Author's Note:
This is the Last Time by Mae
Okay, since last time I asked wether the slab of lyrics stays or goes, here's what's what. No one wanted to keep the poor things, which I find sad, since I liked them, but I'll cut them out. Just for you guys. 'Cause you're special. Anyways, more plot progression! This is actually moving along better than I had hoped. This chapter moves kind of fast, so if any one gets lost mention in the reviews and I'll see if I can clairfy.
Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine, but oh how I wish it was!
Close Quarters Ch 4
"What are you two doing?"
Both nearly jumped out of their skins.
"Neji?!" Both exclaimed in surprise at the voice, and both prayed silently that when they turned around that there cousin was not really going to be standing behind them.
Much to their disappoint, he was. Not only that, but he was giving his world famous death glare. Both sisters knew they were in for it now.
"Please, tell me I did not just catch you eavesdropping on Lord Hiashi."
Both sifted uneasily underneath their cousin's stern gaze, refusing to meet his eyes. Hinata was chewing on her bottom lip in contemplation, while Hanabi's held her spine ramrod straight in childish defiance.
"Well?" Neji's arms were crossed across his chest and his left foot tapped while he waited.
"Y-yes, I mean no! I m-mean yes! I-it's … it's not w-what you think!" Hinata cursed her stupid tongue -- her words were not coming out right at all!
"Yes."
Two heads snapped their attention at Hanabi, who still held her spine almost painfully straight and kept her eyes downcast. Neji sighed softly, Hanabi was always so truthful that it should have been a fault.
Tiredly, Neji continued, "Why?"
"For our own reasons, but I swear it won't happen again. Are you going to report us to Father? " Hanabi's voice was quiet and held almost no emotion, as if she could care less. But it was an almost -- there was an evil, bittersweet tone to her voice.
Neji could have sworn she wore the smallest trace of an evil smile, and his eyebrow twitched. Everybody thought Hanabi was this sweet, obedient daddy's little girl. And she was: most of the time. Very few knew about the little Hyuuga's mischievous streak, and, luckily, few had experienced it. Sadly, Neji had first hand experience that had been mildly painful.
He had remembered the first time he had caught Hanabi doing something she was not supposed to – she had stayed out past her curfew. The little Hyuuga had gotten good at sneaking past her father; it helped that Hinata would cover for her and even let Hanabi use her bedroom window as an entrance and exit. She had not been expecting to run into her older sleepless cousin.
Neji had been merely taking a midnight stroll before he went to sleep – he never dreamed that Hanabi would land on him when she jumped over the wall that surrounded the Hyuuga compounds. He sometimes wondered if Fate hated him. Of course, Hanabi had begged him not to tell her father, but he dutifully reported to Hiashi right then and there.
Somehow, he had gotten stuck, along with Hanabi, to listening to Hiashi rant about the Hyuuga pride and honour, how the Hyuuga had an image to keep, and what business did Hanabi have staying out so late? Hanabi had sat there quietly, like himself, and answered her father's questions respectfully. She was sorry, yes she knew about that, she was sorry, it would not happen again, and she had been out training (but when Neji had pestered Hinata about it later she had muttered something about a boy). How long Hiashi raged Neji did not know, it felt like forever, though. It lasted a good hour or two, at least.
When it seemed Hiashi was finally satisfied he then promptly grounded his youngest daughter for two weeks. She was to stay home, and when she had to go to the academy she was to have an escort on the way home and back. To make she sure she followed her father's wishes Hiashi made Neji her escort and watchdog. That was exactly what Neji wanted to do all day – not. He did it willingly, anyways, not that he had much choice, but he did with a smile on face as a happy member of the branch family should. At least, for the first couple days.
Hanabi had been pleasant for the first couple of days, until she had gotten restless. Normally she would have stayed at the academy after hours to work off excess energy, but now that she had to go straight home and be the dutiful daughter everyone expected her to be she became on edge. Eventually, she asked Neji innocently if he wanted to spar with her to "pass the time" as she said.
