn't closing any more.
Feeling confident that she might actually be able to beat her teammate in a footrace, Hinata threw all her excitement into her running, until she had reached the training grounds, the ones near Naruto's house. She paused for breath, panting heavily and leaning against one of the logs stuck into the ground for target practice. She smiled to herself, noticing she had beaten Kiba. She reached up to her hair, smoothing it back into place and tilting her head back. There was a faint breeze, which cooled her still burning face, and the girl let out a content sigh, closing her eyes.
The moment she did, she knew something was wrong. Kiba wouldn't have let her run off at night. No way. And for another thing, she wasn't anywhere near fast enough to beat him. Just when the thought occurred that something had gone wrong, there was a cold bite at her throat. Her eyes snapped open, and she opened her mouth to scream, only to find a hand clapped over her lips. Panicked, she dug her nails into the hand over her mouth, other hand grasping the wrist which held the kunai to her throat. She pulled at it desperately, wanting to part it's contact with her skin.
Her efforts earned her nothing more than a chuckle in her ear, and the sound send an icy chill down her spine, entire body tensing up. "Hinata-sama," She never thought her name could sound so evil. And how had he known it anyway? Immediately, that thought slid from Hinata's mind. One look at the Hyuuga head family and her name would be overly obvious. "Don't scream." Oh. Sure. No problem. But just as the hand began to move away from her mouth and she started to make a sound, the kunai bit into her flesh. She felt a trickle of blood run down her neck, and gave a sharp intake of breath. Her captor grabbed Hinata's arm and whirled her around to face him.
The darkness of his cloak made him near invisible in the night, even with the red clouds stenciled onto it's fabric. But the crimson eyes were glowing. Hinata found herself staring into them, and now found she couldn't scream if she wanted to. All she could do was stare blankly into those eyes, the three whorls spinning around and around...
Naruto-kun...
Hinata shook her head violently, squeezing her eyes shut against Itachi's sharingan. She tried to push herself away, but the Uchiha merely slid his arm around her waist, pulling her body against his, arms pinioned to her sides and the kunai still at her throat. Itachi tilted his head a little, eyes moving over Hinata's kimono, then the violet comb in her hair. He knew she was a shinobi, the only reason she'd be wearing something like this was for a special occasion. "Is it your birthday?" The words tumbled from his lips smoothly, and Hinata cursed herself for trembling. She could feel his breath on her face, on her lips.
"H-hai..." Her voice came out as hardly a whisper, almost inaudible. Why was she answering? This was...this was one of the guys who was after Naruto! Neji had filled her in over the past week. Reluctantly, yes. But he had relented in the end and told her everything she wanted to know. These guys...these...Akatsuki. They wanted to extract the Kyuubi from Naruto, and in the process kill him. Murder him. And she was just /letting/ him hold her, his hips against hers. Hinata felt heat rise in her face to the point where she really thought she might faint. Thankfully, she didn't.
"Sixteen..." Somehow, he had known. "Sixteenth birthday, there's a rite of passage that kind of goes along with it." The Uchiha's lips were closing in on hers, and Hinata's eyes snapped open. No, she thought wildly. No, Naruto-kun was supposed to be my first kiss. Hinata twisted away as much as she could, and his lips merely grazed her jaw. With a quiet sigh, he whirled around faster than Hinata would have thought possible. Her back connected hard with the target log, and her hands were suddenly pinned over her head, one of the Akatsuki's hands gripping both her wrists. He trailed the end of the kunai down her jaw, pausing at the place his lips had touched her skin. She felt the blood she had already spilled now smeared on her cheek.
Without warning, the Uchiha leaned forward and sank his teeth into her throat, biting into the wound he had already created. Hinata seemed to find her voice and let out a scream that filled the trees and pierced the night with all the force of a white fire. Itachi didn't seem to notice, and she felt his tongue against the cut, her blood must now be dripping onto his tongue...Hinata struck out wildly with her foot, but the way Itachi was standing, she couldn't get enough force to cause any damage. It did surprise him a little though, and he moved away from the shallow cut on her throat, staring deeply into her eyes with a kind of sadistic cruelty.
