Hinata had a pickled radish halfway to her mouth when her father said, "I was told that you lost your cellphone yesterday,"

She blinked across the table, mouth open.

Hanabi looked up with interest in her usually impassive face at this development.

Breakfast was traditionally a silent affair. Any drama related to her eldest and only sister was kept exclusively to disparaging evaluations of Hinata's performance at whatever it was that had father dearest bristling at the time.

Something about his tone, however, suggested that this was not simply an instance of Hinata's clumsiness.

Hinata lowered her chopsticks and said, "I lost it during after school activities,"

"Hm," Hiashi Hyuuga raised a brow, white eyes sharp. "Kendo?"

Gang initiation, Father.

"C-Cooking,"

His expression soured, mouth in a thin white line. "Your sister is captain of the martial arts team,"

Hanabi returned her attention to her breakfast and poked at her fish.

"This the first time I'm hearing this," Hinata looked at her sister and smiled. "Congratulations,"

Hiashi slammed down his newspaper. "You are wasting your time at that school if you don't take advantage of the athletics department. Senju has the best kendo team in the entire Land of Fire. I expect you to join," He released a tight, controlled breath. "God forbid I expect anything more from you,"

She bowed her head. Hiashi checked his watch and dismissed her with, "It is time for you and Neji to go."

Hinata nodded and said her goodbyes to her father and sister. She grabbed her bag and her coat. It was chilly that morning, so she had her her scarf pulled up to her nose. Neji was waiting for her, leaning against the car.

"Good morning," Neji opened the door for her and got in himself. He scrutinized her face and frowned. "Did Hiashi-sama speak to you?"

She tugged at her scarf. "Yes."

The silence was heavy. Neji wanted to say something, something along the lines of "Hiashi-sama means well" and "He wants the best for you," but she had heard it before and it moved her as little as it did the first time she heard it.

Sunlight beamed through the clouds and made her squint. Ino was waiting at the school gates.

Hinata smiled as she approached. "Good morning, Ino-chan,"

Ino sucked in her cheeks. "Don't make puppy eyes at me, girl," She stepped off the wall, long blonde ponytail swinging. "You didn't answer any of my texts or calls. I was worried that your 'club' stole your organs and sold them on the black market,"

Hinata laughed. "You and Neji-nii jump to the worst conclusions,"

It's not completely unfounded, however.

Ino huffed and started stomping towards the front entrance, Hinata matching her step.

"What happened to your phone?"

"I lost it," she admitted, poking her fingers together.

"So how was it?"

"How was what?"

"The club,"

"Ino-chan,"

"What?"

"It – It really was a gang."

lll

"That's weird,"

Thud.

White-blonde ponytail swishing, Ino chucked a bag of confectioner's sugar into the shopping cart. "I figured you got your sweet tooth from your mom,"

Ino absentmindedly read the label off of a box of candy and threw it in with the rest of their shopping.

Hinata cradled the eggs in her arms. They were too fragile for Ino's aggressive shopping.

Ino's expression darkened.

Thud.

In went the heavy cream.

"He's so mean. I wouldn't do crap for my dad if he made me ride my bike to school because he thought I was fat or whatever,"

Hinata shivered from the icy wisps coming from the freezer section. "It's for getting stronger,"

"Getting stronger my great-grandmother's foot,"

"I-It's his birthday," she said. "I always try to give him something,"

"Yeah?" Ino scrunched her nose at Hinata. "What'd he get you for your birthday?"

Hinata faltered.

"…My bike,"

"Interesting."

Hinata pursed her lips, etching characters into the egg carton with her nail as Ino considered the cake decorations.

"Hyuuga Hiashi. Leader of the Hyuuga Clan. Likes yellow sponge cake with strawberries and cream," Ino huffed a laugh. "Your dad is weird,"

Said daughter of the Hyuuga leader and secret sweet tooth pouted and hugged the egg carton defensively. "Your dad wears a ponytail,"

"Your dad has longer and prettier hair than most of the women in Konoha,"

"W-Was that supposed to be an insult or a compliment?"

