A/N:

Sorry for the wait everyone! I was so busy with schoolwork that I barely had time to work on this. T-T

For some reason though, I'm really not happy with this chapter. It just seems too longwinded and feels like it's not going anywhere. If you feel that way too, don't worry, though it may not seem like it, this story is going somewhere and I'm hoping that chapters will start getting better as the story progresses.

Anyway, a really special thanks to bubblegumchick34, dustori, and xShYgIrLx (who also contacted me through YouTube ^^) for reviewing! Thank you so much! It was your reviews that convinced me to continue this story ^^

Disclaimer: Yeah...I don't own Naruto T-T But I'm sure you have already figured that out. If I did...the anime/manga would be about Kiba and Hinata's love for each other rather than a blonde idiot (but I love him anyway XD)

Running Scared

Chapter 2: Welcome to Camp Ayakashi

The car ride to camp seemed much shorter than usual. Hinata spent a bulk of the time staring out of her window, her stomach twisting uneasily. She had tried to convince herself that it was just a dream and didn't mean anything. Under normal circumstances, she would have accepted this. However, the fact that the very same dream continued to repeat itself was threatening to drive her over the edge.

After what seemed like mere minutes, the car came to a stop. Hinata remained in her seat, refusing to so much as bat an eyelash. Somehow, she had managed to convince herself that if she didn't move, much less leave the car, she would wake up from this new nightmare. The sound of Neji knocking on her window brought her painfully back to reality.

Grudgingly, Hinata exited the car and walked around the back to take her suitcase out of the trunk.

"Are you all right, Hinata-sama?" Neji asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," she assured him, "And, could you please just call me Hinata? You know I don't like it when people attach sama to my name."

"But-"

"If you want to show respect, do so by respecting my wishes."

"Alright then, Hinata."

"Thank you."

She pulled the strap of her suitcase over her shoulder, took a deep breath, and faced the entrance of the camp. Only seconds after doing so, she found herself wishing she hadn't. The scene in front of her mirrored exactly what she dreamed of every night, with a few minor differences.

For one thing, the camp was not abandoned. In fact, it was far from it. Everywhere Hinata looked, she saw people weaving in and out of each other like the threads of a massive quilt. However, there was something strange about them that she couldn't put her finger on. Maybe it was the older style of clothing they were wearing, or the fact that they all had dark hair and pale skin. She couldn't tell.

Deciding to ignore this, she turned her attention to the old, wooden buildings surrounding her. The windows of said buildings, through which Hinata could see even more people, were open and inviting. A familiar creaking sound filled her ears. She turned and focused on the old sign with the faded letters. This time, however, the young girl could feel the cool breeze caress her cheeks and blow through her dark hair.

"Hinata!" A familiar voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

Turning, she saw her two friends, Sakura and Ino, running towards her.

"Hi Sakura-chan, Ino-chan," she greeted them with a smile, her troubling thoughts momentarily forgotten.

"You're finally here!" Ino exclaimed indignantly, "We've been waiting!"

"Gomenasai," Hinata apologized.

"Oh don't listen to her, Hinata," Sakura said, elbowing Ino in the side, "She's just grumpy. Come on, we'll show you the cabin."

"We're in the same cabin?" Hinata asked.

"Yes, and TenTen's with us too."

Hinata's mood brightened slightly upon hearing this. She had always liked Neji's classmate and secretly suspected her of having a crush on her older cousin.

"Here it is," Sakura said, stopping on the front steps of one of the old wooden structures.

Hinata entered and dumped her bag into the far left corner. Sakura propped the door open with her shoes to let the breeze in.

"Which bed isn't taken?" Hinata asked, gesturing towards the two sets of bunk beds.

"Well, Sakura and I took this set," Ino said, pointing to the beds aligned with the right wall, "And I think TenTen called tops on that one."

"Alright," Hinata sat down on her bed and sighed.

"Are you ok, Hinata?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"Of course, why do you ask?"

"I don't know, you just seem a bit distant today."

"I'm tired," Hinata replied quickly, "I haven't been sleeping well lately."

Well, that wasn't a lie.

"Oh, ok," Sakura bought it without question.

