Warrior: Gee, where do I begin? Sorry, for the really, really, really late update. I promise the next one will be submitted by next week!
Itachi: Without your presence, things have been so lonely.
Sasuke: What the hell does that mean! I'LL KILL YOU!!
Warrior: What are you guys still doing here? (sigh) Um, anyways, I own nothing except the plot.
Itachi: The trouble. It never ends.
Chapter 6: Emotion's Past
Hinata and Neji were present when Lord Hiashi came home just in time for dinner. Uneasy silence reined over the area. Hinata was still upset at Neji for kicking Sasuke out so quickly. He couldn't understand why. Hinata's straight face was very noticeable that even Lord Hiashi, who didn't realize much of the world, could see it. His daughter was upset… but what could she be upset about? Was it her time of month? No… no… her mother wasn't so… so… what was that word?
Neji spoke up in order to prevent Lord Hiashi from questioning Hinata. "How are you feeling, Lord Hiashi?"
"I'm fine." He completely shut out Hinata out of his mind.
She slightly pouted, but not enough to snatch her father's attention. Why was it her father never noticed her? But he always focused on Hanabi. In her heart, she felt a little sorrow and jealously. She hoped someone would finally look at her and not find her as some weakling. Naruto filled that hole up, but… could he fill that hole up forever with Sakura by his side? She realized… what if Naruto and Sakura ending up loving each other? Where would she go? Where would she be? Who would fill her hole up?
All these years Naruto was not only her idol but also her hero. He was the hero from saving her from misery. "…never to go back on my word" was Naruto's ninja way, his nindo. She, for the longest time, didn't know how to smile, laugh, grin, but most importantly… speak. Her father dismissed from training her and took in Hanabi as soon as she was able to talk and walk. Hinata under went through the normal training like every other shinobi. Every time she arrived at home, Hinata's father didn't even bother to greet her a hello or a wave.
She recollected one time, with her father, she and Hanabi had to run an errand with him. Her father had to go visit the Third Hokage and, for once, decided to take his kids along. Now that she recalled it… there was a very important family there too… but she couldn't remember who was in the family…
XOXOXOXOXO
Hanabi and Hinata stood side-by-side following their father. The two of them spoke no word as their father silently leaded them. In the distance, Hinata spotted these two tall shinobis guarding the entrance to the Hokage's office and a group of people, which appeared to be a family…
"Stay out here in the lobby and wait for me."
The two obediently nodded like angels. Hinata felt disregarded when he didn't even mention or address their names. She knew perfectly why. It was simply because of Hinata's presence. Their father disappeared right after they went to take their seats. Hanabi ran to a seat in the far corner away from Hinata. She sighed, knowing Hanabi didn't want her around. She immediately snoozed away into Cloud 9. Of course, Hinata would be scolded at, if she didn't watch Hanabi. She, bored, took three seats away form her sister. Hanabi had this magical radar if Hinata was too close to her. It sounded childish, but it was true.
Hinata dozed off into her whole world and immersed into darkness.
For what only seemed like seconds of sleep; a sudden shook awoken her. Her eyes peeled open as she saw two onyx dots in her face. Following her instincts, she jabbed the figure in the eye that sent him flying across the room into the wall. She heavily breathed in for air. She was sitting on a… clinic bed? She heard a groan from the wall and realized the person. Itachi Uchiha?
Her heart felt somewhat relaxed, but tense. Why did he wake her up? And why was she here? She had so many questions. But… she saw a bloody nose Itachi on the ground. Maybe she should apologize to him. No, she never spoke without her father's permission. Well, no… but… it was just…
"Are you Hinata Hyuuga?" his cold voice politely inquired while covering his nose. She nodded in the answer of yes, too afraid to speak with her own voice. He cracked his nose, which startled Hinata. "Your father is worried where your younger sibling might have went. He claimed that you were the last person to see her."
Hinata gaped. No words could come out of her mouth. She was speechless. She covered her mouth to hold the tears back. Itachi continued. "You're here because you have a slight fever."
She desperately wanted to ask how she got a fever because she didn't even have any symptoms before they arrived at the Hokage's office. But…
"By your father, I was ordered to bring you here and watch over you until you were better. How are you feeling by the way?"
"Um, fine." Hinata responded in a voice Itachi could barely hear and make out. Okay, so how was he supposed to respond to this girl? He didn't exactly hear her, but he didn't want to ask her to repeat… "Oh." was Itachi's response. For a moment, Hinata noticed he had a childish face. It was rumored Itachi carried a serious face and never revealed any other emotions, but here she was witnessing something… amazingly… diff… different… His handsome face and his black onyx eyes soothed her. She began to reach her hand out for Itachi. Itachi, clearly, had a confused expression on his face. What was this little girl trying to do?
"Hinata!" a fatherly voice stormed inside slamming the door against the wall.
