Promises Made

Chapter 4

Hinata felt a little light headed as she tried to open her eyes. Everything seemed to be spinning inside her head, and as she blinked her head ached more.

She whimpered slightly at the vertigo feeling because she didn't understand it…but she tried not to move again until it began to pass.

Using her hand she felt the floor and realized she was on a stone floor. Was she still outside?

It didn't feel like the path in the garden.

Her mouth frowned as she tried to clear the fog in her mind and still couldn't penetrate it completely.
After a few minutes she tried to open her eyes again to see where she was.

The vertigo was still there, but it was lessening enough for her to turn her head to the right and she could barely make out in the dark that she was near a stone wall.

She reached up and touched it and it confirmed for her that she was not anywhere in the garden she would recognize, and her mind began to run rampant as fear began to settle in.

Slowly she rolled over onto her other side and looked around but could not make out anything further then a few feet away. She whimpered again, but scooted backwards until her back was pressed against the wall. Panic was on the edges of her mind…she wanted to scream out for help…but her father's words made her stop and think.

Flashback

Hiashi stood watching his daughter as she practiced a kata in the private training room of the house dojo. She was doing quite well for a three year old…and he had no doubt despite the challenges of learning the gentle fist, she would be a pioneer. When she stumbled she blinked and turned fearful eyes to her father then quickly went back to the exercise. Hiashi waited until she did it again, before he decided to do something about it. "Hinata, come here my daughter." Hinata blinked then nodded. His tone of voice told her it was nothing bad, but it was serious. Stepping to the edge of the platform she bowed herself out before standing in front of him with her head lowered. "Yes Father?" He smiled down at her then rubbed her head softly. "Hina-chan, you must always remember of all the enemies that you may face when you get older…these two are your greatest." He sat down and crossed his legs in front of her so she did also and looked at him expectantly.

"Fear, and Panic. They go hand in hand. If you have fear, then eventually you will have panic unless you stop the one early." She blinked at him but nodded slightly so he smiled at her warmly before continuing. "If you stop, or control your fear, then you will not panic. Once you panic however…you have lost. Panic will cause you to make costly mistakes, forget what needs to be done, even how to do it. Always, keep your head level and your chi focused, and you will be able to solve any problem."

Hinata smiled then hugged him with a quiet, "Thank you daddy." before disengaging from him and running back to the platform to continue her practice. Hiashi grinned as he watched her…she would make a fine Kunoichi someday.

Recall

She slowed her breathing, until her heart stopped pounding and the butterflies stopped dancing in her stomach and she found she was able to sit up without her head hurting too much.

She pressed her back against the wall and she realized she was only wearing her tee shirt and panties, and she started to panic again!

Mother would be very cross with me for being in my underwear! Where are my clothes? What has happened to me? Where am I?

Hinata remembered the time she came bolting from her room in her night clothes and her mother had severely scolded her! She said it was unladylike and not proper to run around if she was not dressed!

Hinata had taken the scolding to heart and NEVER again left her room unless she was fully dressed for the day.

As she thought these things she had a sudden flash of insight as she realized she was not in her home or anywhere near it, because her mother would not let her be in this state of undress, let alone in a dark cold room.

Slowly her memories started to clear…and she began to remember what had happened.

Flashback 2

She was in the compound, somewhere near the south wall closest to the cities busiest areas. Her maid had left to go to the bathroom to take care of feminine needs. (Or so she said to Hinata with a smile) Hinata shrugged and continued to watch the butterflies flitting about and sniffed at the pretty flowers. She probably had to poop. Hinata thought then giggled. Well it was ok, she had been in the garden by herself before. She liked this area because the flowers seemed to grow so much better here. Her father had told her it was because of the different soil. The plants were able to draw more nutrients and minerals then in other areas. Her father and mother often talked about moving some of the soil to the private garden and replanting…but Hinata had begged them not to. Her reasoning was that the plants in the private garden had grown accustomed to the soil they were in, and if they moved the soil from here, these plants might not do so well anymore. His mother and father smiled at her and said they would look for another way to improve the private garden, much to her happiness.

A light stomp made her jump slight and look behind her. A strange boy stood in the section of bluebells that the hummingbirds liked so much, but worse still he had trampled a few of them!

"Hey…don't stand there! You are hurting my flowers!"

The boy looked around himself then smiled with a slight bow. "I'm sorry, I hadn't know there were flowers on this side of the wall."

