Chapter 7: The Tracks of Our Childhood
Hinata was sitting on her bed with a bowl of popcorn against her side, lazily munching on her salty snack. She was watching Inception from her blue-ray DVD. Suddenly there was a knock on the door.
'Is that Neji again,' she wondered.
"Yes?" she called out, not unkindly.
"Hinata-sama, a letter arrived for you," Irune's muffled voice sounded through the door. Hinata paused the movie and got up to open the door. Irune was holding a silver envelope.
'An invitation card?' she thought as she took it from Irune's hands. She folded the envelope open and took the card out. The invitation was written in orange ink and carried the official stamp of Konoha's municipality.
"A charity evening organized by the Hokage," she read aloud.
"That sounds like good publicity for Hyuuga Corp. You should go," Irune encouraged, "besides, weren't you in the same class as Uzumaki-sama?"
"Yes, Naruto and I were classmates throughout all our school years," Hinata said with a smile remembering the good times.
"You were so shy whenever he was around and he was such a loud boy," Irune recalled. She used to pick up Hinata from Konoha High on occasion. Hinata's face always went tomato red when the blonde troublemaker was close-by. She half expected that familiar blush to return now they were talking about Hinata's old crush, but it didn't happen. Hinata chuckled.
"Yeah, I was crushing badly on him. Would be fun to see Naruto, I think I'll go," Hinata said.
"Good! We'll go shopping for a new dress soon then," Irune said cheerfully, "you will have to think about someone to accompany you."
Hinata's face remained blank. She had a few options. Kiba, Shino or… Neji. Good thing the party was only in two weeks so she'd have time to think about it. Speaking of Neji… She heard him and Mr. Sabaku come up to his room earlier, but now everything was quiet.
"Where is Neji?" Hinata asked.
"Oh, he left together with his secretary, said he had to take care of some business. He'll be back tomorrow," Irune responded. Hinata nodded slowly. She wasn't sure if she felt relieved or annoyed he apparently had something urgent to do already. Irune said goodnight and Hinata returned to her room to finish watching the movie. The house was as quiet as it ever was the past months... Yet without Neji, she reluctantly caught herself feeling it to be even emptier...
"Hey you!" Temari smiled at Gaara when he entered the livingroom with Kankuro, "where were you last night? I asked Kankuro, but he was being all mysterious about it."
"I've slept at a friend's house in the country," Gaara responded as he walked past her to the fridge. Atleast it was only half a lie. He got two chilled beers and tossed a can to Kankuro before he returned to the livingroom and seated himself. He pulled the tab and took a sip, then averted his eyes to Temari earnestly.
"I'm trying to get out, Temari…"
Temari blinked back at her younger brother. "Out of Club Sharingan?"
"Yes…" he responded and stared at his can absent-mindedly. They remained silent for a while. The way Gaara acted… It was probably not without risk. He might not talk much about his job, but Temari was working in a law-office and she'd have to be deaf to never hear about the Uchiha's… and then in particularly Madara Uchiha. He kept his business well enough secret not to be caught, but everyone knew he was the king of the underworld.
"You'll be careful right, Gaara?" she asked softly. He looked up to his sister's worried face with a small smile.
"I know my way, don't fret it," he responded.
Temari nodded, a mix of emotions from pride to anxiousness going through her. Her brother was changing for the better. She could see he had the potential to be a great man someday. "I believe in you, Gaara," Temari said and then proceeded with a grin, "just know that if you need a lawyer, you're living with a pretty awesome one!"
Kankuro chuckled and Gaara smiled weakly while he held the beer on his knee. He took a big gulp.
"I won't be around much, but Kankuro is helping me out."
"You?" Temari asked incredulously watching Kankuro with an arched eyebrow.
"What's that tone supposed to mean!? I'm hurt!" he called out theatrically. "But seriously. The racing season is yet to start, I got nothing to do... Besides, the country has some nice long stretched roads for me to make that engine roar!"
Temari shook her head, "you're the worst Kankuro, are you ever serious?"
"Only about winning," he jested and finished his beer.
"At least I'm glad you'll be together. Just make sure to drop by often. Don't want your older sister to get lonely do you?"
Kankuro laughed and placed his hand on Temari's shoulder reassuringly.