The girls snapped to attention at the sound of a crash.

Ino raised a brow. "Which idiot knocked down all the ramen?"

Hinata blinked owlishly at the knocked-over ramen display and the head of blonde spikes poking out of the pile.

"Is that Naruto-kun?"

Ino looked at her in disbelief. "You know him?"

Hinata bent down and pushed some of the instant food boxes away. Bleary blue eyes peered up at her.

"Hinata-chan?" He sat up and rubbed his head. "It is you. Hi!"

"Hello. A-Are you okay?"

He gave her a thoughtful look. "You know, I had a dream like this once. Except I was the one who dived into a pile of ramen instead of the other way around,"

Ino stared blankly at him. Naruto stood up, dusted himself off, and scooped up an armful of ramen.

"You eat like a bachelor," Ino said, eyeing him with distaste.

He laughed. "I guess I do! I live alone, believe it!"

"Well, nice meeting you and all," Ino looped an arm around Hinata's shoulders and started walking away. "Hinata and I have to go,"

"Sure, nice meeting you too," His eyes brightened as a thought came to his head. "Hey, Hinata, we're having a picnic for hanami today. I couldn't get a hold of you so it's short notice. Wanna go?"

"Ten items or less. Hustle, Hina!"

"Okay, okay, wait, Ino-chan-!"

"Okay? I'll take that as a yes then!" Naruto called as Ino dragged her away.

"W-Wait!"

Ino had their items checked out with the kind of speed Hinata wished her friend had when she was getting ready.

Hinata piled her groceries onto her bike basket and walked with it besides Ino. She pouted. "R-Rude, Ino-chan!"

Ino rolled her eyes. She took a deep breath and said, "Hinata,"

"What?"

"You never specified which gang you got yourself involved in,"

"Why does that matter?"

"It matters because motherfucking Uzumaki Naruto-"

"L-Language!"

"-is in the freaking Rookies with that lazy idiot Shikamaru, that fat idiot Chouji, caterpillar brows Lee, dog-boy Kiba, bug-boy Shino, and Sasuke-kun!"

Hinata stared back in bewilderment.

Ino exhaled slowly, smoothing the wrinkle between her brows. "Hinata, if I'm not mistaken, what you're telling me is that you were taken to Sasuke-kun's house, escaped from Sasuke-kun's house, and just now, you were invited to a picnic with them,"

"…You mentioned Sasuke an awful lot,"

"I don't like him if that's what you're thinking. I used to, but then again, everyone did. Did you know that creep sent Chouji when I told him I wanted to confess to him? No thanks! Of all the fish in the sea, he's just a single-celled protozoan. He's pond scum. And you know what else? That stupid idiot forehead girl didn't want us to be friends anymore because she thought we were love rivals for him. Can you believe it? She ditched me for that protozoan! Me, Yamanaka Ino!

"And when she finally went to confess, he sent Naruto! Anyway," she said, brushing her fingers through her hair agitatedly. "I'm worried because if anyone from our school catches you hanging around boys – especially Sasuke-kun – then they'll probably report you just out of spite. You might get suspended for it,"

Hinata blanched. "I-I didn't agree to go, though! Also, I didn't know he did that to you. That's awful,"

Ino waved her hand flippantly. "I got over it. I was like twelve or whatever. But please be careful. I'm not your mother so if you do join them for whatever reason, I'll back you up," Ino said. "I am your friend so I got your back when things go tits-up. It shouldn't be too hard to spike the principal's thermos if you do get in trouble. I'm pretty sure it isn't coffee she's always drinking."

The girls giggled at that. They started when they heard a loud clang of metal from the alleyway behind them. They exchanged looks.