"N-Naruto-kun..." Hinata didn't know why she breathed his name. It was as if the sound of it passing through her lips gave her strength. She thrashed violently, and to her surprise the pressure on her hands and against her body vanished. Startled by it's sudden absence, she tumbled down onto the ground, sprawled on her hands and knees. She heard a faint whisper on the wind, so quiet she might have imagined it. I'll find you again... She hadn't noticed it before, but there was another presence nearby. One incredibly familiar and warm...She couldn't focus on it, merely remembered the cold hands on hers, the teeth at her throat. Hinata sat up, clutching her hands to her chest, and a small sob racked her frame, tears sliding from her eyes.
"Hinata? Hey, I was just on my way to your party-! Hey, Hinata-! Hinata?!" The person was drawing nearer, and had apparently seen that she was crying, for they dropped something and broke into a run, sinking to their knees in front of her. She felt a pair of hands grasp her shoulders, and saw a flicker of cerulean eyes through the film of tears that clouded her vision. Naruto-kun! She opened her eyes all the way, and for the first time, didn't feel embarrassed around him. The tears still slid from her eyes, but silently now. Something registered dully in the back of her mind. 'On my way to your party...' He was going to come!
"Hinata, what's happened? I swear I heard you scream...!" The darkness must have made the blood on her neck harder to see, even against the paleness of her skin. The tears fell faster, and she felt the desire to just break down and weep, but the feeling of Naruto's hands on her shoulders seemed to ground her. His hands were warm, they were real. Comforting. Itachi was gone. He must have run away when he sensed someone approaching. Or maybe he hadn't been there at all. The stinging in her neck proved he had indeed been there.
But Naruto...Naruto had heard her, and he had come to help her. Come to see what was wrong...
Without thinking, she leaned forward and crashed her lips against his.
She didn't miss, and her first thought was that his lips were very soft, almost squishy. It was an odd word to associate with the situation, but it was now the only word she could think of. Her eyes had squeezed shut, and her arms were pinned close to her chest, her entire body angled forward to allow the kiss. Hinata didn't know what had motivated her to do it, well, technically, she did. But she didn't know why she had done it so suddenly. After a second or two, what she was doing seemed to sink in. She pulled away frantically, eyes flying open. Naruto still crouched there, his lips slightly parted and his bright blue eyes shining in surprise.
"I-I'm sorry, Naruto-kun!" Okay /now/ she was embarrassed. She had just /kissed/ him! Scrambling to her feet, Hinata darted away from Naruto, whose gaze followed her in supreme shock. Hinata ran faster than she ever had before, throwing another "I'm sorry" over her shoulder. If she could just get out of here first, then maybe she could faint /away/ from the blond. She didn't stop running even when she reached Ino's house, but simply came bursting through the door. Luckily, the blond kunoichi was sitting alone in her living room.
"Oh, hey Hinata-sama. I know I said you could always talk to me but it's kind of late-" Ino had stood, and her eyebrows lifted, moving to the cut on the heiress' neck. "Hinata-sama!" She scrambled to her feet, sending her chair flying in the process as she moved towards the other kunoichi. "What happened?"
"I-Ino-chan...Could you heal me? And could I get a washcloth or something...to clean off the blood?"
"Well yeah, yeah of course!" Ino lifted her hands urgently to Hinata's neck, and her skin glowed green. Hinata felt a curious warmth spread over the wound, and the most bizarre sensation of her skin knitting itself back together. After a few moments, Ino finished, and Hinata let out a small sigh, hand moving to where the cut had been. It was most certainly gone. "Here-" Ino held out a clean cloth, which Hinata took numbly and made her way to the kitchen. Ino rushed after her, firing questions at Hinata's back. But the heiress could practically feel Ino's words soaring in one ear and out the other.
The heiress leaned over the sink once she reached the kitchen, running the cloth under the faucet until it was dripping, then began to scrub at her neck. Flakes of dried blood fell from her skin into the basin, where the still running water soaked into them and ran down the drain in watery streams of red. There wasn't actually as much blood as she thought there was, and within a minute or so she glanced up at her reflection in the window. The blood was gone, but there was still some pinkish irritation on her neck where she had been scrubbing it. Otherwise, her throat was intact. Hinata let out a small sigh of relief. Maybe everything would be okay now-
"HEY! HINATA!" She felt a hand on her shoulder and was pulled around to face Ino. The blond's face was livid. "What the hell happened?! You come stumbling in here alone in the middle of the night with your throat cut and you've barely said a word!"
"I...I don't want to talk-"
"No! Nu-uh!" Ino waved one hand in front of her face, the other hand planted firmly on her hip. "I need answers, Hinata!" Hinata felt herself trembling again. She could barely keep it in anymore, but if she started to talk about it, she'd break down for sure. Just then, the front door burst open. Now that she was on the other side of it, Hinata saw it was indeed a little irritating. She felt relieved to see Kiba stumble through the doorway, Shino just behind him.