"What time is it?" Hinata asked Ino.

"It's six thirty," the blonde replied, "Dinner is at seven, so we have half an hour."

"Do you want to go over to the cafeteria and see if anyone's there?" Sakura asked, her question directed towards Hinata.

She nodded, "We might as well."

They left the door open to keep the room cool. Camp Ayakashi was over fifty years old and, in those fifty years, the cabins had never been renovated. They didn't have air conditioning.

"Is everyone here?" Hinata asked, trying to ignore the heat of the setting sun on her back.

"So far," Ino replied, pulling her long ponytail into a bun to keep her blonde hair off of her neck and back, "There are some older kids too."

"So that's all?" Hinata asked, surprised.

"Yeah, why?"

"Oh, nothing, there were just a lot of people here when I arrived."

Ino and Sakura stopped walking.

"What?" Hinata asked, feeling nervous under their intense stares.

"Hinata…this camp has been basically deserted all day," Sakura informed her, "Are you sure you're feeling ok?"

A horrible chill ran down Hinata's back.

"F…fine," she lied.

"Ah, we just need to get some food in her stomach," Ino said, poking her friend and smiling.

Sakura didn't smile; she was still staring intently at the dark-haired girl.

Hinata laughed nervously, "D…don't worry, Sakura-chan. I'm fine, really. Ino-chan's probably right."

Sakura raised an eyebrow, obviously not buying it this time, but relented and said, "Ok then, let's keep moving."

The pink-haired girl continued walking, Ino following. Hinata followed more slowly. Though she didn't want it to show, she was terrified. She was so sure she had seen those people, as plainly as she could see her two friends in front of her. Something strange was going on.

Suddenly the sun didn't seem so warm anymore.

As they neared the cafeteria, Hinata paused to observe the area surrounding her. The main buildings of the camp, such as the main office, cafeteria, medical office, and club house formed a small semicircle with the old welcome sign still swaying merrily in its placein the center. Behind the buildings, the murky water of Lake Dekishi extended to the point where one could only see the faint outline of the opposite shore.

"Hinata, are you coming?" Ino's voice jerked Hinata from her thoughts.

"Yes," She replied and continued walking.

They reached the cafeteria in a matter of minutes. Like every other building in the camp, it was made of wood. However, the cafeteria was the oldest building, and it showed. The wooden boards were wearing away and the red paint that used to cover the entire structure was worn and chipped in too many places to count.

The rusted hinges of the door screeched unpleasantly as Sakura opened it and stepped inside. The inside of the building was bright as the sunlight filtered in through the open windows.

"It looks like everyone else had the same idea," Sakura commented.

Everyone was already there, sitting at the long tables and chatting amongst themselves.

"Shikamaru, Chouji!" Ino called, waving at her two male friends. She took Sakura and Hinata's arms and pulled them over to the table where they were sitting.

"Hey Ino," Chouji greeted the blonde, "Sakura, Hinata."

Hinata smiled in greeting, her usual shyness surfacing.

"Hey Chouji," Sakura said, "Is everyone here?"

"Yeah, we all headed over early because there was really nothing to do outside," he explained.

Suddenly, Ino nudged Hinata in the side and whispered, "Here comes Naruto."

Hinata's face turned scarlet as the blonde male approached.

"Ino, Sakura-chan, Hinata, you're here!" He exclaimed.

"H…hi N…Naruto-kun," Hinata stammered, inwardly cursing herself for her shyness.

Naruto tipped his head to the side, "Hey, Hinata, do you have a fever?"

"N…no."

"Hm…you should go to the nurse, your face is really red," He told her. He then turned to Sakura and said, "Anyway, Sasuke and I are sitting over there," he pointed to the end of the first table, "You can join us if you want to."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "I'll think about it."

"Alright then, I'll be right back!" He said, hurrying off.

"I honestly don't know what you see in him," Ino sighed, patting Hinata on the shoulder and shaking her head slightly.

A pair of warm arms wrapped around her, causing Hinata to let out a squeak of surprise.

"Hey Hinata!" A familiar voice said.

She relaxed slightly, "H…hi Kiba-kun."