Hinata fell over of the sudden bang. She thought she was going to crack her head open, but Itachi swiftly caught her. His hands on her stomach made her queasy. He placed her upright on the bed as her father stood behind him. "Itachi…"
Itachi got out of his seat and momentarily bowed to Lord Hyuuga. "Excuse me. I'll be outside, if you need anything."
After Itachi left, her father didn't move. Hinata wanted to run… run far away. Why did Itachi have to leave? Why wasn't someone else in here to protect her? No, someone didn't need to protect her… she wished she would vanish like the snow melts in the sun. Yes, why didn't she just melt away from the world's existence? It wasn't like she mattered to anyone. Not even her father or her sister. No one.
Outside, Itachi stood waiting for Lord Hyuuga to give further orders. He wondered… what was that Hyuuga girl trying to do when she was reaching him? Was it a cry for help, a sign for something? Unexpectedly, a few minutes later, the door violently swung open as a very angry Lord Hyuuga marched out of the room. Itachi could hear faint sniffles from a feminine voice. Before Lord Hyuuga completely disappeared Itachi stopped him. "Sir, I have orders from the Hokage that-"
"You can tell that girl: don't come home until she has understood what she has done."
Hinata heard the words from inside and wanted to sob, not just sniffle. No, but that would be showing signs of weakness, something her father wouldn't appreciate it. No he wouldn't…
XOXOXOXOXO
Never. Her father didn't care for her. He didn't notice her. Eventually, Naruto would be too busy with Sakura, Neji would try to be too overprotective and wouldn't bother to understand the true her, Hanabi would constantly annoy her, and… there would be no one… no one… no one… no to heal her pain and her scars.
Her invisible pain, her dreams, her thoughts… gone… washed away by the tears, the tears that could no longer shed; the tears that brought her too many emotions; the tears that brought her a sharp pain in her heart; a pain like a sword thrusting through her body.
A single wet tear rolled down Hinata's face. Lord Hiashi and Neji both could spot the visible tear. Her fuzzy vision told her the whole room was staring at her. She gasped for air and abruptly quickly dashed in the other direction. Lord Hiashi and Neji took a moment to grasp onto what just happened. "Hinata?"
XOXOXOXOXO
Sasuke busted inside his room and lied down on his bed. The wounds were still opened because of Neji's punch.
The scene kept on playing over and over in his head. But somehow his thoughts drifted towards his father. His father was supposed to be a man that was a very important figure to him like every other son. Then he could find the hope of surpassing his own father one day. But no… his father was different. His father never cared about him. He only praised Itachi, his older brother. Itachi graduated at the top of his class at seven, who graduated to become a chunin at nine and was an ANBU Black OP at thirteen. Sasuke, unlike Itachi, had no potential of becoming something a "legacy" like Itachi. So his father never regarded him too much. His mom always took care of him, but that just didn't feel the same as if both of his parents cared about him.
He would need to go see Sakura tomorrow. For now, his body was too tired to find her. He thought about Hinata. His Secret Santa to her… What was he thinking? He shook his head as he limped towards his desk. He sat at his desk pondering. Christmas… it was a time of loving, sharing, and caring for others. Christmas wasn't just about gifts or present. People still think having a Christmas present is supposed to be. Someone is supposed to give you a gift whether it is money or an item such as an action toy figure. His eyes looked over at the pictures on his desk. He slowly reached out for the picture of his family. He touched the thin glass and clasped onto it. His solemn father, his merry mother, and his brother, killer of the Uchiha clan…
He gradually let go of his family's picture. Why did he still keep it? His father didn't like him; his brother detested him, and his mother…
The other picture on the side was a picture of Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, and him. He-
Knock. Knock.
The knock on the door alerted him that someone was coming. He faced the picture of his family downward.
He opened the door and he spotted Sakura. He blinked his eyes. "Sakura?"
"Um, Sasuke? Are you busy?"
He opened the door for her to enter. She was shocked, but hurried inside. She didn't want Sasuke to shut the door on her face. As she entered the room, noticed the picture of Team 7. Then a picture frame faced down.
"What is it, Sakura?"
"It's just…" Sakura paid attention to Sasuke.
What would she do? She didn't want to ask him directly who his secret Santa was. That would be rude, but she desperately wanted to know. Sasuke strangely stared at her. What was she thinking? She obviously was contemplating on her problem. Oh, whatever. Just as long she would heal his wounds later. "I don't have all night, Sakura."
Sakura smiled and chuckled nervously. "Oh, nothing, I was just going to solicit… are you going to get something for your Secret Santa?"
"Don't we have to?" What kind of question was Sakura asking? Was she even okay? She knew Kakashi-sensei. Why did she bother to question?
"Kakashi-sensei we never had to…"
"Who knows what the consequences are knowing that it is Kakashi-sensei."