"Well, if you excuse me I'll play Skyrim now, I have some arrows to shoot in knees," he said and walked over to the TV to put on the Xbox.
"M'kay, I got some wash to fold anyway," Temari said and picked herself up from the couch. Gaara watched his brother's character on the video game creeping through caves and mowing down undeads. Kankuro leaned forward on the edge of the couch, absorbed with his game. After a while Gaara returned to his own room and picked up the family photo album of the Hyuuga's. He flicked the pages and paused at a picture of Hinata and Neji on a playground. Neji was at the top of the slide grinning at his sister while Hinata was sliding down with her arms thrown in the air and a carefree smile of joy. But what really caught his attention were her eyes. They displayed childish innocence. Did he ever display such joy on an old photo of his? He could only recall pictures of him where he clutched his teddy bear looking for reassurance. He placed the album down. It was a shame he could never show Hinata. He undressed and slept in a simple black shirt on top of his boxers.
After breakfast he and Kankuro left to head back to the Hyuuga mansion. An hour later they were passing through the valley with its river and quaint town in the distance.
"Let's take a look there," Gaara said. Kankuro took a left at the next light. Soon they were driving through the town. It seemed nice enough. The houses were old, their terracotta stucco damaged and discolored, but the people decorated the balconies with red geraniums and the white wooden shutters looked nice. The town square was filled with seats belonging to the various café's and the shopping street had plenty enough choice, though couldn't compare to Konohagakure. At the east side of the town there was even a train station. There were a few men dressed in suits waiting on the platform for the train to Konohagakure. It figures, the people who owned the villa's outside of town had to work somewhere. They were about to exit the town when Gaara's eye landed on an iron gate and a big house that lay behind it.
"Tsuriha Orphanage," he read.
That morning Hinata had a quiet breakfast with Irune. There were warm croissants, round buns, cooked eggs, fresh salad and different kinds of spreading. They ate like usual, exchanging some minor conversation about the weather and Hyuuga Corp. Then Hinata went upstairs to take a shower and dress for the day. Irune walked into her bedroom when she was making her choice. Hinata had a pair of jeans on and her bra. A few shirts were spread out on her bed and she had a hand to her lips pondering which would be her pick.
"Why don't you wear the black shirt you bought recently?" Irune suggested.
"Which one?" Hinata asked. Irune walked to her closet and searched for a moment. When she turned back to Hinata she was holding up a short-sleeved black shirt. The sleeves and top part were of fine metallic mesh, with black borders, while the rest was of thick cotton with a sweetheart neckline. She didn't remember buying it at all.
"We got it three weeks ago," Irune explained. Hinata didn't really care to know. It was there and now that she saw it she liked it. She took the top from Irune and sat down at her boudoir to flatiron her hair.
"What are you going to do today, Hinata-sama?" Irune inquired.
"Hmm… I think I will do some reading in the library," she said and put some lip balm and mascara on after she was done with her hair. She was hoping to finish her Twilight book by today.
Hinata walked downstairs and entered the library. One wall was filled with bookcases that reached the ceiling. In front of it was a desk with a computer and office chair. Now that her father was gone, Hinata used this library to do some work for Hyuuga Corp, though she let Kiba take care of most matters. With her book in her hand she sat down on the red leather Chesterfield couch and placed a soft pillow behind her back for support. A moment later Irune walked in with a bowl of nuts and a cola which she placed on the table beside Hinata.
"Thank you, Irune," she said with a smile and continued reading.
An hour passed and Hinata was startled by some strange noises in the house. High pitched screams and... roaring?
'What's going on?' she thought confused and placed her book down. Many footsteps drummed down the hall. A moment later the door flew open with a bang and a group of five children ran into the room. They stopped for a moment and looked around with faces filled with wonder.
"Cool! A library!" a little boy said awed with big eyes. "Do they have comics?"
Hinata stared at him with her eyebrows pulled up. They hardly seemed to take notice of her until she stood up. Immediately a little girl with bows in her curly hair flung around her middle. Even as Hinata tried to walk forward she wouldn't let go of her grip. She looked down at the joyful face of the girl. Where did these kids come from? There were little voices from everywhere drifting down the hall. What was going on?