Whether she waited until she about to snap Neji never knew, but when he sparred with the little Hyuuga he was completely shocked. He never knew that Hanabi could be so … vicious. By the end of their so called "little" spar she had managed to block some of his charka points, and it had taken all of his skill to make sure she did not block too many. He had underestimated her, something he would never do again. He was also feeling pretty bruised and battered, something he had not expected. She had used more force than had been necessary, but he would rather die than admit that.
Of course, the next day she wanted to know if they could spar again. How could he do anything but agree? There was no way he would lose to a child. By the end of the two weeks Neji never lost one match against Hanabi but he wished he had. Then maybe she would have left alone and find some other poor fool. He made a mental note to never ever really piss Hanabi off, and to never ever fight Hanabi again when she was grounded.
Neji considered his options; he could either report them to Lord Hiashi, or he could just let them be. If he reported them, Hinata, being the eldest, would be punished more severely than Hanabi when it probably had been Hanabi's idea in the first place. Not to mention Hanabi would try to make his life a living hell. If he did not report them, Hanabi might get the wrong idea that he would let the Main House get away with what they wanted. That could cause problems. What to do?
Hinata's eyes, he could see, were flitting around as she unconsciously poked her fingers together while Hanabi still kept her eyes downcast and refused to fidget. Both looked prepared for any punishment their father would give them, and Hanabi would probably give a little bit as well.
"No, I'm expected somewhere else and I'm already late," he was surprised at how easily the lie slipped out, "So, I won't report you this time, but if I catch you doing anything like this again you can bet your father will hear about this. Mark my words." With that, Neji left.
The Hyuuga siblings waited until Neji turned around the corner until the both sighed deeply in relief. They had thought one of their father's stern, and somewhat scary, conversations had been looming in the near future. Hinata was promising herself never to listen to Hanabi again, while Hanabi was shocked to believe they got away with it, but mildly pleased as well.
"I'm s-sorry Hanabi, but I'm going to bed. I'm exhausted," Hinata said while she turned away from her sister. She heard her sister follow behind her behind as she headed to her room. Hinata barely noticed, her thoughts were completely cluttered.
It was normal for people to get sick, especially in a large village like Konoha. It was also normal for individual clans to take action when such illnesses struck in the form of quarantines – it was expected actually, in a ninja village it was everyone responsibility to make sure that as few people as possible became ill. If a large percentage of the population was to become ill it left them susceptible to attack. But what kind of disease only seemed to affect Hyuuga, and caused such symptoms? It was certainly not some simple case of pneumonia.
"Hinata?"
Hinata's attention was brought back to the surrounding world: they were outside of her room.
"O-oh? What, what is it Hanabi?"
"Do you think it's as bad as it sounded?"
Hinata wanted to say yes, it sounded absolutely terrifying. However, Hinata knew that the hopeful look on Hanabi's face was asking for a convincing lie.
Crouching so their faces were level Hinata attempted to soothe her sister, "I'm sure it's not t-that b-bad. It's just s-some weird cold. It'll go away in a f-few weeks, and with the Hokage's help, it'll go away even f-faster! So, so don't worry? Okay?" Hinata motherly brushed away some strands of hair from Hanabi's face, "Now, go to bed."
Hanabi nodded, her fears subsided for the night, "Good night."
"Good night," Hinata responded affectionately. She waited until her sister entered her own bedroom before entering hers. The door shut behind her with an ominous click, shrouding her in darkness except for the silver moonlight that streamed through her open window. She ignored the close light switch; instead, she moved to shut the window in the dark.
The tendrils of wind that tangled themselves in the curtains were brisk and cool. They held the midnight damp, and smelled like leaves. It was one of Hinata's favourite times of day. Here, in her room in the dark, she felt completely isolated but more integrated into life than she ever knew was possible. It was a thrilling feeling. However, the cold seemed to bite, and the damp air gave her goose bumps – the smell of leaves also seemed to contain a hint of decay. Tonight, she doubted she would find solace in the nightly breeze: her head was still spinning from earlier.
She shut the window reluctantly and changed into her pajamas before crawling into her bed. Her body seemed to sink into the comfort of her futon, and the blankets provided a comforting weight that brought security to her mind. She fell asleep quickly, despite the buzzing in her head. Her one thought as she drifted off being, in the morning everything will be alright, just like I told Hanabi.
