Behind the Mask
CHAPTER 7: Always Together
A look around the rink from a spectator's perspective revealed a distinctive line between the winners and losers. There were no grey areas. There was only the devastated Iwa team, surrounding and comforting each other, and the Konoha team, surrounded by the gloves, helmets, and sticks tossed around the icy white surface. The various items discarded in the midst of their celebration.
Hinata giggled hysterically under the mass of teammates, their arms and legs flailing, a few jabbing her more sensitive areas to induce her laughter. Not that anyone noticed though, the girls' joyous laughter melded and chimed together through the modest sized arena. Each note of pure happiness struck the Iwa players like a dagger in their sides as they stood around their bench. Most were still hiding their gently shed tears behind the cages of their helmets while a few chewed their anguish away on the fingers of the gloves that held their sticks upright to balance them. One girl was bowed down to the ice, grieving the loss of the championship title they had come so close to claiming.
"We're champions! We're the freakin' champions!" a pleased voice shouted cheerfully.
"Hinata!" the Hyuuga heiress attuned her senses to pick up Ino's voice in the heap of hockey players, "you got an assist!"
Slowly, the players let up and released their star goalie from the bottom of the pile up. Hinata instantly spotted the stream of platinum blonde hair flowing out from beneath a mask. The two girls skated into a brief hug before separating and searching for Temari and TenTen. Eventually the four girls found each other. They embraced with no spoken words, but smiles gleamed proudly as heads pressed together.
"Congratulations girls" Temari declared blissfully.
"We did it" TenTen added, her grin ever present, "and we did it together."
"I never doubted this could be done" Ino tightened her arms around Hinata to her right and Temari to her left, "this was meant to be… we were meant to be crowned."
"Mm" Hinata nodded, her forehead rubbing against the others as happy tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, "thank you for supporting me."
"Always Hinata, always." Ino reassured as all three girls leaned into the Hyuuga goalie, "we'll always be here for you."
Hinata inhaled a deep breath of air and let her contented tears mark their paths down her cheeks, "pr-promise? Promise we'll always be together?"
"Promise" they replied simultaneously.
"Listen, even if we get separated by school next year," Temari started, "it doesn't mean we won't be friends anymore or that we won't always be around for each other."
"Let's make a pact" TenTen lifted her hand to the centre of their group hug, "even if the season is over, even after me and Temari have graduated, we'll be friends forever, regardless of where our lives take us."
"Agreed" Ino laid her hand above TenTen's
"It's a pact then" Temari added her hand.
"Always together" Hinata sniffled and smiled at her friends before gently placing her hand on top.
"I love you girls," the team's captain announced.
"We love you too Temari!" They muttered together, eliciting laughter amongst themselves.
"Hey! The group hug is cute and all, but it's time to line up!" Anko shouted to the quartet.
The girls separated and joined the rest of their team as they formed a single line. Iwa formed a line opposite to Konoha. Hinata lined up behind her friends as the lines moved next to each other. Each player respectfully shook each and every hand of the opposition, praising their hard work and wishing them luck in the future.
During games, it was expected that both teams battled and fought with every ounce of their beings. There was no such thing as friendly rivalries. All that exist are those that play alongside you, and those that don't. They are expected to play hard, skate hard, hit hard, and shoot hard. But when all is said and done, there was no doubt each and every player holds an unwavering respect for their counterparts.
Hinata shook the hand of the player passing her, and out of the corner of her eyes she caught a glimpse of the two captains sharing a half hug and pats of the back. The movements of their lips portraying the mutual respect they held. Soon they broke apart and continued down the line. Iwa's captain met Hinata not long after her short exchange with Temari.
"Congrats, you're a very gifted goalie" the redheaded Iwa player complimented with subtle but genuine smile.
"Thank you" Hinata gave a curt nod and moved along. The indigo haired goaltender smiled demurely when she caught sight of TenTen exchanging respectful words with the player she had literally been at war with the entire game. The brunette smiled vibrantly and complimented the Iwa player's unyielding determination and bone shattering hits.