"COME! IT'S A CINEMA!" someone bellowed. The kids quickly turned around with delighted screams that left her ears ringing and ran down the hall. Hinata followed them quickly. There were children everywhere, climbing over the chairs, playing tag. They had found the projector's light button and were making shadow figures in front of the white screen.
"How do you turn it on? Can we watch a movie?" a girl asked pulling on her arm, hopping up and down on her feet.
"Uhm… there's…" Hinata started, but someone called the girl's name and she ran away after her friends before Hinata could respond. Hinata blinked her eyes and exited the cinema. The door to the private gym was ajar. There were three boys punching their little fists against her sandbag while others were running around in her boxing ring letting the elastic ropes bounce them back.
"I'm Chuck Norris and you are Jacky Chan!" she heard one call out. The kids took a pose and started imaginary fighting, making their own sound effects. So much uncontrolled energy, it was madness.
'I got to find Irune!' she told herself and marched towards the livingroom.
"Neji-sama, why did you arrange this? With Hinata's condition…" Irune pleaded to Gaara while they were standing outside. There were more children of varying ages playing in the grass before them, running after a brand new football.
"Irune-san, my sister is able to handle a few guests," he retorted with his hands in his pockets as he watched the kids have fun. Kankuro was a little ways from them trying to keep the children's hands of his precious racing car.
"This is absurd," Irune protested.
"Yes! It is!" someone called out behind them. Hinata came out through the opened front door looking mighty flustered. It didn't take a genius to understand Gaara was behind this.
"This is my house, Neji! How come you have the audacity to let these kids in without consulting me?" she called out haughtily.
"Goodmorning, Hinata," Gaara greeted her trying to suppress his amusement at her reaction, "I came past an orphanage on my way here. Seeing you have so many toys at home you are unable to use them at once, I thought about providing these kids a safe environment to have some fun. Looks like they like it." He pointed at the children. Hinata looked around her with her lips parted and a frown. Gaara used that moment to let himself be baffled once more by the beauty of the Hyuuga family heir. He tried not to let his eyes wander to the cleavage exposed through the mesh of her top. Hinata folded her arms robbing him of the good view.
This was too sudden and the house too crowded for Hinata's liking. She had been used to solitude for many months. Her father would never allow this many kids in the house at once. What was Neji thinking?
"This is too much," she said crossing her arms, "tell them to leave."
In the meantime an employee of the orphanage walked to them and bowed deeply before Gaara.
"Thank you so much for this opportunity, Hyuuga-sama. We are a poor orphanage and our amount of children would never be able to enjoy all these things at once if it weren't for you."
She couldn't stop herself from bowing. Hinata saw the gratitude on her face.
'I can't turn these kids down…' she acknowledged. But she wouldn't let Neji win that easily. She turned back into the house and got her purse. A moment later she walked briskly down the gravel path towards the gate.
"Hinata-sama, where are you going?" Irune called after her.
"Out!" she replied.
"L-Let me come with you, what if something happens?" Irune stuttered starting after her, but Gaara stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't, Irune-san. You have held my sister's hand long enough. It's time for her to figure out her own way." He looked at Hinata's back as she distanced herself from them.
"You expected this, didn't you, Neji-sama?" Irune said accusingly.
Gaara didn't reply.
"Perhaps you did it to give these children a good time, but I think you arranged this to chase Hinata-sama out of her own house!" Irune continued upset. Gaara turned around to face her, a cold stare in his eyes that scared Irune into shutting up.
"So what if I did? Would you have Hinata waste away in the confines of these four walls? I'm trying to get her to live a little. It's good she went out. You're acting like she is already demented. My sister isn't that helpless and its about time she realizes it!"
Irune didn't dare to go against him. She pressed her lips together.
"Now, Irune-san… will you help Sabaku-san prepare all thirty-five of these children some lemonade and lunch?"
Hinata wandered down the road towards Tsuriha. Now that she was out she might as well ma. It was lovely sunny but there was a strong wind. She regretted not taking her coat but refused to walk back to get it. It took thirty minutes to reach town. In the meantime she enjoyed the sun falling on her face and the sounds of birds and rustling leafs.
When she came to the town square she entered a little café and walked to the bar.