Hinata watched him warily then nodded. She didn't know who this was…he wasn't a Hyuga, and he was not very clean. She could smell something sour about him…but she couldn't tell what it was.

"Well I will fix them…you shouldn't be here, if the guards catch you they will beat you and call the watchmen. You should go now."

She did not want to yell at him because he might get cross and yell back. He was much older and bigger then she was, but she was still a little cross herself because of her flowers.

The boy looked her over…his eyes moving up and down her body, and since Hinata had never had any experience with men and the way they view women she didn't realize he was sizing her up.

"I'm sorry again little miss. I'll tell you what, I'll help you fix them, and then I will leave. It is the least I can do for "hurting" your flowers."

She didn't understand sarcasm, so when the boy spoke the way he did; she clapped her hands and thanked him.

Hinata got on her knees and started moving the soil and resituating the flowers so they would stand straight again, when an arm went around her chest and a smelly cloth was placed against her mouth and nose!

At first she was surprised and reflexively took a deep breath to scream…and that was her undoing as her eye lids got heavy and she felt the strength leave her limbs.

As her consciousness left her she felt his hands squeezed her bottom and he laughed. "A good price for this one."

Recall

Hinata reached back and rubbed her bottom. She couldn't understand why he did that…but she also didn't understand why he brought her here.

She finally started to feel better enough that she stood and felt along the wall. After a few minutes she decided to try the Byakugan. She was not very good with it yet, she could only use the first layer and not for very long, but it would be better then standing here in the dark. She concentrated for a moment, and with a hand sign she quietly activated her blood limit. "Byakugan."

She looked around and everything looked grey and black and she could see that she was in a room, but also inside a cage. The cage was mounted to the wall, and had one door in front of her, with a large, heavy looking lock securing it. She started to walk towards it, but to her left she noticed a large pile of what looked like hay. She blinked as she looked at it then took a step closer to it.

That moment is when she noticed a boy in the hay, and he seemed to be sleeping.

She could tell it wasn't the boy who took her so there was no worry about that in her mind, but she was hoping maybe he could tell her where she was and how she could get out so she could go home.

At that thought a longing opened inside of her, and she almost cried…but she firmed her chin and became determined not to be afraid or act like a baby!

She reached tentatively for the boy's shoulder, and lightly poked it.

The boy's body rocked, but he did not get up.

She did it again, a little harder, but again got the same result.

Taking a deep breath she poked him and whispered. "Hey…excuse me…hey?"

But again with each poke there was little or no response.

With a frustrated stomp of her foot and whine, she poked him very hard. "HEY!"

His eyes snapped open and he looked at her, and she almost jumped back with a little scream as the most piercing blue eyes she had ever seen stared at her. So surprised was she that the Byakugan deactivated, and she didn't even notice…only those beautiful eyes which seemed to hold her in place.

Hinata's stomach fluttered again and something suddenly clicked inside of her…something she didn't understand…but when she looked in those eyes she felt calm, excited, and something she felt only when she was alone in the gardens. She felt at peace.

O

Naruto looked at the girl the master brought home for him and blinked. What was he supposed to do with her? There was barely enough hay for him to sleep on. Maybe she…no. No one had washed his clothes for him since the woman who watched him had died.

Well maybe she…no. He was fed regularly in the morning and at night. Besides there was no food for her to cook.

Naruto was at a loss. He had seen girls before, and they all avoided him before he was captured so his experience with them was a bit…limited.

Still, he liked the way she smelled. It reminded him of the lady who took care of him. Her house smelled like it all the time and she had been very nice to him…maybe this one would be nice to him too.

He sat up and faced her, causing her to shrink back a little but then move closer when he did not make any threatening moves.

He usually did not speak unless to get his point across, which the men who controlled him preferred, but for some reason he wanted to talk to her, but did not know what to say.

As luck would have it, she did not have this problem.
"Hi…um…my name is Hinata. What is your name?"

Naruto looked at her sideways, than slowly repeated her name. "Hi-na-ta."

Hinata blinked then shook her head. "No my name is Hinata." She thought for a moment then touched her chest. "Hinata." Reaching out she touched his chest.

Naruto flinched slightly but when her fingertips made contact with his skin, he felt a tingle all the way to his toes, something he had never experienced before…and decided he liked it. With a little trepidation he touched his chest next to her hand. "Moppet."

It must be his name now…the bald man called him that all of the time. The woman who was raising him used to call him Naruto, but maybe it was just something that she called him…he really was not sure at this point.