The line was beginning to thin as most players had shown their respect to the opposition. Only a few players remained and Iwa's coach. Hinata shook that last of the clammy hands belonging to hockey players, only one hand remained. She inclined her head upward and sent Iwa's blonde coach a sweet smile. A steady hand came out to clasp his in hers, but she gasped and flinched when pale lavender eyes looked down to the man's hand.
He chuckled lightly and opened his hand fully; his palm held up to Hinata's frightened face. "A tattoo, yea" he stated with an amused smirk.
Hinata's eyes narrowed on the supposed tattoo, taking in the intricate handiwork. It appeared to be a mouth, opened and supplemented by the white teeth and a pink tongue. He lifted his other hand up and held it beside its twin. She looked to the other one. It was grinning… and almost mockingly. "So, you okay to shake my hand?" he chuckled again and held out his right hand for her to take.
"Mm" Hinata smiled and took his hand, "y-you've coached a very good team."
"Thank you." He bowed his head, acknowledging her kind words, "though today might not have been your best game; you've always managed to astound me, yea. Keep up the good work Hyuuga."
Hinata gave him a polite nod before retracting her hand and joining the rest of her teammates for the trophy presentation. Iwa's team exited the rink for their dressing room. A small table was brought out and a luminous golden trophy placed atop.
The Konoha girls lined up along the blue line, their arms laced around the back of their teammate's shoulders, symbolic of the union formed over the past season. Various people of authority paced onto the ice with steady and cautious steps, taking places around the trophy and preparing to present it to the team's captain. Once everyone was in their respective spots and one of the high school's photography students was ready, Temari was called up and awarded the golden trophy. The team cheered with unrestrained satisfaction as their captain was photographed with the sole object they had been working to attain.
Hinata shifted her head from the scene and searched for her family. She found them standing in front of their seats. Her father was the image of rigid pride, her mother played the role of overjoyed and teary eyed parent fully equipped with mucus laden tissues, and lastly, Hanabi grinned from ear to ear while the poster in her hand whipped, as she waved it frantically. Hinata turned on her skates and looked up to the empty seats that had previously been occupied by the Heat players. Relieved that they were gone, she turned her attention back and revelled in the surreal moment.
The formal proceedings finished with Temari lifting the trophy high above her head before pulling it down to place an accomplished kiss. She skated a few paces to the edge of the rink to celebrate with the few fans.
"Hinata" the dirty blonde called out, "you're next."
"M-me?" her lavender eyes widened as she was shoved ahead by a few of her teammates.
"We couldn't have done it without you" Temari offered the trophy and Hinata received it gratefully.
She followed suit with her captain and skated along the glass, to her family. They smiled proudly. She allowed a grin to force its way across her features and kissed the trophy lightly before searching for the next person.
She spotted Ino in the middle of the pack, "Ino!"
The girls separated and created a path for the platinum blonde. The trophy was passed on to her and then after she skated her paces with it, she passed it to TenTen… and so forth.
Hinata turned and looked up as an arm was thrown around her shoulders, "time to party" Temari suggested with a sly grin.
Neji sighed and glanced at his watch, it read 9:28PM. After Hinata's game, the boys had boarded their team bus and rode back to Konoha Academy where everyone was dropped off. He walked with his raven haired assistant captain to Sasuke's and Naruto's room. Even without opening the door, they could already hear the blonde's raspy voice seep through the cracks.
The door swung open to reveal Naruto seated on a chair across from a brilliant head of bubble gum pink hair. "It's okay Sakura… we lose games all the time" Naruto tried to console the irritated girl.
"Sasuke!" she bounded off the edge of the bed and past Naruto before wrapping her slender arms around Sasuke's neck.
Naruto narrowed his eyes on his teammate while Neji furrowed annoyed brows.
"Don't" Sasuke stated definitively and withdrew from her embrace. He briskly walked over to his own bed and collapsed over it.
"But Sasuke… we lost today." She took the spot on the edge of his bed and attempted to grasp his hand, "can't you just be nice for once?"