The brunette released her and stepped back. She turned to face him and he gave her a grin, which she returned with a small smile.

"Do you want to sit with Shino and I?" He asked, gesturing to the middle of the table where Shino was already seated.

"S…sure," She agreed.

Kiba and Shino were her best friends besides Sakura and Ino. They had been lab partners since their Freshman year and had been close ever since.

"Sakura-chan, Ino-chan, do you want to come?" Hinata asked.

"Sure," Sakura said, "It'll get me away from Naruto."

"I'll stay here," Ino said, "I need to ask Shikamaru something anyway."

Shikamaru sighed, "So troublesome…"

"Come on then!" Kiba grabbed Hinata's hand, who blushed furiously at the contact, and pulled her over to the table.

Hinata sat down next to Shino, who nodded in greeting. Kiba walked to the other side of the table and sat down across from her. Sakura took the seat between Hinata and Lee, who cheered upon finding that Sakura was sitting next to him.

"So, Shino-kun, how has your summer been?" Hinata asked the quiet male, trying to start a conversation.

"It's only been two weeks," He replied simply.

"Yes but-"

"Aw, Hinata, don't worry about him," Kiba cut her off, "He's just grumpy because he had to ride over with me."

"Three hours of your music and crazy driving? No thanks," Shino grumbled.

"Hey, next time, you can drive and we can listen to your music," Kiba said, "And I'm not a bad driver! So I like to drive a little faster than the speed limit, who doesn't?"

"Define 'a little faster'."

Kiba rolled his eyes and groaned, "I don't get it. This guy barely talks yet is a master at getting on my nerves!"

Hinata giggled as the brunette's exasperated expression.

"Wait, Shino-kun, why didn't you drive yourself?" She asked.

"My dad took away my keys," he explained.

"Oh."

"Yeah, he won't tell me why," Kiba whispered, leaning across the table, "I have a feeling he's in to drugs or something like that. I mean, with all of the baggy sweatshirts he wears, he could be hiding anything!"

Apparently, Kiba's whispering wasn't as quiet as he thought. Shino turned and sent him a glare. Or, that is, what Hinata would assume was a glare beneath his sunglasses.

Hinata laughed, "Kiba-kun!"

"Aw, come on, admit it, it's true!"

Hinata only laughed harder. That was one of Kiba's gifts. No matter what, he was always able to make her laugh. The terrifying thoughts of earlier seemed to disintegrate and her mood improved considerably. Kiba just grinned wider, happy to see her in high spirits again.

"Well, seeing as you're feeling better, what do you say to grabbing some food?" He asked.

Hinata opened her mouth to answer but an unusually loud roar erupted from her stomach, answering for her.

"Ok…I'll take that as a yes."

Hinata flushed with embarrassment.

"We'll come too," Sakura said, standing up with Lee and TenTen, with whom she had been conversing.

Shino also tagged along, not speaking a word as usual. At first Hinata had been doubtful that they would become friends. Shino was a very quiet person and Hinata was very shy. Thankfully, Kiba was loud and helped to balance them out. However, when she was alone with Shino, he would occasionally talk to her and offer advice. It didn't take long for them to feel comfortable around each other and to consider themselves friends.

Fortunately, they were the first group to approach the food table. Hinata piled her plate with fruit and a small wrap. She then took a cup and poured herself pink lemonade. Along with Sakura and TenTen, she walked back to the table. The rest of her classmates were making their way towards the food.

The food was surprisingly good. It wasn't greasy and slippery like the food that was served at Hinata's school.

'Maybe Ino-chan was right,' she thought, swallowing another mouthful of food. Now that her stomach was no longer snarling at her, she was feeling much better.

"Hey, can someone pass me a napkin?" TenTen asked.

"Sure," Kiba replied, reaching across the table. Clumsily, he knocked over Hinata's drink.

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry!" He exclaimed, getting up.

"Don't worry about it," Hinata told him, smiling in assurance, "I've got it."

She took the napkins that he handed her and knelt down to clean up the spill. However, as she did so, she noticed something was amiss.

The lemonade had lost its pinkish tinge, replaced by a dark crimson that oozed sluggishly over the wooden floorboards. Hinata froze.