Kiba rushed forward and gripped Hinata's shoulders, shaking her roughly. Hinata felt her head wobbling around on her neck, but she must not have moved too much since Kiba's face never left her vision. "Hinata! I ran into some kind of chakra barrier, but you went through it and when I realized I couldn't, I ran to get Shino and when we got back we heard you scream and the barrier died away and then I followed your scent here!" He said it all in one sentence, somehow, and his eyes were wide in panic. He had finally stopped shaking her, and she stared at him blankly, lips parted a little. The shock had worn off now, and it was slowly starting to sink in what had happened.
She was feeling it all over again. His hands, cold on her skin. The kunai against her throat, and his teeth, sinking into her wound. Hinata couldn't stop reliving it and her body started trembling again. His hips, fitted against hers. Her blood, dripping down her neck and onto his tongue. "Itachi...Uchiha...Itachi..." She whispered, eyes squeezed shut.
Silence met her words. "Uchiha Itachi?" Ino echoed from somewhere very far away. "Sasuke-kun's brother? What do you...?"
"Met him in the forest, he was going to capture Naruto-kun. And then tonight he ambushed me when Kiba-kun and I got separated. He cut my throat...and..." Her voice trailed away. She didn't want to mention how he had licked her blood or how Naruto had shown up..."Naruto-kun!" She burst out suddenly, and now Kiba looked concerned for her sanity. But she didn't care.
"Naruto-kun showed up, and Itachi vanished, but he's probably still there, we have to make sure he's okay!" She had just abandoned Naruto there, all alone. What if the whole thing had been set up so Itachi could capture Naruto?! Hinata actually made to start towards the door, but Kiba grabbed her wrist.
"Hinata, i'm sure Naruto's fine. I'll go check, okay? Ino, come with me. Shino, can you take Hinata back home?"
Ino nodded, and followed Kiba out the door, leaving Shino and Hinata alone in the kitchen. Hinata stared at the place Kiba had been standing a moment ago, breathing heavily. "Come on, Hinata." Shino said gently.
"You...You guys don't believe me..." Hinata whispered, looking at Shino with wide eyes.
He didn't reply right away, merely stared at her with an impassive expression. "It's highly unlikely Itachi could have gotten inside the village..." When Hinata's shoulder's sagged with disappointment, Shino redirected his words. "Although it's not impossible. And there's no reason for you to have lied about such a thing." Hinata smiled faintly, and after a moment, Shino mirrored the gesture. "Shall we get you home then?" He asked, and Hinata nodded.
"But uhm...I really don't want to talk to anyone else about this. Especially not Tousan." Shino nodded in understanding.
"We'll figure something out. But you do need to report this to Hokage-sama."
Hinata bit her lip, fidgeting. "O-Okay...I will."
"Promise?"
"Hai, I promise."
"Then I won't say anymore about it."
Hinata and Shino had managed to get inside the compound, then Hinata left Shino behind and wove her way to her bedroom. She climbed through the window, landing lightly in her room. She was just wondering how she would explain her absence to her father when she realized there was someone in her bed. Warily, she approached, pulling back the covers, and gaped at the person lying there in confusion. It was herself. "Uhm..." She prodded the girl's shoulder, and the fake Hinata opened one eye, then sat up and smiled. There was a small puff of smoke, then Tenten released the henge.
"Hey Hinata-chan."
"Tenten! How did you..?"
"When Kiba came back to get Shino he asked me to cover for you. So I did."
"Wow...Thank you Tenten." Hinata smiled, and the brunette shrugged.
"Not a problem. You owe me one though." Tenten said brightly, then left the room the way Hinata had come in. The heiress sighed, then carefully changed out of her kimono. It was much easier to get out of the elaborate dress than get into it. Once she was in her nightclothes, she flopped onto her bed. Hoping Kiba and Ino had found Naruto safely, she remembered Naruto's lips against hers, and drifted off to sleep within seconds.
Author: I tend to get sidetracked when I write and forget about things, so if you notice something that kind of contradicts previous stuff in the story, let me know please. And the characters might get a little OOC, but I do my best so just enjoy, yeah? Anywho. I disclaim all characters, since they're not mine. Review please. It brightens my day and makes me want to write more. n.n