Sasuke narrowed his onyx eyes and tilted his head to Naruto. The blonde's facial expression floated somewhere between hurt and frustration. Naruto narrowed his own cerulean eyes at his brother figure, their heated stares going unnoticed by the girl but easily catching the attention of the Heat's respected captain. Neji stifled a yawn and leaned deeper into the chair he had claimed.
Sasuke's head twitched, motioning for Naruto to do something about the girl invading his space. The blonde got up with a shrug and walked to the bathroom, his displeasure with the circumstances clearly evident on his face. The Uchiha's jaw clenched tighter as Sakura leaned into him with her constant babbling mouth. He just wondered why she couldn't be quiet like Shino's girlfriend… or even Hinata, but he pushed thoughts of the latter aside.
The sound of a cell phone going off stole the attention of the room's occupants.
"Hey" Neji said smoothly into his phone's receiver.
Sasuke watched inquisitively as his captain conversed with an unidentified caller. Eventually Naruto re-entered the room and shot Sasuke a look that asked who Neji was talking to. Sasuke shrugged and returned his attention back to removing Sakura from his arm. He turned to Naruto again, his eyes pleading for the blonde's help. Naruto simply crossed his arms like a child and collapsed on his bed. Neji chuckled inwardly at the scene while talking on the phone. It amazed him how this one arrogant and self-absorbed girl could cause such an odd rift between two near brothers. Naruto didn't dislike Sasuke because of the attention Sakura gave him, but he envied the Uchiha star.
"Go bug Naruto" Sasuke instructed authoritatively while he worked diligently to remove her.
"But Sasuke" she implored with her bright emerald eyes, "I've been with Naruto for awhile and you didn't get to see my game, I missed you."
Sasuke inhaled a deep breath in an attempt to stay calm. His eyelids drifted down as he tuned out the pink haired girl's unpleasant voice. He honed in on Naruto's snickers and rants under his breath. The blonde obviously didn't think Sasuke could hear his muttered insults. Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and did so successfully.
"I'll see you tomorrow then" Neji bid farewell to the person on the other line, "yea, yea, I love you too."
Naruto bolted upright and immaturely made kissy faces at the Hyuuga prodigy. Neji hung up the phone and threw one of the cushions from his chair at Naruto.
"Ayah!" Naruto shouted as he caught the cushion, "violent aren't we?"
Neji shrugged the comment off and stood up, "I'm going to head home."
"Who was that?" Naruto queried with curious eyes.
"Someone integral to getting the Heat a new goalie" Neji answered with a smirk.
"Hinata?" the blonde boy held a look of genuine contemplation.
Neji didn't answer. He just waved a farewell and exited the room.
Hinata slipped through the front door soundlessly. There was absolutely no light to illuminate the mansion's foyer, halls, or stairs, save for the little moonlight that pierced the windows. She was so tempted to switch on the lights but opted against it, she didn't want to wake anyone up. In all her years, she had never stayed out this late and certainly was not accustomed to sneaking around in the dark like Neji was.
Slow and steadily, she wall-hugged her way to the stairs where she fiercely grasped the railings as she walked up. When she successfully made it to her bedroom without mishap, she glanced around her room for the clock to determine exactly how late she had stayed out and if she should be concerned with possible consequences. Her parents were loving, caring, and all that but when it came to disciplining, they never hesitated. And upon recollection, while the team was out celebrating their win, Hinata hadn't actually bothered to check her phone for messages.
She pulled the slim device from her pocket and sat down on her bed. Flipping it open, she read the time as 4:12AM and cringed a little. She didn't even stay up this late let alone stay out, but then again this was a special occasion. After the trophy presentation and showering, the team met up at a restaurant that belonged to one of their teammates. Together, the team blasted music, sang various celebratory songs, ate boatloads of appetizers and finger foods, and popped corks off non-alcoholic champagne bottles before dumping them on each other. So much for those showers…
A smile tugged on the Hyuuga heiress's lips. It had definitely been a night to remember. She absently opened up her phone's messages inbox, looking for some parental instruction demanding she come home. She didn't find any… but there were many others.
The first was the standard congratulatory text message from the parents. Congratulations Hinata. We're so proud of you! Don't stay out too late.