Ino gave a forced smile. "Maybe it's just a stray cat or something,"

A trail of red snaked across the ground and there was thud that sounded an awful lot like a body falling.

"What a violent cat," Hinata murmured.

Muffled screaming.

"…I'm sure it's just the wind,"

Hinata tightened her hold on her bike, pulse throbbing with fear. "W-Why does the wind sound like it's getting beat up?"

"Help!"

"Oh, fine, let's just take a peek," Ino said.

The girls looked at each other nervously as they approached the alley. The street suddenly seemed empty and eerily quiet.

When they peered in the alleyway, they saw two teenagers, a boy and girl, and a middle-aged man sprawled on the ground, holding his arm.

"P-Please, my business hasn't been going well so the profit – I have three children, a-a family - give me more time, please, I beg of you,"

The boy pressed his boot down harder on the man's ribs, pinning him down.

The girl shrugged, a metal baseball bat leaning against her shoulder. She said slowly in way of explanation, "Your job is to give us a share. Our job is to collect. I thought that was simple enough to understand,"

The girl opened up his wallet and held a picture between her fingers. She studied it and showed it to the boy.

The man hissed and struggled under the boy's foot. "No, that's-"

"I'm sure your cute daughter wouldn't mind helping out her daddy. She's in junior high, right? The younger they are, the higher the price," She swung the bat lazily. "Sickos will pay more than you can dream of making just to play with her,"

The man looked at her in horror. "No, no-"

The girl brought the metal baseball bat down on the man's leg.

The sickening crunch and smothered scream was the last thing they heard before hands covered their mouths.

"Relax, it's me," A familiar voice said. "Listen, you two need to leave. Quietly. I'll handle this,"

Hinata turned and met blue eyes with her own startled ones. "Naruto-kun?"

Ino had wrestled out of his grip, panting. "What the hell is going on?"

His usual carefree smile was gone and in its place was a grave frown."Like I said, I need to handle this. You guys need to get out of here,"

The girls nodded and walked a few steps until he disappeared into the alleyway. They glanced at each other sideways.

"He might need back-up," Ino whispered. "I'm ready to call the police if need be,"

Hinata nodded. They crept back to see the action.

"If you want to help your friend here," At the word "friend," the boy stepped down harder on the man's ribs. "Then I'll harvest your organs. Like I said, the younger they are, the better they sell. Deal?"

The blond's back was to them, his shoulders and back muscles tensed.

"You think he can take this?" Ino held her cellphone nervously to her lip.

Hinata eyed the blood glinting off the surface of the bat and gulped.

"He doesn't even have a weapon. I bet you two strawberry crepes that he'll lose,"

"I can't believe you're making bets at a time like this," Hinata scolded. She paused."M-Make that two banana crepes with extra chocolate syrup and whipped cream,"

Naruto laughed a short, humorless laugh. "I can think of other ways to help,"

"Just try it, then," she said, tossing her hair back. "I can only see this ending with your sorry ass waking up with both your kidneys missing,"

The boy joined the girl, leaving the man sprawled on the ground and coughing up blood. Upon further inspection and better lighting, it looked like the boy and girl were twins.

In a flash, the blond swept his foot under the girl's, making her fall , just as her brother whipped out a knife and aimed for Naruto's throat. He rolled out of the way, the knife catching his shirt, and grabbed the girl's bat. In one smooth motion, he slammed it against the boy's wrist.

The switchblade skittered across, a bit too close to where the girls were spying. They both sucked in a breath.

The boy screamed, holding his limp wrist. The girl growled and produced her own knife, swiping it at Naruto's chest. He grinned and swung the bat, hard. The delicate bones of her hand crunched at the impact. She shrieked, holding her broken hand. "Get him!"

The boy grunted and threw a punch. Naruto dodged it and threw a punch at his nose. Blood gushed out the boy's nose. He gurgled as he cried out. The girl reached for the bat. They tugged the bat between them, though from Naruto's grinning profile, it was clear he was toying with the girl. There was something feral about him, his canines more pronounced and his smile more of a sneer. Then he brought his elbow across her face with brutal force.