MWMWMWMWMWMWMW
As it turned out, it did not turn out better in morning. It was worse. More members of the Hyuuga died had died in the middle of the night – they had drowned as fluid filled up their lungs. More Hyuuga had become ill; most suffering from muscle paralysis, headaches and blindness.
Tsuande immediately initiated her quarantine – effectively cutting off the Hyuuga from the rest of the world, not to mention from each other. Families were trapped in their homes, but the rumours of what was happening in the hospitals kept them inside.
A week passed without any change: the quarantine seemed to have no effect, for the disease was still running rampant. The Hokage was left irate and scratching at her head. Her attempts to contain the disease, to find out how it was spreading and to discover proper treatment were miserable. By the end of the week Tsuande was furious at herself for not figuring out the annoying puzzle laid before her.
By the end of the week, Hinata Hyuuga was bored out of her mind. She knew it was not fair for her to feel bored, she should feel lucky not to have a family member sick in bed, but she could not feel a little irritable at being stuck in the same house for a week. Her usual conversation partner, Hanabi, at this point, was more frustrated at the circumstances than she and was almost unbearable to be even around. Her father, were she even to grasp the nerve to attempt to speak him in a normal conversation, was too busy helping Tsuande with the epidemic. Thankfully, they were still allowed letters, but Shino and Kiba were away on a mission and would not be back for a few more weeks.
Sighing, Hinata flipped onto her back, feeling the sun drenched wood of the deck press into her shoulders. She held the book she was attempting to read inches from her nose while she tried, again, to get past the first page. After reading the same line five times she knew it was hopeless and tossed the book aside. Even for a usually cheery person like herself was starting to get depressed from being under house arrest for so long. And from what she had been able to glean off her father's conversations with Tsuande and Hebi it sounded like that the quarantine was not going to be lifted anytime soon.
Maybe I wouldn't be so bored if Father would let me help every now and again. I wouldn't mind doing some of his paperwork, even if I can't understand what most of it says! I wouldn't even mind rolling bandages for a few hours of the day!
Hinata sighed dismally, deciding it was time to return the very uninteresting book back to its shelf. Drowsy from being in the sun, combined with her lack of any real movement for the past week, she half walked, half stumbled down the hall to her father's small library. She could hear her sister aggressively and loudly attacking the targets in the training room a few corridors away – Hanabi hated being penned up.
Hinata quickly replaced her book, wondering why she had even picked it up – oh yeah, the title had interested her. Scanning the nearby book spines she hunted for another possible book to pass the time. All of the surrounding books seemed to be about politics (old alliances, old treaties, and old agreements) which held no interest for her. She wandered over to another bookcase: this one was about the 'glorious' history of the Hyuuga. She wandered over to a few more bookcases -- this one about general history, that one over there was completely dedicated to books about charka, and the one in the corner about medical treatments for small ailments. None of them even peaked her interest, not even the ones about healing (she had already poured over those books on many sleepless nights as a genin).
Hinata sighed dismally, for what felt like the fiftieth time, and turned to the small set of tables that were in the middle of the spacious room. They were covered in numerous scrolls and books in a chaotic mess. Her father or Tsuande would occasionally flit quickly in the small library to find some research materials in hopes that they could discover more about the vile epidemic that seemed to be ravaging through the Hyuuga compounds.
The Hyuuga heiress wrinkled her nose at the mess – delicate scrolls were lain haphazardly everywhere on the tables' surfaces among empty coffee cups, ringed watermarks and layers of dust. The maids that would have normally kept the place spotless had been kept at home since the placement of the quarantine, and nobody would even bother to think about trying to tidy up the place.
Hinata gave the mess a disapproving look with her hands on hips. She tapped her foot while she contemplated. Deciding that she had nothing better to do and that the mess was not going to clean up after itself, she tentatively picked up a few dusty volumes and replaced them back on their appropriate shelves. Continuing to replace the scattered books and scrolls (dusting them off as she went) she quickly discovered that there seemed to be any lack of organization. Chewing on the side of check as she worked she wondered if she should also try to start some kind of sense of organization. It must be really hard for Tsuande and Father to try and find what they need when everything is everywhere. It couldn't hurt to at least organize these alphabetically by title. Maybe I should clean the tables as well, they look they're covered in some kind of grime, and give the place a quick dusting as well: I'm surprised they don't have sneezing fits from all the dust that's in here …
Three and a half hours later Hinata wearily sat down in a chair. Her back ached, her shoulders ached, and she had a massive dust headache. Yet, she felt more pride than she had for weeks. She had alphabetized books by title – an impressive feat in itself given the complete disorder – and had thoroughly cleaned everything. She had dusted the shelves and the small knickknacks that had been collected over the years in the room, washed the tables, and swept the floor. She was covered in grime and could not stop sneezing for her troubles but as she looked around it did not matter. In the past few hours she had felt more useful than she had all week.