The second message was courtesy of her lovely cousin. Congrats Hina. See you at home. Yea, Neji was never one for many words or long and drawn out speeches.
"Gaara" she read the name and another smile ghosted over her lips. Congratulations Hinata. We knew you could pull it off. We'll see you and everyone when we come to play Neji.
The fourth message was from Neji again… well sort of. More accurately, it was from Neji's phone. Looks like you pulled through, we'll see how you do in the MJHL – Uchiha Sasuke. Her nose scrunched as she tried to comprehend what he had meant… it was too late at night to think straight, moving onto the next message…
The next handfuls of messages were all from 'Mr. Sunshine' or otherwise known as Kankoru. He had literally taken her phone and replaced his simple 'Kankoru' label with the brighter one. Her smile grew more prominent as she scrolled through his messages. The older brunette boy always knew how to make her smile. Sunshine! End of first message. Congrats on the big win! End of second message. Temari says you did well! End of third message. We beat Iwa today too! End of fourth message. I get unlimited texting :) End of fifth message. Oh, shit! This is long distance texting, isn't it? End of sixth message.
Hinata stifled a giggle at the boy's digital epiphany. His epiphany was the last of the messages so she set out to her adjoining bathroom and prepared to sleep off the night's events.
Neji pulled on his jacket before exiting his room. He stopped briefly at Hinata's door and opened it to find a sleeping Hyuuga. It was the middle of the afternoon and she was still sleep. Must've had one hell of a night, he mused.
"Where are you going?" Hanabi asked as they crossed paths on Neji's way to the front door.
"Out" he answered minimally and smiled as his baby cousin's face contorted in annoyance.
"Fine, be secretive." She waved him off, "I'll find out eventually anyway."
"Hn" Neji chose not to reply and slipped out the door.
He slid into the seat of his car and drove in pleasant silence to the other side of Konoha. When he finally arrived at the small restaurant, he parked his car on the street and walked in to meet the person that would help him get Hinata to join the Heat. The host offered Neji his assistance but the Hyuuga prodigy politely waved him off and walked towards an already occupied table.
"Hey" he greeted and kissed TenTen affectionately, "I'm surprised you made it. Hinata is still sleeping."
She cupped a hand over her mouth to cover a yawn, "I envy her."
"You don't want to see me?" Neji feigned hurt.
"I do" she smiled and took a sip of her water, "but I suspect you didn't invite me to a late lunch just to see me. As much as you love me, I'm sensing an ulterior motive. I mean, you did send me that text message after our game, something about wanting to talk."
He chuckled at his girlfriend's accusations, "yes, there is another reason. But I wanted to see you too, you've been so busy preparing for that final that the last time we were alone was more than a week ago."
"Aw, you missed me!" she teased.
"Don't deny that you missed me too" he leaned forward, into the table, and took her hand in his.
"Alright, I missed you too," she said as sweetly as it would come. "Now get on with it so we can have a nice meal together. What do you want?"
Neji smiled at the girl's straightforwardness, "it's about Hinata."
"Hinata? What about her? Is she okay?"
"She's fine… or well, I assume she's fine" Neji's thumb absently rubbed her as their hands remained interlaced, "I need your help to convince her to agree to something."
"Agree to what?" she narrowed her eyes on him, "it better not be anything creepy, or perverted, or the like."
An eyebrow rose quizzically, "what are you implying?"
"Nothing!" she waved a hand defensively, "so, what's this something you want Hinata to agree to?"
"When she came to practice with me last week, our coach and the players got a chance to watch her play" he started, his eyes locking with hers to affirm the seriousness of the topic. "In the MJHL, there are no rules distinguishing between genders eligible to play. After the practices, our coach and general manager, Hatake Kakashi, offered her a spot on the Konoha Heat."
TenTen's jaw dropped and her eyes widened, "uh… say that again, the last part."
An amused smiled etched across his masculine face, "Hinata was offered a position on our team."
"No way" the brunette girl replied disbelievingly, "you're joking."