The two teens were lying on the ground with bloody faces and broken bones.

"Heh, now you two really match," He tapped the bloodied bat on the ground. "You kids seem to be lost. This is Rookie territory. I'd be more than happy to kick your asses back to the desert. Maybe we can ride a magic carpet there,"

"Fuck you," the girl spat, choking on the blood in her mouth.

"You still got cute things to say even with a busted face, huh? I like your spirit," Naruto looked over his shoulder at the man sitting up against the wall. "You might wanna beat it, old man,"

With a shaky nod, he stood and limped out. He seemed to completely ignore the two girls pressed against the wall as he hurried away. Hinata clamped a hand over her mouth at the blood in his mouth and the limpness of his arm and leg.

The girls were frozen in horror until they heard footsteps.

Ino grabbed Hinata's elbow and then they were running home, frantic and shaking from head to toe.

lll

Hinata wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. "You preheated the oven, right?"

"Yeah," Ino swiveled on the kitchen stool and snickered at the flour on Hinata's nose.

She wiped her face self-consciously. Ino opened the oven for Hinata to slide the cake pans in.

"Forty one, huh?" Ino tossed the numbered candle in her hands. "He looks good for his age," She smirked. "Must be nice to have Hyuuga genes,"

Hinata grimaced. "Talking about my father like that makes me uncomfortable,"

"Yeah, you and everyone else. It's gross watching the PTA moms fawning over my dad," Ino shuddered. "They go wild for any guy with more hair on their heads than their own baldy husbands,"

The girls took a moment to gag at that.

"Where's the heavy cream?" Hinata asked.

"It's still in the bag I think," She went to the dining room to check.

The Hyuuga smiled to herself. The Yamanaka home always had flowers throughout the house. Today there were vases filled with fragrant white jasmines. She adjusted the timer as she waited for Ino.

There was the rustling of plastic and a shuffle of feet. Then,

"Uh oh,"

"Hm?" Hinata walked over to her. "What is it?"

Ino handed the bag to Hinata.

She blanched.

"Oh no,"

"I'm sorry," Ino said. "I was taking my anger out while we were shopping and I broke it,"

Hinata bit her lip. "If you would watch the cake, I'll go back and buy another one,"

"Here," Ino handed her the money. "I got my eye on it," She furrowed her brows and looked Hinata square in the eye. "Be careful."

They hadn't spoken about it at all.

Hinata had felt the heavy weight of her bike and groceries after they had stopped running and were trying to catch their breaths.

She wanted to say something about it. She was disturbed. Violence from the safety of the other side of the screen allowed a certain detachment, but violence only a few steps away, where she could easily catch some blood splatters on her face, where she could hear the crunch of breaking bones and the cries of pain had no such mercy against her psyche.

Afterward, Ino had just smiled and halfheartedly complained about an annoying assignment due that week. Hinata lost her nerve. She could tell from the blonde's higher-pitched voice and the way she was gesturing more with her hands that her nerves were just as frazzled. As brave as Ino was, the situation wasn't one where Ino could stand up to the school yard bullies with a few sharp and well-deserved words and her hands on her hips.

The sun was slipping, gilding the clouds and placing mysterious shadows on the cherry blossom trees as Hinata rode to the store.

"Wanna go?"

The last time she went to a cherry-blossom picnic had been when she was young, probably seven.

Knee-deep in the grass, admiring the flowers and the enjoying the sunlight was where a wasp found and stung her. All she could remember after that was the pain and the crying and a frantic Neji carrying her to the hospital. They hadn't known that she was allergic. What remained of that memory was a scar below her ear, on her neck, where there had been a particularly nasty hive. Hiashi was reluctant to have her participate in any more outdoors activities after that.