She stretched her arms over her head -- hearing several sharp cracks as she arched her spine – and felt the blood seep into her fingers warmly. As she exited the much cleaner library she was shocked to see that it was an hour after sunset: where had the time gone? The thought of a warm bath crossed her mind but her body called out to her soft bed. She argued with herself as she walked, only to find she had walked herself into her bed. Any complaint about cleanliness was snuffed out as she drowsed off peacefully.
MWMWMWMWMW
"Lady Hinata!"
Hinata awoke confused. Everything was dark and nothing moved -- it must have been one in the morning. She could have sworn for a minute that she had heard a voice, but nothing was there. Was she even awake or was it a dream she was having?
"Lady Hinata!!"
Hinata's head swiveled to the source of the noise before she was temporarily blinded by someone turning on the lights. Hinata instantly hissed through her teeth and blinked rapidly to rid herself of the stars that had suddenly started dancing in front of her.
"Lady Hinata! It's your father …"
Wait, she knew that voice. It was Shizune. Shouldn't she be helping Tsuande, why is she here, in my room?
"… your father, he's at the hospital, I'm sorry …"
Hinata's mind was not completely awake yet; she could not understand what Shizune was talking about. It's late; Father shouldn't be at the hospital. He should be at home by now. Why is Shizune sorry? She didn't do anything wrong. It's father's fault for not being home, not hers.
"Lady Hinata? Do understand what I'm saying? Your father's sick ..."
The realization visibly crossed Hinata's face as Shizune's words cleared away any sleepy confusion. Oh, please no, anything but this! The world seemed to close in, and Hinata could not breathe.
"… as things are, your presence is required at the hospital as the Hyuuga heir. So, please hurry and get dressed. I'll be waiting outside when you're ready."
The world seemed to right itself form it's down world spiral. Hinata had a purpose, something to keep her form sinking into mental oblivion. She was the heir. It was her duty to guide the Hyuuga. She had to be strong, for now at least.
Trembling, the young kunoichi quickly threw on her lavender and grey jacket – there was no time to get properly dressed, she had to rush to the hospital and figure out was going on. She raked her fingers through her hair quickly as she rushed past Shizune. The medical ninja scrambled to keep up with the fast paced heiress.
Hinata's mind was in turmoil, so much so she barely noticed anything around her. She did not notice the brisk wind pluck at her hair and clothes, nor the darkened, abandoned streets of Konoha. She flinched in shock when she realized that the blue night sky had been quickly replaced with the interior white walls of thehospital. Somehow, Shizune had also gotten ahead of her instead of trailing behind her.
As they walked down the corridors a queasy feeling in Hinata's stomach coiled itself tighter around her intestines. Her once numbed senses now seemed to be heightened but only to the silliest things. Things like, how everything seemed to reek of bleach -- the smell was so strong she was shocked that her nose was not bleeding; how, one row of fluorescent lights was flickering which made ghastly shadows dance across Shizune's features; how, the air did not even move -- it was dead and stale.
It's just your imagination. Everything's fine, everything will be fine.
As they got closer and closer to her father's room Hinata felt sweat bead up in the palms of her hands, and her fingers tremble. She was terrified at what she was going to see.
Suddenly, a faint reflection of herself floated in front of her – a ghostly face misted by her breath steaming the glass. What were they looking at? The Hyuuga kunoichi's sharp eyes spotted a man lying prone on a hospital bed. Threads of tubes seemed to be interlaced around his body. There seemed to be a faint, steady, beeping noise.