Sakura sat down on the floor, pouting. She had the worst Secret Santa. Why couldn't it be Sasuke or more importantly… why couldn't it be-?
"Why do you ask?"
Sakura waved her hands in the air as if retreating. "Oh, no. There's no particular reason."
Sasuke shrugged leaving the question alone. Sakura could feel her heart. For once, it wasn't beating so fast and she was blushing like crazy. She was completely normal around him. Lately, she kept on trying to tell herself she still had a crush on Sasuke, but her heart wasn't the same. When Gaara was at the Ichiraku ramen booth… she…
"Sakura?" Sasuke broke off her thoughts. She looked up. "Yeah?"
She saw the Sasuke without his shirt on and lots of bandages covered around his body. She covered her mouth. "What happened?"
Sasuke scoffed. "Nothing. Just training."
Somehow, she could feel Sasuke was not telling the truth, but knowing Sasuke he wasn't going to tell the truth. She knew what he wanted. She instructed him to lie on the bed, as she would carefully remove the bandages. Healing Sasuke's wounds didn't present any problems. A few minutes later, Sakura cured Sasuke's injuries.
"That's it?" Sasuke appeared to be surprised. Sakura nodded her head. He clenched his fists, not believing the sight of it. Sakura became better as a medical shinobi. That was a good sign. It looks like Tsunade was actually teaching her a thing or two.
"Well, I better get going. My mom is probably worried about me." Sakura had a wry smile. Oblivious, nothing clicked in Sasuke's mind about Sakura's smile. "Oh, okay."
She opened the door and shut it behind her. She dug her face into her hands. Sasuke, dumb Uchiha, wasn't even aware of her feelings. She tried it with a wry smile, but no… nothing rang a bell in his mind. Sasuke was never there when she needed him the most. Every time she desperately desired to be with him, he would push her away with a single word or gesture. What was the reason? Why did she still love him? She briskly regained herself since she didn't want Sasuke finding her sulking outside in the hallway. She stormed out of Sasuke's apartment complex as a trail of tears flew in the air and landed on the wooden, slick floor. In Sasuke's room, he could hear Sakura's pounding footfalls. He swung the door open, but didn't see a single soul in sight. It didn't bother him too much, as he shut the door behind him.
XOXOXOXOXO
Neji wandered around the village after he ate dinner. Hinata never arrived for dinner, as Lord Hiashi was too busy with his other work. He wondered if kicking Sasuke out was the right thing to do. Maybe not. Maybe that's why she was upset? No, maybe because he was being too harsh about kicking Sasuke out… what was he saying?! Lord Hiashi would've scolded at her if he discovered Sasuke in the Hyuuyga clan's property. Besides, Lord Hiashi and Hinata weren't on the greatest terms.
"Neji!" a familiar voice greeted him. He turned around and spotted Tenten. His mind froze. Tenten caught up to him catching her breath. "Phew. Hey, I was wondering. Did you go shopping yet for your Secret Santa?"
Neji didn't respond at first, as he was too astonished by Tenten's beauty. She waved her hand in the air. He snapped back to reality realizing Tenten was trying to converse with him. "Oh, no. We have plenty of time before getting a gift. You?"
"I think I know what I want to get for my Secret Santa. Though, I'm kind of excited about this whole Secret Santa. I think it's fun."
Tenten thought it was fun? Well, then he would have to think so, too! No! Gah! Where was his serious, shinobi mind? Personally, he thought Secret Santa was dumb and childish… He coughed. "I see. Tenten, I have a question."
"What?"
"Why does a girl get…" he was scared to ask her, afraid she might punch him in the face, "mood swings?"
Tenten instantly grew red and fainted as Neji caught her in the neck of time. Neji gasped in air, panicking on what to do. And to cause even more problems, his blood rushed to his brain as if he was going to have a stroke. Oh, no! What did he do to her! "Tenten!"
Warrior: Okay, so the Tenten/Neji scene wasn't very long and didn't have too much emphases on the feelings, but I will write more in the next chapter!
Tenten: Feelings? What feelings?
Neji: Nothing! Nothing at all! Nothing that concerns anyone, except me and the writer.
Tenten: You and the writer are having an affair?
Neji: What? No! Tenten! You've got the wrong idea!
Warrior: Um… --… On a side note, I did some fixing on chapter three (so that might require some reading, but not too much… I hope! Sorry for the inconvenience!!!!!!) and chapter two I only fixed the scene with Neji and Hanabi. There's nothing in there that changes the plot. Sorry for the inconvenience and my absent!
Tenten: Are you sure?
Neji: I'm positive! Tenten, why wouldn't you believe me?
Tenten: Because you aren't my boyfriend.
Neji: What?! Tenten! (start freaking out)
Warrior: (sigh) What am I going to do with you guys?