"No joke"
"If you're serious then that's awesome!" her eyes brightened, "just think of all the doors this opens. She'd be the first female to play major junior hockey… and she'd get to play against the future stars of pro hockey!"
"Yea, it does open a lot of doors and offers a lot of valuable experience. There's just one problem."
"What?"
"She declined the offer."
"She declined? Why?"
Neji shrugged his broad shoulders, "she wants to stay with you and the girls."
"But this is such a great opportunity!"
"I know, so I need your help to convince her."
Her face contorted as she considered his request, "I don't think I can…"
"Why not?"
"Because… you know how Hinata is" she started, the fingernails of her free hand tapped on the wooden surface of the table, "if she declined then there's a reason and if we try to persuade her then we'd end up bullying her into doing something she might not want."
"But this'll be good for her… and the team too" he reasoned with the brunette.
"I'm sure she thought through the offer before declining" she breathed in a deep breath, "it's her decision and I don't feel like I have the right to conspire against it. She has her reasons… just like you're always saying Uchiha has his reasons for being a jerk." Her mouth formed in an 'O' as a thought hit her like a truck, "Uchiha. He treated her horribly yesterday! There's no way she would play with him!"
Neji's mouth straightened into a frown, "is the problem that she doesn't want to face Sasuke or that she doesn't want to leave her friends? Because depending on which one it is, I'll have to alter my strategy."
A smile crossed over her face as her usually stoic boyfriend frowned, "probably a bit of both. How would you alter your strategy?"
"I don't know, ask Sasuke to be nicer?"
TenTen chuckled, "good luck with that."
"I'll deal with Sasuke if anything comes up, but will you help convince Hinata?"
"I don't know… let me talk to Temari and Ino first, just to see what they think"
The crunch of ice under the skate blades was followed by a resounding crash and then a pained yelp. The Konoha Heat player doubled over and rolled on the ice.
"Hey, sorry…" Kiba laughed nervously and extended his hand out, "guess I didn't realize how hard that hit was going to be."
The player nodded and waved him off, gasping for air as if it would numb the pain.
"Alright let's take a break while our friend here finds his footing" Kakashi instructed while he absently pointed to the player lying on the ice.
The players skated to the benches and grabbed for water bottles.
"I thought this was a closed practice, why are there spectators?" another player asked to no one in particular.
Konoha's top line shifted their line of sight to find three occupied seats, two blondes and a brunette. "Is that TenTen?" Naruto asked to Neji.
"Yea" he nodded.
"Oi, her friends are cute aren't they Sasuke?" the blonde nudged the obsidian eyed boy.
"Hn" Sasuke his narrowed eyes on the long-haired platinum blonde, in turn she narrowed her own bright eyes on him. He knew she disliked him, especially after what happened two days ago at their championship final. Their brief but heated confrontation had left a bad taste in his mouth, but her loyalty to Hinata was admirable. "Why are they here?" Sasuke asked monotonously.
"We'll have to see after our practice is done" Neji shrugged and skated back out into the middle of the rink.
The boys finished off their scrimmages and exited the rink. After showering and dressing in their normal street clothes, they walked out of the dressing rooms to find three girls leaning against the wall across from them. Neji and TenTen met in an embrace.
"Is this about Hinata?" Neji asked with a knowing smirk, while also subtly noting the tension growing between Ino and Sasuke.
"So you're really serious about her playing in the MJHL?" Temari asked.
"It's not something I'd joke about" the Hyuuga prodigy replied apathetically.
"We want to talk to the team's general manager," Ino stated, her gaze not weakening under Sasuke's hard glare.
"Kakashi's in his office." Neji took TenTen's hand and started walking, "follow me."
"Uh, what's going on?" Naruto voiced confusedly as he scurried along with the three girls and his two teammates.
No one answered as they approached the grey door of the coach/general manager's office. Neji knocked and was invited in by the silver haired man's friendly voice.
"Neji" Kakashi greeted, "and company… hi." He eyed the group curiously, making note that he only recognized his three players… but the girls looked remarkably familiar, "is there something I can help you with?"
