Chapter Nine

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

A/N: Edited – 2012 October 09


For a brief moment when Hinata woke she forgot who she was, where she was and what had went on about her, but then when she began feeling woozy and cold, her body aching and she remembered with startling clarity the events of last night. The Kumo Jounin – Sasuke's thirst for vengeance – Naruto coming into her room – her back exercises – Nayako inspecting her – her near rape – her disagreement with Naruto...Sasuke killing that man...her mysterious vision...

In an attempt to forget about the worse parts of that night she immediately began doing her back exercises. It hurt like nothing ever, but after a while the endorphins in her brain kicked in and it didn't feel too badly. It even sort of felt good, in a masochistic sort of way. She snorted in amusement when she thought of the word masochistic and remembered her double entendre conversation she had with Naruto last night. He was hovering over her most likely thinking forbidden thoughts which then prompted him to lift himself off of her. He had moved so quickly it was like he was propelled. If anyone had been looking they might have thought that she had kicked him off of her. Hinata giggled. He always knew how to make her laugh, even when he wasn't even trying.

She supposed that was why she thought of him during her most trying moment – the aftermath of the near rape last night. Sasuke had been embracing her, trying to tell her comforting words which took the form of tell no one that I was here (charming, wasn't he).

Sasuke. It was because of him that she had her...disagreement, for want of a better word, with Naruto. He had put in her such a difficult position. She wanted to hate Sasuke, really she did and to be honest he seemed to try his best to be hated. He was rude and arrogant and dismissive. Yet . . . he had saved her. And he had opened up to her about his brother and the way that made him feel. Now why did he do that? Was it because he needed someone to talk to? Hinata seriously doubted that; even he looked surprised when he told her of his brother. Did he do it because of he had plans for her. Some months ago he had said that she could still be of use to him. What did he mean by that? She simply couldn't trust him. He seemed a man that was relentless in his purpose and almost satanic in his desire to fulfil his mission. She had a feeling that he would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. In that respect he was eerily similar to Naruto.

Naruto was also a man that thought and acted in absolute terms. Everything that he did gathered attention. He was a man who people remembered, a man that remained in people's hearts, he was a man apart. Everything about him was larger than life, from his colourful clothes to his dreams. Hinata knew that he was destined for great things, but where did that leave her? It was obvious that she was not on the same level as him. She couldn't defend herself from a half-drunk man with lascivious thoughts. She couldn't even do her back stretches without crying in pain. Heck, she could hardly walk three feet without tripping, though that did have more to do with the fact that she could barely see three feet in front of her. She wanted to do great things, she wanted amazing moments, but it was clear that that was not happening or ever going to happen. Maybe Naruto needed someone more suited to his big personality and lofty aspirations. Maybe he would be better suited to his friend he talked about – Ms. A. She seemed confident and skilled, the kind of woman that he would like. Ms. A also had the added benefit of living in the same village as him. Naruto didn't have to cross two countries to see her, unlike with Hinata.

But Hinata supposed that that was why she couldn't give him up. It was because he was willing to cross two countries to see her. It was because he devoted a significant portion of his time spent away from her thinking about ridiculous excuses to find himself back in Kumo. It was not every day that she met someone who made her want to share her soul and listen to them and absorb everything about them. To be honest, most of the times she attracted those morbidly depressed, crippled with social awkwardness or down on their luck clients in a manner that she hoped was in no way related to some sort of recognition in her on their part. But Naruto made her life seem different and worthwhile. She wanted to be better for him. She wanted to be better and greater, for him. He inspired her. She anticipated his visits, found it difficult to think of anything beside him. She felt for the first time that she had met someone who completely turned her world around by his mere presence. So what if they had a few secrets between them? If she didn't know, she didn't need to know it now. At least she had him and his friendship. Though, she knew that she wanted more than friendship with him. She wanted a lot more of him. She knew it when she hugged him last night and felt his body against hers – her arms against his flat and toned stomach – her breast pressed against him. . .With that thought Hinata got up off of her bed, still a bit slow, but better than before and headed to the bathroom. She couldn't afford to be distracted now. She had an appointment at the hairdresser.

"Why do you keep falling asleep on yourself, Hinata?" Nayako asked.

They were at the hairdresser's, a small place that was situated next to a coffee shop. All day the putrid odour of dirty hair mingled with the almost noxious scent of boiling coffee beans and the intoxicating fragrance of sweet smelling shampoos. Nayako was sitting on a chair having her long hair sectioned and folded into the split peach hairstyle by the hairstylist, a young man of about twenty-three and almost insanely pretty. He wore his hair long, held by a single clip at the nape of his neck. Hinata always thought that had he been a woman, he might have made a stunning Geisha and would have given Nayako competition. Today, he actually could give Nayako competition as she was dressed simply in a dark grey kimono, nothing fancy. Hinata was dressed similarly and sitting in the chair next to Nayako, her face a bit miserable after the hairdresser raked over her scalp to rid it of any signs of dandruff, but found most surprisingly, grass. The hairdresser's assistant, a shy and slightly overweight young man was attending to Hinata, but he kept having to pull on her hair, forcing Hinata to snap her head up as she was jolted awake by the tugging on her hair.

Nayako was looking at her maiko with interest and slight suspicion. She was almost positive that someone was in Hinata's room last night. And how on earth did she end up with grass in her hair? The assistant had whispered to her that it looked like lawn. There were slight dark circles around Hinata's eyes and the bruise that she had on the side of her face was almost glowing red, but was starting to give off a hint of blue and purple.