Her pale eyes quickly traced his face. Proud forehead, chestnut brown hair, worry lines, a permanent frown, Byakugan eyes hidden behind closed eyelids: Hiashi Hyuuga.
The heiress felt something inside her crack. She felt the texture of the glass slide beneath her fingertips as her knees began to fail her. No! she mentally yelled at herself. She would not be weak when her father's strength had failed him. She would act like the emotionless ninja she was training to be, and the respected Hyuuga heir. She refused to let grief humiliate her despite how tempting it was. The coil that had twisted itself in her stomach still roiled a furious knot in the pit of her abdomen despite her determination – threatening to tear her emotionally apart.
"H-how is he?" To Hinata's ears, her voice sounded dried out.
"He's stable for now, but he needs a quite bit of rest."
"What h-happened? I, mean, he was fine this morning, w-wasn't he?"
"He suddenly started coughing during a meeting with Tsuande, and then collapsed. Tsuande instantly had him medically evaluated and it turns out that fluid was filling up his lungs. We believe it to be a result of the Hyuuga strain of pneumonia that has been infecting members of the Hyuuga clan. Since he was having difficulty breathing he was placed on a ventilator. Right now he's being treated with antibiotics, which should clear up the infection in his lungs. Hopefully, in a week or less he should be able to return home."
A weight seemed to lift from Hinata's shoulders; her father was going to be alright. He was Hiashi Hyuuga, leader of the Hyuuga clan – not even a cold could put him down for too long!
"Can … can I go see h-him?" The heiress asked shyly. Too much had happened too fast; she was afraid of something else going wrong.
"Weeeeeell, technically, visiting hours ended hours ago …"
Hinata's heart sank. She really did not want to go home without at least seeing her father.
"… but I suppose it couldn't hurt if you stayed for a little while, but the Hokage wishes to speak with you about something before you go home, so you won't be able to stay long. How about I leave you alone with your father for now? I'll be back in a little while to take you to see the Hokage."
Hinata bowed to Shizune as the medical ninja left to show her gratitude before she went into her father's room. As the door clicked shut behind her it seemed as if the world had become deathly quiet – except for the unnatural sounds the machines hooked up to her father were making. Her father's chest rose and fell systematically, otherwise he was motionless. He was face was completely relaxed, and she wondered when he had become so old. He looked so vulnerable and aged lying prone on the hospital bed.
Hinata, herself, remained motionless, as well. She still stood in front of the door, her hand still on the handle. She could not bring herself to move – terrified of breaking the quiet and unleashing the wild crazy world that had done this horrible thing. She was also unsure how to proceed, what was she supposed to do? Run to her unconscious father crying and hug his comatose body? No, her father's presence, though weakened, still had that strict no-nonsense feel that would not appreciate such acts of 'weakness.'
Timidly, she made her way across the room, and awkwardly sat in the chair next to her father. It was so strange to see her father in such a preternatural state. Hesitantly, she delicately curled her fingers of one hand over his wrist, while her other hand folded over top of his. She could feel the sinew and muscle underneath the skin through her fingertips and it reminded her of how strong her father was – strength she would never have. Was this how her father had felt when her mother had gotten sick: complete helplessness?
It felt like five minutes had only passed by, but Shizune suddenly popped her head into the room.
"Lady Hinata? It's been about an hour, I think it best if we were to meet with Tsuande now. Are you ready to leave?"
Reluctantly, Hinata got up from her chair and nodded yes. Following behind Shizune Hinata wondered what the Hokage wished to discuss with her.
MWMWMWMWMWMW
Author's Note:
Did I lose anybody laughs This one moves a little quicker than the rest, which kind of angers me since I prefer a calmer pace. I get the sense that this chapter has been rushed or seems unnatural as well. Maybe it's just me being picky.
So congrats to all who guessed it was Neji sneaking up on the sisters! And how do you like my intrepretation of Hanabi? Can you imagine her being a sweet little hellion or do you think she's completly OOC? And what about Shizune, OOC too or did I do well? I don't if she's the type to actually be running errands, but we'll use the excuse that no one else was available. Also, good news, just one more chapter until we finally get some Gaara/Hinata interactions (which is probably you've all be salvating over). So, just wait more chapter, then we'll get some questions answered! Like always reviews welcome!
