Notes: (2010) - Originally back in 2007, ffnet kept screwing up my document whenever I tried submitting it as a one-shot. So it became a two-shot. Enjoy.
Chapter Two
"Where could that woman have run off too, especially on this day?" a man scratched the back of his head. "She better not have ran away at the last minute…" he tapped his foot impatiently and looked at his surroundings. He was standing outside of the Hyuuga meeting hall, where every single Hyuuga member, main house and branch house, were sitting comfortably, waiting for an announcement to take place.
Except for one Hyuuga member.
"Darn it, Hinata…" the man gritted his teeth. "I swear I'll rip you in half if you miss this thing on purpose…"
"Well, Neji-san, why don't you go look in the places Hinata-sama favors? Who knows, she may be hiding there." A Hyuuga main house elder walked up to the man and tapped his shoulders.
The now grown-up Neji turned his head and looked at the elder with a you-can't-be-serious look on his face. "Where would Hinata-sama go in all this rain? There's no way she'd be in the courtyard…" his voice trailed off.
The elder only smiled. "Well, then. Go get her. Today is a big day for Hinata-sama."
Neji let out an exasperated sigh. "Yes, sir."
.o.
It was a Friday evening, one week before the third Chūnin exam was taking place. Hinata was sitting with her knees curled against her chin on the hill in the courtyard, letting the summer rain fall around her. Her eyes half closed, she continually stared at her small toes, curled up under her feet.
"Hinata-sama…" a voice reached her.
Hinata jumped, and turned around to see Neji looking at her with a cold, yet…warm face at the same time. She flinched, and started trembling.
"Y-Yes, Neji-niisan…?" she whispered, chills running up her spine. Ever since Neji had nearly murdered Hinata in the preliminaries to the third exam, even the sound of Neji's name would make her start shaking.
Neji sighed, and turned his head to the side. Looking at her was just pitiful. "For your condition…" he slowly got down on all fours and bowed. "Forgive me…"
Hinata's eyes widened at his action. Neji…apologizing? Oh…She thought. It must be a small punishment for harming the heir to the Hyuuga…My Father or the Hyuuga elders must be making him do this…It…It can't be a real apology…Nonetheless, she slowly stood up and looked at Neji. "N-Neji-niisan…I for—"
Suddenly her stomach lurched and a gulp of blood forced their way put of her lips, spewing her chest. She cupped her mouth with her hands and collapsed onto her knees.
"Hinata-sama!" a few Hyuuga members shouted and ran over to aid Hinata. "Hinata-sama, hold on, we'll escort you to the medicine room and help stop the bleeding…" two women hoisted Hinata up and started carrying her away, leaving Neji sitting down, on the hill in the center of the courtyard, letting the rain fall on his face.
.o.
"Ugh…I don't see her anywhere." Neji stood with his hands on his knees, and huffing and puffing. "I'm here in the courtyard, but I don't see where she…oh…" his voice trailed off, as he caught a glimpse of a young woman sitting in a bench on the porch, across the area from where Neji was standing.
He suddenly took a sigh of relief. So she didn't completely run away after all…
"Hinata-sama." He called. When the woman didn't respond, he gritted his teeth and started walking toward her. "Hinata-sama, the ceremony's starting soon, and you are needed greatly…" when he reached up to the woman and was standing in front of her, he paused. Wait a minute…she was dozing off! "Hey." Neji poked her arm, slightly ticked off. Did she forget this whole thing?
Neji looked to the right. It wasn't storming anymore, but rather, the soft murmuring of the rain hitting the roof produced a lullaby. Neji concluded it was what made Hinata fall asleep. "Troublesome woman…why do I even worry about you…" he found himself saying out loud. When she responded with a soft snore, he sighed.
Neji, feeling that he had to take a small break and that the ceremony could wait three minutes, decided to sit down beside of Hinata, and rested his head on his hand. He found himself observing Hinata…not in a perverted way, mind you, but…just realizing at what a young woman Hinata has become. She was still shy, and her self-esteem could still use work, but…at first glance, one would think of her as an attractive, smart, and kind adult.
Neji took a few fingers, reached up, and started playing with Hinata's long, flowing hair. "It really has…gotten long…"
.o.