It was blood.

She could only stare in horror, rooted to the spot, as the puddle grew. Inch by inch, it crept towards her, like a beast stalking its prey, preparing to pounce.

She could smell it now, the metallic tang filling her nose. Her throat constricted, making it difficult for her to breath. She felt like she was suffocating in the overwhelming odor of death and decay. It was only centimeters from her finger tips…

"Hinata? Are you ok?" A warm hand on her shoulder and a familiar voice brought her back to reality.

The blood turned back into lemonade and the pungent smell disappeared.

"I…I'm fine," She promised, beginning to clean the floor with the napkins. Kiba knelt down to help her, not asking any more questions. Hinata was grateful for this and relaxed slightly as she felt her terror dissipate.

"Are you cold?" Kiba asked.

Hinata blinked in surprise and looked down at her hands. She hadn't realized she was shaking.

"Y…yes," she lied.

"Here, wear this," Kiba said, shrugging off his jacket and draping it over her shoulders.

Hinata stiffened in shock and her cheeks automatically turned crimson.

"Th…thank you, Kiba-kun," she stammered.

He gave her a wolfish grin in response. When they finished, he took the wet napkins from her and threw them away. Then, they both rejoined the group at the table

"Hinata, are you feeling ok?" TenTen asked, sounding worried, "You look a little pale."

"I'm just tired," she replied.

Sakura was staring at her intently again, but Hinata ignored her. She wasn't ready to explain anything yet. The last thing she wanted was for her friends to think she was crazy.

"Everyone, if I could have your attention please," a voice from the front of the room said.

Talking ceased and the building became quiet.

"Hello there, welcome to Camp Ayakashi," The man continued, "My name is Iruka and I am the head counselor. Now, I know that none of you want to sit and listen to a long introductory speech, so I'll be brief. For fifty years, Camp Ayakashi has provided teenagers such as yourselves with an escape from the boredom of home during the summer. Your counselors and I will be working hard to keep your days packed with fun, teambuilding activities. Breakfast will be at eight in the morning and the day will begin at eight thirty. So be sure to get some sleep. The activities of the day will be announced at breakfast and you will be given time, if needed, to return to your cabins to retrieve the items you need for these activities. Each cabin has a different counselor whom you will meet upon returning tonight. Are there any questions?"

Nobody said a word.

"Alright then, you are dismissed. Sleep well."

People began to stand up and leave.

"Come on, Hinata," Sakura said, "Let's find Ino and head back."

Hinata nodded, "Ok, goodnight Kiba-kun, goodnight Shino-kun."

"See you tomorrow!" Kiba said, grinning.

Shino just nodded in acknowledgement.

"Ino! Let's go!" Sakura called, pulling Ino out of the group of people.

"Hey!" The blonde protested, "I'm coming! Don't pull so hard!"

Outside the sun had long since set, surrendering the earth to the shadows of night. A few lone stars shone faintly through the black sky. Hinata shivered and pulled Kiba's jacket closer around her body. It was then that she realized that she still had it. She blushed slightly but refused to think more deeply about it.

"Aw crap!" Ino exclaimed when they reached their cabin, "We left the door open! I bet there are bugs all over the place now…"

"Don't worry about it," TenTen said, "If there are, we'll just use our shoes to squish them."

Ino turned blue and didn't reply. Hinata laughed slightly. TenTen was one of the most carefree girls she knew. She was never bothered by bugs or mud, like most girls were.

Inside, there was a woman waiting for them. She had long, dark hair and piercing crimson eyes. Hinata, at first, felt intimidated but the woman smiled kindly as they entered the room and relieved Hinata of her anxiety.

"Hello," she greeted them, "I am Yuhi Kurenai and I will be your counselor. What are your names?"

"I'm Sakura."

"Ino."

"TenTen."

"H…Hinata," She mentally kicked herself for stammering. For as long as she could remember she had that problem. She had hoped it would eventually disappear as she aged, but it did no such thing.

"It's nice to meet you all," Kurenai continued, "Well, all I had to do was introduce myself, so I'll leave and let you sleep. I will see you tomorrow at the first activity."

She left without another word.