"What can I get you?" the barman asked.
"A cappuccino please," she replied kindly and opened her wallet to place some coins on the counter.
"You don't see that often," a voice drawled besides her.
"Sorry?" she asked and turned to the man besides her. He was of her own age, had dark hair in wild spikes at the back and deep black eyes. He wore a white shirt unbuttoned one too many for her liking, exposing his muscular chest.
"A girl going out for a drink on her own, I mean," he explained and held out his hand. "I'm Sasuke."
Hinata paused for a moment before she returned the gesture and shook his hand.
"Hinata…" she replied shyly and got seated on the bar stool while the coffee machine hissed as the barman was making milk foam.
"I'd ask if you come here often, but that would be a cheesy starting line, wouldn't it?" Sasuke said.
Hinata giggled. "I don't come here often."
"We have something in common already, neither do I…" Sasuke replied teasingly and held up his beer as Hinata's coffee was brought before her. "Cheers!"
"Well, where do you come from? You look like the city type," Hinata asked.
"You are right, I came today from Konohagakure," he replied.
Hinata could see Sasuke was the kind of person that could easily sway a woman's heart. Involuntarily she compared his looks to Neji's and decided that Neji was more handsome after all. He gave her a long intense stare that made Hinata frown and turn to her coffee out of shyness. He smiled mysteriously and pulled his wallet out to pay for the beer. As he stood up something scraped past his barstool. It was a katana! With one arched eyebrow she wondered what kind of guy would carry a sword around.
"Good day to you, Hinata," he said charmingly with a nod and exited the café. She watched him disappear and realized she might as well have forgotten about this strange meeting by tomorrow. She took her coffee and walked to a cosy corner near the window with some beany bags and a low table littered with mags. There she enjoyed the rest of her cappuccino. A few clouds were coming into view. After she finished drinking she got up and looked around shops. She ended up close to the train station and decided to follow its tracks into the valley.
'As kids me and Neji liked to come here and watch the steam train pass by... we'd wave our hands excitedly hoping the machinist would blow the horn... Those were good times.'
"It's been several hours and she hasn't returned yet," Irune expressed her worries. The children of the orphanage had left a while back. Irune was pacing back and forth while Gaara was watching some TV. "I tried calling her cell, but she forgot to take it with her."
She stopped to look out of the window. "And it even started to drizzle! Should we call the police? What if she's lost!"
The TV displayed the weather forecast. Apparently it would continue to rain hard tonight.
"I'll go look for her," Gaara volunteered and got up. He walked to the coat stand and pulled on his ankle-length coat whilst grabbing Hinata's trenchcoat with fake-fur lining and a see-through umbrella.
"I got my mobile with me, be back later Irune."
Kankuro had already left so he took Irune's car and drove to the town. He figured that was the best place to start looking. It's been a while since she last came out of the mansion. Where would she go? He witnessed a flash of thunder in the distance. Still some miles removed, but soon it would be really bad weather. He was getting worried too.
'Think, Gaara… where would she go?'
Suddenly he remembered a passage in Neji's diary about the train. He parked the car close to the station and looked around to see if Hinata was walking down the street. Suddenly someone familiar come into view, casually leaning against the wall of the station. Sasuke Uchiha.
"Hi, Gaara," he said with a wicked smile.
"What are you doing here?" Gaara asked briskly.
"Came to check up on you," he said while he pulled an antique watch out of his pocket, dangling from a silver cord. "Times ticking on, my friend… I thought I'd see the con-man at work myself. But instead, I met with the Hyuuga heir herself."
In a split-second Gaara pressed Sasuke against the wall, holding him up by his shirt. "Where is she?" he demanded. Sasuke started chuckling at his heated response.
"Calm down, I didn't do anything to her. And I don't know, I was just waiting for the next train to arrive…" he said. Gaara let go of him and Sasuke straightened his shirt. Gaara looked around if he could spot Hinata.
"You found yourself a cold rock of a woman…" Sasuke said playing with the antique watch, "I wonder, will it ever turn into a lump of gold?"
Gaara eyed the Uchiha coolly. "I don't have time for this," he spat and walked past Sasuke. He suddenly remembered something about a dirt-path alongside of the train track. Possibly Hinata was there. He would give it a shot, he couldn't think of anything else. That same moment the rain started to pour down and he opened the umbrella before continuing his way, leaving a snickering Sasuke behind.