"This is my girlfriend, TenTen and her friends Temari and Ino" Neji motioned to the respective girl, "they're also Hinata's teammates."
"Ah, congratulations on your championship win the other day!" The corners of Kakashi's eyes crinkled, a smile hidden under his mask, "it was an exciting game to watch."
"Thank you." Temari stepped forward and bowed politely to the man, "we appreciate your support but we're here to talk about our teammate, Hyuuga Hinata."
Naruto's cerulean eyes darted around the room. Everyone seemed to know what was going on except for him. Even if Sasuke's face betrayed nothing, Naruto saw that he knew what this was about.
"Alright, what is it you would like to discuss?" Kakashi leaned forward in his seat.
"We think it'd be a good opportunity for Hinata to play in the MJHL." Ino spoke with confidence and poise, "but we wonder if playing with the Heat would be the best environment for her, considering the… volatile nature of boys" her eyes shifted to Sasuke. "We can convince her to join… we just need to know that she'd be taken care of."
"I can assure you, Hinata will be treated well" he smiled behind his mask, "I've already had this discussion with her parents, we've come to terms with the matter and it's been written into the contract. Hinata will be treated like any other player on the team, just as I expect her to work like any other player on the team. The only exceptions are that she will receive a separate dressing room and hotel room when we're on the road."
"And what will you do if she's not openly welcomed on the team," TenTen asked sternly.
Kakashi's eyes glazed over with a look of boredom, "I'm not a mother, and any altercations among players are solved by players. If in the end the players still don't get along then one will likely be dismissed." His eyes wandered upwards as though he was recalling an event, "that's never happened in my coaching career though. The last time something came close to that was when Neji was traded here last season. You can ask Neji and Sasuke about it."
Both boys scowled at their coach. The girls gave each other glances, clear disapproval of the coach's answer evident in their eyes.
Kakashi sensed their uncertainty and spoke to reassure them, "most players are approving of Hinata joining the team. A few are undecided and one is adamantly against it." The man's eyes drifted to Sasuke, "but then again, that one player was against Neji joining too." He smirked at Sasuke's irritation, "it worked out… that player was the one that nominated Neji for captaincy this season."
"You don't need to worry about Hinata" Neji reassured the girls, "the team captain is her cousin after all. Her joining the team would benefit all of us, including herself."
The girls looked amongst themselves, no indications as to where their decision might sway.
"If it helps" the silver haired coach interrupted the silent glances, "I could give you a tour and show you the storage room we were having remodelled into a dressing room for her before she turned down our offer."
Together, the female hockey players nodded. Kakashi stood up from behind his desk and walked out the door, the teenagers following behind him.
"So, your cousin is joining the team?" Naruto fell into step beside Neji and Sasuke, the three girls walked ahead of them.
"We'll see" Neji replied.
Kakashi led the group to a door a short distance from their team's dressing room, a few remaining players peered down the hall inquisitively. The team's coach swung the door opened and flipped the light switch. They filed into the small room, well, small in comparison to the normal sized rooms. But in actuality, it was a generous size for just one player.
Sasuke tilted his head upward and noted that they had been considerate enough to even change the lighting for her. The usual cement floor had been carpeted and it now held the Heat's flaming leaf logo. Neji and Naruto awed at how the walls had even been painted to match their dressing rooms and featured the team's colours; dark green and maroon red accented the cream coloured walls. The girls' eyes widened as they set sights on the half constructed stall. The former storage room was many more times luxurious than their dressing rooms at the modest community rink.
"I was hoping to have it done for her first game, which would have been last Thursday." Kakashi stood to the side and let the teenagers take in the room, "but she decided against joining so the stall wasn't completed."
"So Ino, what do you think about her joining now?" Temari asked the platinum blonde that had been determinedly against their Hyuuga goalie joining the boy's team.
"I think we need to give Hinata a call," TenTen stated absently, her brown eyes still scanning the room.