She entertained the idea of going to the Rookie's hanami picnic. It made her laugh to think of gang members sitting around admiring cherry blossoms. Naruto making bad jokes, Lee singing, Kiba mocking Naruto, Shino sitting by himself, Chouji eating, Shikamaru dozing, and Sasuke plotting her violent death.

Naruto, smiling, happy-go-lucky Naruto, breaking bones and smashing faces. Her humor vanished. They were a gang after all. The ease with which he threw his punches and that awful look on his face – it was like a switch, from goofball to fighter. Not to mention the Uchiha who had snakes for home security. That couldn't be legal. She stopped for a moment and rolled her stiff shoulders.

"H-Hey!"

She didn't have the chance to get a good look of his face when a boy knocked her off of her bike and took off with it.

Hinata hissed at her scraped hands and knees, but went right after him. He had some nerve! She ran after him, pushing past people on the streets and shouting apologies.

The boy's head bobbed in and out of view, but her father was on to something about biking making her physically stronger. Even Hinata was surprised by her stamina.

The crowd was starting to thicken. She stumbled over a baby stroller and when she finished apologizing, the boy, and more importantly, her bike, was gone.

"Hinata!"

A hand landed on her shoulder. Her hackles fell only when she saw who the voice belonged to.

"Kiba-kun?"

"Damn, I lost him," Kiba hissed, running a hand through his hair irritably.

"M-Maybe we should get out of the way," she said over the crowd. That was one too many elbows to the head that she could deal with.

Kiba nodded and led her out by elbowing through. When she could finally breathe, she asked, "You were chasing him too?"

His hands were behind his head."He's a spy,"

"A…spy?"

Kiba paused and, as if deliberating something in his head and reaching a decision, shrugged. "We're doing a job. He was trying to interfere. I was trying to stop him,"

He was being vague, she could tell that much.

"Job" sounds like something yakuza-esque.

After Naruto's little demonstration, she couldn't help her cynicism. Hinata stopped when she couldn't recognize her surroundings.

"Where are we? It's like a ghost town," She rubbed her arms, darting her eyes about.

All of the buildings were old and dilapidated, full of broken windows with nothing inside but darkness as far as the eye could see. The place was overgrown with nature reclaiming her territory, clashing with the industrial landscape. She jumped when a stray cat flashed by her leg.

"Spooky, eh?" Kiba laughed at her pale face. "Don't worry Hinata-chan, the ghosts don't like cute schoolgirls like you. They like older women,"

He cackled at his own off-color humor. Hinata quietly stepped over a tree root that had split the cement as if the was devil clawing his way up from hell.

"This neighborhood is probably one of the only ones in the city that hasn't seen the light of development," he said.

Her brain was finally catching up after all of the excitement. This was not supposed to be happening. The plan was to buy the heavy cream and head back. No stolen bikes, no spies, and no gang members.

"Where are we going?"

"We're getting your bike back," Kiba said with a wink.

"But we're going in the wrong direction,"

"We're reporting your bike then. I figure we might as well return your cellphone since you're here. Must'a dropped it when you were hauling ass,"

She averted her gaze at that.

Kiba smiled. "Don't be embarrassed. No one with a fully functional brain wants to be around Sasuke. And that's why Naruto is his best friend," he said. "But dang, you've been losing your things left and right. Cute wallpaper by the way,"

Hinata blushed at the image of them looking at her cat-themed home screen. She hastily changed the subject.

"I-Is this a shortcut to the police station?"

"Sure, you can think of it that way if you want,"

She scrunched her nose. "What does that mean?"

Kiba hummed evasively.

She frowned. "Th-That sounds like Tetris,"

He quirked a brow, lips still puckered. "How about this?"

"Ode to Joy?"

"This?"

"Under the Sea,"

"And this?"

"The Pokemon theme song!"