Hinata blinked at the strange name but nodded and gave him a friendly smile. "Moppet, do you know where we are?" Naruto looked around then shrugged. "Moppet…home."

Hinata took this in as he looked at her expectantly. She wasn't sure what to talk about next. There were so many questions, and she had nowhere to start, until she felt a need and she squeezed her legs together. "Moppet…where is the bathroom? I have to tinkle."

Naruto looked at her and frowned. What was this tinkle she spoke of? Was it a game? He had not played games in a very long time…but she said bathroom. He shrugged as he thought she wanted to use the bathroom, then they would play this tinkle game. He pointed to the corner of the cage and there was a covered pot in there.

Hinata slowly crawled over to the pot, and when she lifted the lid, the smell made her wrinkle her nose. It had not been changed yet and the smell was quite strong. "Eww."

Naruto grinned then mimicked her. "Eww."

Hinata had an actual bathroom in her room on the estate grounds…but she had used chamber pots before. She turned and was about to pull down her panties when she noticed he was still watching her. She stopped and he blinked at her and she blinked at him. "You're not supposed to watch."

Naruto frowned as he thought about that. "Why?"

Hinata frowned and resorted to an age old adage. "Because my mom said boys are not supposed to watch girls do this."

Naruto blinked again. "Why?"

Hinata opened her mouth then closed it, thought for a few seconds then answered him. "Because my mom says so."

Naruto thought for a second, not sure if that made sense or not. "Why?"

Hinata thought about this again and tried to think what else her mother had said on this subject, but could only think of the last thing she had told her. "Because it isn't right."

At this tender age, Hinata had not yet been educated in sex, or why these activities were of a private matter. Indeed her mother had only told her it was not proper, boys and girls are different…and because she said so, which usually was the end of the conversation unless she wanted her bottom paddled and sent to bed with no supper.

So when Naruto yet again asked, "Why?"

Hinata very well could not tell him he would get his bottom paddled…unless her mother did it at a later date. They were the same size, but she was not an adult, and couldn't do such a thing to him.

After a few more minutes Hinata started to sniffle because she did not know what to say or what to do. This distressed Naruto to no end and he came over to her. "Why cry? Hurt?"

Hinata shook her head negatively, but tried through her sniffles to explain. "My…mother said…I shouldn't…let a boy…see me do this. It isn't right. Sniff sniff

Naruto not understanding but not wanting her to cry did not know what to do or say. On one hand, he was told the same thing by the lady who took care of him when he was younger…but no one seemed to care if he was going to the bathroom now when he had to go. Should he turn away…should he watch…?

Surprisingly, he took her hand and held it and she wiped her eyes with the other hand. For some reason she felt much better when he did that and most of her unease of the situation evaporated and she waited to see what he would do.

He smiled at her, then with his other hand he pointed himself at the pot, and peed into it until he could go no more.

Hinata blinked and realized for the first time…he was naked. She had been so intent on his eyes she had not looked at the rest of him.

She felt a surge of emotion she could not identify, she had never felt this before, but it made her face feel slightly warm. He just smiled at her then pointed to the pot. "You go. It ok."

Hinata looked at the pot, then looked at him again then nodded as she pulled her panties down and did her business.

After she was done, she realized there was no paper, or water to clean herself. She looked around, but could find nothing. When she felt the urge to cry again, Naruto reached out and took off her tee shirt. She was on the verge of stopping him, but his hands were insistent so she relented. He then tore the shirt into strips and handed them back to her. With a huge smile she accepted them and used one to clean herself, then re-covered the pot. Naruto walked over to the hay and slivered into it like a snake and sighed. Hinata watched him with wonder then realized she was cold. She hugged herself as best she could, but she did not feel any warmer. She once again felt the urge to cry. She was in a strange place, with a strange boy, and she missed her home and her parents. She tried not to make any noise but the boy must have heard her. Sitting up he blinked at her, then with a sigh he begrudgingly patted the hay next to him.

Hinata frowned at first, but the choice between freezing and sharing a make shift bed with this stranger was a relatively easy one as the voice of her mother telling her it "wasn't proper" slowly got softer and softer until she couldn't hear it anymore.

She settled into the hay next to him, trying to get as close as possible to share his body heat without actually touching him.

Naruto noticed her shivering…then remembered how he used to be held by the woman who took care of him, so he reached over, and pulled her close to him, her back against his chest.