Ino swivelled on her feet, the long ponytail of platinum blonde hair whipped with her sudden motion. "Fine, I get it! This'll be good for her" Ino fumed and stomped up to Sasuke. She poked him threateningly under his left collarbone with two fingers, "if you treat her poorly, I swear, I will come here and pummel you myself! Either that or I'll sic Temari's brothers on you! I'm sure they'll gladly delegate for me!"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes on her, completely unperturbed by her threats. Neji snorted while trying to contain a chuckle. Konoha and Suna had a good rivalry going, but he figured no one realized that the dirty blonde girl was a Sabaku, and in turn Ino was referring to Suna's intimidating redheaded captain and the soft-hearted brown haired tough guy who could really throw some punches.
"Hn" the simple sound came out nonchalantly.
The indigo haired beauty stepped off the bus at the stop two blocks from the café she and her friends liked to visit on occasion. A brown satchel hung diagonally from one shoulder to her waist as she walked steadily towards the café. When she arrived, she pulled the transparent glass door open and stepped inside. She immediately spotted the familiar heads of hair and padded towards the table.
"Hi!" She greeted her three friends and cousin, they murmured greetings in response.
"Hinata…" Temari started, "we need to talk to you about something important."
Hinata's eyes widened, "is something wrong?"
They shook their heads but eventually the behaviour morphed into unsure shrugs. Temari reached into her bag and pulled out a thin folder. She pushed it forward for Hinata who eyed it curiously.
"Neji told us that his team asked you to join them." TenTen said with a soft smile, "we think you should seriously consider taking them up on the offer."
"Wh-what?" she looked between her friends, "b-but what about next season?"
"Hina, this is the best for you." Ino added, her bright sky blue eyes glistened with unshed tears, "we want you to do this, I want you to do this. Just think of all the new experiences you'll get."
Hinata scanned the faces in wonderment, "I c-can't… I d-don't want to l-leave Konoha High… I'm no good at making n-new friends… I don't want to make new friends."
"You won't have to, remember friends forever and always together no matter what." TenTen smiled and fought back any tears from surfacing, "we made a pact."
"It'll be great, you'll get to travel all over and play lots of games." Temari pulled on an encouraging smile, "and with some of the most elite players. Neji will be there with you along the way and we'll always be here."
"And if that Uchiha gives you any trouble" Ino grinned almost devilishly, "let me know and I'll take care of him or tell Gaara and Kankoru when you play Suna!"
Hinata shook her head weakly, "I don't know a-about this."
Neji leaned forward and flipped the folder open to reveal the contract, "the contract is just to get you to agree to the team rules. You're allowed to walk if things don't work out."
"We support you, Hinata." Ino placed a pen atop the papers and the other girls nodded in agreement.
The Hyuuga heiress bit her bottom lip anxiously and pushed the contract away, "I c-can't."
"Hinata please," Ino pleaded and blinked away tears, "if you can't do it for yourself then do it for us. You deserve more than a petty high school team. You deserve to play with the best because you are among the best."
The contract was pushed towards her again. She chewed her bottom lip, reluctantly picked up the pen, and then looked at the girls, "always together right?"
"Right," the girls replied in unison, "always together."
The ball tip of the pen hit the paper and began the steady strokes necessary to sign the name 'Hyuuga Hinata' on the dotted line.
Beta-read by: lil.ramen.lover who, as always, did an excellent job and so I dish out a steaming bowl of spicy beef ramen for her!
A/N: This chapter was sort of filler-ish, but it needed to be done… at least she's finally signed the contract! Alright, so it seems people are speculating some Kankino and Kibaino. As I already mentioned, Ino's pairing has already been decided. Whether it's with Kankoru, Kiba, or someone else, you'll have to keep reading! I threw in some mild Kankhina with this chapter for fun. That's a cracktastic paring, and especially well written in one of Kaotic312's fics. Um… I think that's all I have to say. Next chapter should be out in 2-3 weeks. It should contain the formal introduction of Shino's girlfriend and one more additional female. Check my LiveJournal for status updates. The first post will always be a sort of progress report.
Thank you to everyone that took the time to review! I thought last chapter was boring and figured no one would even bother to read all of it! Haha. But seriously, THANKS! Please review too! Let me know your thoughts, and constructive criticism is always welcomed!