"You're good,"

"Th-Thanks," she said, pleased. Though now she had forgotten why he had distracted her. "Um, about yesterday," Hinata fidgeted with her fingers. "Why did you kidnap me?"

She could still vividly remember the strange "Just Married" car rolling up and being shoved into it.

"Easier to do first, talk later. You wouldn't have come along quietly if some guy asked you to go somewhere with him,"

"Stranger danger," Hinata said quietly.

"Also," Kiba stretched his arms above his head. "We haven't taken out Jiraiya's car in a while. Hey there,"

Hinata gasped when a pretty white dog loped into view. The dog bee-lined for Kiba's knees.

"He's so cute," she gushed.

"Woof!"

"She appreciates the compliment," he laughed.

"Oh, I'm sorry. M-May I?" Hinata hovered her hand.

"Sure. Kami, meet Hinata. Hinata, this is Kami,"

"So fluffy," she cooed with her fingers plunged in soft white fur.

Kami nosed her palm and jumped, placing her paws up on Hinata's thighs. "Oh!"

"Down,"

Kiba held a dog treat.

She looked at him strangely. "You carry dog treats around?"

He stood up and puffed his chest proudly. "Of course. Inuzukas are always prepared,"

A light bulb went off in her head. "Ah, the Inuzuka kennels!"

He scoffed. "Took you long enough to figure that out,"

She smiled despite herself. Theirs was the most renowned dog kennel in the Lands.

"We found her wandering around here as a puppy," He patted Kami's head. "You can think of her as our unofficial mascot,"

Kami followed them as they continued onward. She nudged at Kiba's palms for more treats and walked off with a snort when he ignored her attempts.

The sudden silence found Hinata chewing the inside of her cheek. Sure they beat people up ruthlessly but Kiba could charm dogs like any fairytale princess worth her weight in pixie dust. And Naruto was helping that man, even if it was a terrifying way to do it.

No, no, no! They were getting to her! She shot him a sideways look. Maybe…maybe he had planned this. A conspiracy? Operation Group Girlfriend? Operation She Can't Fight but She Looks Good in a Skirt and Even Better in Ropes When A Rival Gang Kidnaps Her?

Maybe he knew she had a weakness for dogs and cats and other cute fluffy things. He probably thought all girls had the same weakness. He wasn't wrong in her case but to think he would exploit such a cute creature for such a villainous design! Well she was going to put him in place!

"Um, I have another question,"

"Shoot,"

"Why did you try…recruiting me?"

Kiba grinned, though his shifting eyes betrayed his discomfort. "What do you mean?"

Hinata looked at her shoes. "Y-You just wanted a group girlfriend,"

Her accusation was soft but the impact was harsh.

"Our intentions were not pure,"

"Holy shit, Shino," Kiba clutched his chest, glaring at the bespectacled boy.

"Aburame Shino," Shino corrected. "It is about time you noticed," he said, sulking.

He took Hinata's other side and maintained his distance. "Hinata-san is not wrong. As long as it was an attractive female from Senju then she was welcome,"

Kiba scowled at him and tried to explain. "C'mon, it's a fucking sausage fest here and at school,"

"You could try getting a girlfriend," Shino muttered.

"Are you really doing this right now? Refresh my memory – which little four-eyes tried to give a girl a giant spider for Valentine's Day when we were in third grade?"

"The spider was not the gift. It was carrying the gift,"

"Whatever, virgin."

Hinata felt more vindicated by his honesty rather than upset by it. All the more reason to cut ties with the bizarre bunch. She was simply going to get her phone and her bike back and then it would be over.

They arrived at an office building, otherwise plain and unassuming amongst the rest of the ruins. There were mossy walls and vines crawling in and around the building. The trio found themselves at glass double doors, cracked and smudged with fingerprints and grime. She was disturbed to see blood sticking to the door in blackish red spatters.

At Hinata's stunned silence, Kiba said, with a touch of pride, "This is our base,"

"I thought – I thought Uchiha-san's house was the base," Was that moreblood on the door handle she was seeing?