He was walking for a good ten minutes, leaving the town borders behind. All around him were trees. The rain pattered on the ground. His beige jeans were getting muddy, but he didn't care, as long as Hinata was safe. His investment was safe… Or did he already regard her as more than that? He had to remind himself not to get lost inside his roleplaying. Getting emotionally attached was not how hosts went about their game. The sky cracked, a forked flash illuminating the world. Streams of water were running to lower ground from the track. Gaara saw a piece of cloth lying on the rail and his heart skipped a beat. Quickly he jogged there and bend down to pick it up.
"Just an old rag…" he sighed. There was a low rumbling from the distance indicating a train was nearing. Gaara proceeded on.
"Hinataaaa!" he called out, cupping his hand around his mouth. "HINATAAAA!"
"Over here!" a voice responded him. There was a run-down guard shack next to the track. Hinata appeared in the door opening, her arms wrapped around herself.
"Hinata!" Gaara exclaimed in relief. The train was now appearing from the corner. "Stay there!" he said. He watched the train near, its headlights nearly blinding him, and crossed the tracks as the machinist let the steam whistle blow. It was ear deafening. Just as he reached Hinata the train sped past them, wind blowing wildly in its wake. Gaara pulled Hinata close and shielded her with his body, feeling her warm breath against his skin. She was shivering from the cold.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded.
"I just- I bought new shoes, and I got nostalgic, I-I - you remembered this place, Neji. You knew where to find me," she stuttered into his chest. For a moment Gaara was at a loss of words. He found himself wrapping one arm around Hinata's back and another carefully holding her wet-locked head closer to his shoulder.
"I was worried once the storm came," he murmured gently. Hinata quivered, but this time not from the cold. This little moment held a special intimacy she had not experienced before with her family members. She felt so... warm... and comforted... She sighed in relief. Gaara let go of her and held up the umbrella. He was back to himself… seemingly aloof.
"Let's go home. I parked Irune's car at the train station." He handed Hinata her coat which she thankfully pulled on. Her hair, her new top… everything was wet. She snuggled her cheek against the fur hem of the coat. Wafts of Gaara's parfume lingered on the fabric.
'My brother's scent…' she thought.
Gaara held the umbrella up and they walked back towards the car.
"Your jeans are filthy," Hinata remarked, looking at the mud splashes on Gaara's legs.
"Everything about you is filthy right now," he retorted. She giggled.
"I thought you are the type to care about your clothes, a little vain," she continued slyly, looking at his face from the corner of her eye.
"Perhaps I am," Gaara replied almost monotone and shot her a look, "but I care more about my sister."
Hinata smiled in silence.
"Did the children enjoy themselves?"
"They sure did," Gaara answered.
"Good…" Hinata breathed and rubbed her arms.
When they reached the car Gaara opened the door for Hinata before he walked around to the driver's seat. He put the heater almost at its highest and adjusted the ventilator to warm Hinata's legs. What a gentleman!
'So this is what it's like to have a big brother…' she thought to herself as the car was put into motion. A bittersweet smile formed on her lips. This yearning to experience a true familiar relationship welled up she didn't even know she had. And Neji was here now… Even if there was a real possibility she would lose the new memories she made… she would enjoy them in their moment. Maybe that was good enough after all.
"Neji," she said. Gaara took notice of her odd smile as she stared ahead out of the window while the raindrops crawled down the glass like tears.
"How about you take me somewhere tomorrow… so I can explore the world… like you said."
He nodded quietly and the smallest smile formed on his lips.
"Of course… That sounds like a good idea."
The rest of the journey they remained silent. A few minutes passed before they reached the gate to the mansion. It slowly opened before them. Hinata was looking out of the passenger window, Gaara was staring straight ahead. Yet each was enjoying this little moment they shared together.
A shout-out to DageRee for being so awesome to review all my chapters!
And many thanks also to anon for taking the time to review again! :3
I suppose this chapter was an interlude to their improving relationship. Next chapter Gaara has a sweet surprise to help Hinata with her memories.
Thanks for reading,
~Demiyah