During a Thursday evening in December, Hinata was sitting, crouched behind a tree in the Hyuuga courtyard, feeling the rain run down her short, stubby hair. It was two years after the third Chūnin exam had ended, and one week till her birthday. It had also been almost two years ever since Naruto had up and left Konoha to train with his sensei. Hinata blushed slightly at thinking about him. How she wished he would come back…is training in Konoha not enough for him? Why couldn't she go with them? Hinata buried her face in her arms.
"Hinata," a stern voice poked Hinata's ears.
She looked up to see her father standing over her. "What are you doing in this rain?" he asked.
"Oh…just, um…thinking, Father," Hinata answered.
Her father frowned. "You can think indoors, Hinata."
"Y-Yes, Father…"
"Anyway, that wasn't the reason I confronted to you," The Lord Hyuuga straightened himself up, and looked down at Hinata. "You realize you will be taking over this clan someday, Hinata. It will be sooner than you know."
"I know, Father."
"And I've decided to help train you in becoming more suitable for the role. First we will work on appearance, then we'll gradually change you until your entire personality becomes appropriate as I see fit," he said, giving Hinata an extremely stern look, saying I-will-not-take-any-complaints.
Hinata's eyes widened and her eyebrows curved upward in a worried state. "Um…ye-yes, Father…"
Lord Hyuuga nodded. "Good. First, we are going to take the first small step in appearance. Hinata, I do not want you to cut your hair anymore. It doesn't give one the impression of being shy. So that's what I want you to work on first, Hinata. Learn how to take care of longer hair, and let it grow as long as it will."
Hinata was dumbfounded. Never cut her hair? But she wasn't used to anything other than incredibly short. She inwardly sighed. "Yes…Father…"
.o.
A few minutes later, Hinata found herself waking up from a short nap. "Mmmnnn…" she mumbled, wiped her eyes off of crust, and opened them.
Only then did she notice the heavy weight on her left shoulder. She opened her eyes wide and looked to see what was resting on herself.
…
"Neji…niisan…?"
She could only stare, as her cousin dozed comfortably using her side as a pillow. She even saw a small trickle of drool slide down the side of his open mouth. Hinata couldn't help but giggle a little bit, and found that she was content in this scene. She found herself smiling, and rested her back against the bench. She closed her eyes, in hopes of the rain putting her to sleep once more.
"Hinata-sama! Neji-san! What in the world are you two doing?" a Hyuuga elder shouted from across the courtyard.
The shout busted Hinata and Neji both awake at once. Neji sat up, his eyes wide, and was wiping away the drool on his mouth. "What…how…how long have I been here?" he gasped.
"Dear god, Neji-san, it's been almost fifteen minutes since you said you were going to the courtyard and left!" the elder shouted.
"What? That long?" It was Neji's turn to shout out loud. "Hinata-sama! We need to go to the meeting hall!" he took Hinata by the shoulders and shook them.
"Nnngh…What?" she sleepily asked, wiping away the crust on her eyes.
"Hinata-sama, have you forgotten? Today you are being named Head of the Hyuuga!" Neji cried.
"I…what? T-Today?" Hinata snapped awake and her eyes widened. "I-I…need to go!" she jerked up and started running toward the meeting hall, Neji following closely behind her.
.o.
After the ceremony was over, Hinata was standing in the center of the meeting hall, shaking hands with many important Hyuuga members. "Congratulations, I almost had no hope in you for a while, now. Bless Hiashi-sama, bless him."
"Y-Yes, thank you…" Hinata replied. She smiled, and when the Hyuuga member left, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"So, Hinata-sama…I mean, Lady Hyuuga," she heard the voice of her cousin behind her ears. "What exactly were you doing outside in the courtyard…in the rain…if you weren't even running away from the ceremony?"
Hinata took a few fingers and touched Neji's hand. She looked up at his face and grinned deviously. "You know me…I like the rain. It puts me to sleep," she warmly smiled.
Neji smiled back. "Yes, Lady Hyuuga. I know. Now come…It's about time everyone gets ready to bed," he said, and started leading her way out.
Hinata beamed at his gesture, and thought, Yes…I do like the rain. Maybe even in more ways than one.
End