Kiba walked to the door and kicked it open. "This place is for work and his place is for play,"

"There's no security?" Hinata inspected the doorway suspiciously.

"There's a camera up there. The ass pirate is watching," He flipped off the camera whirring to life in a shadowy corner.

"U-Uchiha-san is here?"

"Aw, don't be so nervous," Kiba said as they took the elevator. Hinata noted that there were three floors with an accessible roof. "Sasuke gets used to things he hates pretty quickly. Unless he kills them first,"

Shino frowned. "You are further distressing Hinata-san,"

"It's okay, really! On his birthday, I got him a pair of sweatpants that said 'Blowjob Princess' on the butt and he only broke one arm for it!"

Suddenly, she felt it would be better to face her father about another lost possession than face the Uchiha.

They reached the top floor all too soon. Sunlight lit up the entire hallway from a giant wall-to-ceiling window. She would have enjoyed it if she didn't feel like all the blood in her body had froze.

Kiba knocked three times on the door and peered into the glass window.

He opened the door. Sitting at an L-shaped desk with a laptop and glasses was Sasuke. He raised his brows as he appraised them. Black eyes flickered to hers before settling on Kiba and Shino. His mouth twisted into a frown.

"I lost him,"

"Obviously. That's why you're here," Sasuke sighed and took off his rather stylish red-framed glasses.

He shot her an icy stare."Catch,"

"Th-Thank you," Her hands were still trembling after she pocketed her phone and folded her hands in front of her.

"Now leave," he said.

She would have if Kiba hadn't said, "She still has business with us,"

"Yes, I'm sure Hyuuga Hiashi would be pleased to know that you're still here," His smile was sharp. "I want to see Neji's face when I tell him that his innocent little cousin left her phone at my house,"

"Her bike, man," Kiba said impatiently. "That piece of shit ran away with it,"

Sasuke put his glasses back on and looked at the laptop screen. "Ah, a Fuji Urban series Feather bike in 'Satin Slate'. You didn't like the color so you painted some of it with nail polish. 'Perky Plum,' was it?"

He lifted his eyes and laughed a short, harsh laugh. "A gift from your father after you lost in the academy's kendo tournament in the first round last year,"

Her throat tightened, eyes burning hot. "How do you-"

He laced his fingers under his chin, black eyes gleaming. "I don't allow anyone into my territory without knowing them. Especially a Hyuuga,"

"You - You invaded my privacy,"

"You did it first,"

Her throat closed up for a moment. Her heart pumped furiously. The heat in her face was for once not from embarrassment but anger.

His gaze stayed on her, studying her in the same calculative and discomfiting way he'd done the first time he'd laid eyes on her.

"Naruto is on scouting duty. With any luck, Hinata," he drawled, staring at her once again with unpleasant glint in his eye. "he should be able to catch him, even if the dobe is ninety percent brain-dead,"

"Then please excuse me," she said through gritted teeth. Hinata was out in the sunlit hallway and finally away from that – that -

"A-Ass pirate," she hissed, recalling Kiba's words.

She ruffled her bangs irritably. She found herself in front of the big window at the end of the hall. Today was all blue skies and balmy breezes. The scent of freshly cut grass and flowers gentled her clenched fists and the crease between her brows.

Hinata placed her hands on the window sill, absently enjoying the pretty view and the breeze. It would feel less empty if there were some potted plants. Interior designer she was not, but she could imagine that plants could photosynthesize to their heart's content here, in the bountiful sunshine.

If only the place didn't belong to an ill-mannered, snake-trigger-happy, dead-behind-the-eyes stalker freak who had a better sense of style than her. Even she didn't know the exact model of her bike or that its awful color was "satin slate." And he'd even known the shade of her nail polish. She exhaled loudly and went towards the elevator. Hopefully the supermarket wouldn't be closed by the time she walked back.

lll

"Yo, welcome back,"

Ino greeted her from the kitchen stool with a magazine and a cup of tea.