Hinata stiffened. She had only ever been hugged by her father, and her uncle or cousin Neji, but never by any other boy…again because it didn't seem proper. But his arms seemed gentle, and it did make her feel warmer, and there was something about this that made her fear slip away, made her mother's admonishments go silent, ultimately made her feel comfortable.

She moved closer to him and felt the way she did when her father used to hold her like this. At this point, she could not see what was so wrong about it…maybe her mother was wrong about other things too? She did a slight double take as she thought about it. Could a mother be wrong? They seemed to know everything! But why would her mother tell her things like that if they were wrong? Obviously she was wrong about using the bathroom…and there was nothing wrong with them sleeping together like this. In fact…it felt right.

With a slight nod of her head, Hinata reached down and pushed her panties to her feet, then kicked them off, before settling back against him again. The new contact felt more comfortable then before, and she found it did not hurt or shame her the way her mother would describe.

Naruto felt her bare skin against his and he was surprised. He actually felt comfortable, and did not mind her sleeping here like this with him. In fact, before he dropped off to sleep again, he put more of the hay on top of her then he had on himself.

She sighed as actual sleep began to take her, and she felt warm and secure.

Hinata did not think anymore about her surroundings because she wasn't alone anymore…she would talk to whoever came to feed them in the morning…then she would go home…but she also found herself hoping she could still talk to "Moppet".

The two quietly drifted off to sleep, not aware that things would not be the way either of them wanted it to be.

O

O

Hiashi had every available man and woman scouring the city. He had gone to the guardsmen, he had questioned everyone, and he even went to the Hokage. Everyone including the ANBU had been alerted and no stone was being left unturned.

The trackers had discovered Hinata had been taken from the south wall of the Hyuga estates, by an unkempt youth. He used chloroform on her, than carried her down to the industrial sector of the city. That is where they lost her trail.

Hiashi was in a rage that no one had ever seen before, but at the same time he was in a panic that no one had ever seen before.

He knew of slavers and the black market. The slavers were a hidden organization that kept its ugly face hidden lest they faced the executioners axe. No one in the leaf tolerated it because it knew no distinction between young and old. Jiraiya was well versed with their tactics because he kept a close eye on the underworld and its doings for information.

Knowing thus, he and Hiashi, Izumi, and Hizashi had a long conversation about what to expect.

Izumi, could barely keep her composure as she worried so heavily about Hinata and her safety, Hiashi only wanted to get his hands on the half wit who would dare to lay a finger on a Hyuga, let alone his own daughter!

"Do what you can with your resources Hiashi-sama, I will get mine re-oriented immediately so we can find your daughter."

Hiashi nodded as he hugged his wife close trying to regain his composure. "I promise, anyone who harms her will suffer like no man has ever suffered before!"

Hizashi lay a hand on his brothers shoulder and squeezed it before Hiashi turned and led his wife back to their room.

When they had left the room Hizashi looked at the sanin and frowned. "I do not like you for obvious reasons, and I do not care if you do not like me, but I will do anything to make sure Hinata is unharmed. I know you have some idea of what to do, and where to go…so I promise you this, I will cooperate with you fully, do everything as you say, give you whatever you want, if you will help me to get her back."

Jiraiya blinked in surprise but then nodded slightly. "Alright. It seems we have a lot to do, and no time to do it. Go change into something less regal, and meet me at the front gate. You and I will begin OUR search."

Hizashi nodded then turned and ran for his house.

O

O

Dero counted his money and nodded. He would have more then enough. He was a student of the old adage, "With money, anything is possible."

The bald man came into the room and sat in a chair in front of Dero's desk. Without looking up from what he was doing Dero measured his associate.

"Is it taken care of?"

The man nodded. "The bodies are in the sewage, and if they are discovered before they finish decomposing, they will still be unrecognizable."

Dero smiled. The two were delicious, but he did not have room for extra baggage.

"And all is prepared for my journey?"

The bald man cleared his throat. "I still do not think this is a good idea…but all is ready."

Dero looked up from his ledger and frowned. "Your opinion is noted, and again ignored. Do your part here while I am gone, and when I come back we can all enjoy the fruits of your labor."

The bald man shrugged. "As you wish."

Dero grinned as he finished his expense report then placed the ledger in the desk and locked it.

If he was right, and he was seldom wrong, he could retire just from the next few jobs he had planned for the kid…then he would have to decide what to do with him.

Next Episode: A trip, a discovery, freedom!