"Ok…" Ino said, "Weird…"

"Well, I don't know about you three, but I'm changing!" TenTen announced.

Hinata, Sakura, and Ino agreed and the four quickly changed into their nightclothes.

"I don't get why everyone keeps telling us to go to sleep, it's not that late!" Ino complained.

"Hey, I have an idea," TenTen said, "Why don't we tell ghost stories?"

"Yeah! That sounds like fun!" Sakura agreed enthusiastically.

Hinata paled. The last thing she needed was a dose of ghost stories.

"I'll go first," Sakura offered.

Ino and TenTen sat down with her, Hinata reluctantly following suit, and formed a circle.

"Ok," Sakura started, "Once, there was this guy named Richard who had recently moved into a pretty run-down neighborhood with his parents. Their house was old and in great need of repair. None of the windows or doors locked properly.
Richard began complaining to his parents that he had trouble sleeping at night because of the "scratching" noises in his room. His mom assured him that it was just rats, or some cat that had managed to get in. However, after turning on the lights and searching the room, no such animal was found. His parents told him to go back to bed.
So, he went back to bed but was awakened almost immediately by the scratching. He couldn't tell where it was coming from, but he decided to ignore it and fell asleep again.
Later, he didn't know how much later, he was once again awakened and sat up in his bed, crying out in pain. Something had bitten him in the middle of his back, which, of course, made no sense because he had been lying down. He went to go get his dad.
His dad looked at his back. The wound looked nothing like a bite. It looked more like a puncture wound. So he turned on the lights and inspected Richard's bed. There was a hole in the fitted sheet and some of the mattress stuffing was showing through it. Richard suggested that maybe the spring had come through so his dad flipped the twin bed over to check. What he found was a long knife stuck in the mattress, pointing upwards. He also found mud and dirt under the bed, the exact length of a person. He immediately checked outside the window and found fresh footprints in the mud leading to and then away from the window.
Someone had slipped into Richard's room through the window and lain under his bed. The scratching that he heard was the person using the knife to dig a hole through the box springs and mattress to kill him!"

Sakura finished her story with a smile. Ino and TenTen laughed while Hinata let out a breath of relief. If the following stories were the same, more amusing than scary, she would be able to handle it.

"Oh, come on!" TenTen said, "That was lame, I've got one that'll really scare you! Especially because this one is not only true, but it's about this very summer camp."

Hinata's stomach gave a great lurch.

Pleased that she had everyone's attention, TenTen began:

"It was fifty years ago, the first year that this camp was open. There was this girl, a few years younger than us, who was very beautiful. She had long, dark hair and sky blue eyes. Every boy at the camp was after her, to the point where even the male counselors became infatuated with her. However, one day, somebody took things too far.
It was after the dance, in celebration of the camp's opening, that her friends noticed she was missing. They told their counselor, who quickly organized a small search party to look for her. The counselor assured her campers that the girl had just gone for a walk or something of the sort and would be back soon.
However, when morning came, she was still missing. The search party grew larger and even included the surrounding forest in its search. She was still nowhere to be found.
Three days later, the campers were swimming in Lake Dekishi. A few girls were playing the shallow water when one of them felt something cold brush up against her leg. She reached down and grabbed whatever it was and pulled the surprisingly heavy object out of the water. The girls screamed.
It was the girl's body, pale, clammy, and covered in algae. There were gashes and cuts all over her body, and her eyes were gouged out. She had been murdered, brutally.
An investigation was launched immediately, but the murderer was never found."

TenTen looked highly amused at the looks of fear on her friends' faces. Hinata, however, could not stop shaking. The girl in the story sounded exactly like the girl in her dreams.

"Hinata?" Sakura placed a hand on the dark-haired girl's back.

She tried to say "I'm fine" but when she opened her mouth, nothing came out.

There was defiantly something strange happening at Camp Ayakashi this year.

A/N:

Well, I hope you all liked it! As for the scary story Sakura told, I didn't make it up. My friend told it to me last year while we were at camp and I couldn't think of anything better to use. Trust me, I was up all night trying to find a really scary story but every one I read was really lame and dissapointing :(

Anyway, please, please, please review!

Thank you for reading!