"There was ah, a heavy cream shortage," Hinata took off her shoes. "The cows, you know, they're harvesting their own methane gas and using it as a biological weapon against us. O-Oh, and the line was pretty long too,"

"Hm. And did the cows cut up your hands like that?"

"They are d-dastardly cows,"

"Hinata," Ino huffed and closed the magazine. "You know where the band-aids are. Patch yourself up,"

The Hyuuga sheepishly shuffled over to get the first-aid kit.

"Your bike is missing too," Ino said. She was looking out the window and turned to Hinata. Her eyes widened in realization. "Did someone steal your bike?"

Hinata ducked her head. "Yes,"

"Motherfucker!"

"L-Language, Ino-chan!"

"So something bad did happen," She sat down on the couch where Hinata joined her. "Is it because they know you've been involved with a gang and targeted you on purpose?"

"I don't think so," Hinata said, sticking on the last Pikachu band-aid. "He was being chased," by a gang member.

"Well, you came back in one piece so let's go finish up that cake!"

Hinata felt equal parts relieved and guilty. She hadn't lied. She just hadn't told the entire truth.

"Ne, when are your parents getting back?"

"Next week. Which means I'm stuck at the shop all weekend," The blonde stretched her arms out dramatically. "A babe like me should be out making trouble, not trimming petunias,"

"I'm free this weekend, s-so I can help keep you company if you want."

White lie or not, it was the first time she'd lied to her best friend. Flower shop redemption was in order.

lll

Hinata rolled her neck, satisfied by the cracks. The cake had reached the mini fridge in her father's office safely and her homework was finally finished!

She got off her purple office chair and jumped around to get her blood going. It was still light out when she looked out her bedroom window. A thought crossed her mind.

"Common sense, Hinata," She hit her head against the glass. "Ow,"

Common sense said to go eat dinner and hop into bed. Nonsense said to sneak out to check out the hanami picnic. She was curious and she was bored. Idle hands are the devil's play things indeed, she thought as she hit her forehead again. Especially when those hands belonged to a girl whose curfew was "get home before sunset" and whose father was as authoritarian as Hyuuga Hiashi.

She never got to do anything after school in junior high because Neji picked her up every day and her father kept her occupied at home with a tutor and kendo instructor. This was her taste of danger and rebellion and it was as bad for her as it was addictive. She wanted to know what Naruto had done to those twins. She wanted to know which face he would greet her with, if she could look at any of them the same again if she had saw them hurt someone.

She wanted to know what face Sasuke would make if he knew how much she knew about his family life, about his beloved big brother dropping out of high school to run away and join a gang only to return and become the CEO-in-training of the Uchiha's business, about his parents who lived in Hong Kong and rarely visited.

Clink.

Hinata started, quickly backing away from her window. Did someone throw a rock at her window? She crept slowly towards it to look one story down.

A familiar blond head was waving excitedly up at her.

"Wha…"

…along with three other familiar faces.

"H-How did you get in here?!"

"You and Sasuke have the same security system! Easy peasy!" Naruto explained brightly.

"Lemon squeezy," Kiba said. "Now c'mon down! Lee can only distract your guards for so long,"

"He is pretending to be Neji's amnesiac foreign lover," Shino said with a straight face.

"N-Neji-nii's wha - wait, I-I never said I was going,"

"But you said you were!"

"P-Please don't shout!"

"We'll catch you," The trio linked their hands together with a look of determination.

Hinata stared, lamenting the money wasted on a security system a group of sixteen year-old boys could outwit and her common sense. She spared one last look at them before grabbing her phone, wallet, and jacket.

She bit her lip and slid the window open. It wasn't a deep fall but it wouldn't leave her unscathed if she didn't have her man-made safety net waiting below her. Without hesitation, she jumped.