"I'm just a bit tired, is all, Nayako-san. Last night was a bit traumatic."

"Hmm. I suppose so..."

Hinata was hiding something, Nayako just knew it. She had been trying to keep her away from that blond brat Naruto, but now she wondered if she had been keeping Hinata away from the wrong person. She remembered running back to the teahouse last night after she heard that there was a commotion going on at the Ichimokari teahouse. She remembered someone grabbing her and pulling her into a dark alley. It had been Sasuke. His sword was at her throat before she even had time to react.

"Tell no one that I was here tonight or any other night."

She had been afraid to speak or even nod for fear that she accidentally slit her own throat against his sword. She had only let out a small squeak of assent. His blade had not cut her, but she could still feel the indentation on her neck. He had disappeared before she had the chance to say or do anything. When she got to the teahouse and saw the dead ninja on the ground, she knew instantly that Sasuke had killed him, but the sharp memory of his threat kept her from saying anything. Instead, she tried to deflect the attention onto Naruto. She really couldn't stand him and that demon inside of him. . .

Nayako had been shaken out of her musings by the hairdresser. He had finished styling her and was of course ready to discuss payment. Nayako dug her hands into the sleeves of her kimono to look for her little book that kept a record of the payments that the okiya would have to dish out to all the agents that helped geisha look like geisha – the hairstylist, the kimono designers, the dressers, etc; but the book was not on her.

"Do you have the book, Hinata?"

"No. You always keep it."

Nayako sighed. She must have forgotten it back at the okiya. She would have to go back and get it. She left on the promise that she would be back soon and started off towards the okiya. The okiya was situated only a few blocks away from the hairdresser and in no time at all Nayako was able to spot the high wall with decorative stones in the design of the okiya's crest – a crane in the river. She could see the tall pine trees that edged out the two story building. From here she could also see her room and Hinata's room, which were located on the eastern side of the compound on the second level. She wondered if she had left the book in her room or if Auntie had –

Nayako was suddenly alert. Something had moved in Hinata's bedroom. A light, a shadow, a human form; something, she was certain of it. She knew that someone had been in Hinata's room last night. It better had not be that little brat, Naruto, she thought.

Without a moment's thought she entered the compound, saw the clothes blowing in the morning sun and picked up a couple of grey tunics off the line that Hinata would wear in the morning to complete her chores. She briefly hoped that it was only a maid inside the room. She folded the clothes hurriedly and walked up the steps, past her room and down the corridor to Hinata's room. The door was closed. Maids were not allowed to close the door to a room they were cleaning. She knocked on the door.

It echoed through the room. There was a moment's silence then came to her ears the distinct sound of footsteps approaching the door, firm and confident. The door was opened, swiftly, and cleanly. Nayako had never seen her before. Standing before her was a little girl who looked to be of about ten years old. She was dressed in clothes that a maid could have worn – black pants, grey wrap around tunic over a white tank top; nothing outstanding. She did not have on a headband, but Nayako noticed the faint discolouration where bandages tied around her right thigh would be to support a kunai pack being strapped there. The little girl tried to fool her with her purposely heavy footsteps as well, but Nayako knew a ninja when she saw one.

Nayako looked at the girl apologetically, tapping into her long ago experience of when she was a maid.

"Good morning. Is Hinata-san in, please?"

There was a slight pause. The door was opened to its fullest extent.

"Yes, she is. Please come in, why don't you?"

For a fraction of a second, she hesitated. "No, thank you. Please be a dear and give her this?" She handed her the folded clothes, walked down the corridor and then down the steps until she reached outside the gates. She knew she was being watched, her heart pounded as she reached the steps.

Hanabi watched as Nayako hurried away from the room. With her Byakugan activated she could see that Nayako's heart rate was speeding up. Hanabi smirked. She had to give it to the geisha though. If it weren't for the Byakugan, she might never have known that Nayako was scared of her. The Geisha was cool, real cool and calm in her dealings. She wasn't expecting Nayako to knock on the door and she knew that Nayako was not taken in even though Hanabi had removed her headband and kunai pack. Yes, Hanabi concluded, that geisha was a sly one. Hanabi looked on through the walls at Nayako as she hurried down the streets, but she couldn't look at her for long; her eyes were beginning to ache again when she fed them chakra. Kurenai did a good patchwork job, but Hanabi knew that she had to go to a hospital soon to get checked up on about the poison that was probably still running in her veins. She might as well leave now anyway. Hinata kept no diary on her accounts of meeting either Sasuke or Naruto (for that was one of the reasons she was in Hinata's room) and she knew that Nayako would try to keep Hinata away from the okiya for a while, probably lie low with Hinata in some inn for a while. But Hanabi was not unduly worried. In a way, she supposed that now was not the right time to meet Hinata. She still had to eke out a plan, a proper one and for what she had in mind, she needed to go back to Konoha. Shino was suspicious of her and she still no one believed that she had killed that Kumo ninja at the Teahouse. Leaving and drawing attention away from Hinata would be a good thing because for now, she did not want anyone to know that she had discovered Hinata. Right now, if anyone knew that she had found Hinata, they just might ruin her plans.

Sasuke was thinking the same thing as he saw Hanabi climb out of Hinata's room that morning. Shit! He couldn't believe that Hanabi was here. First Naruto, now Hanabi! If he didn't look sharp he'd soon have the whole of Konoha coming to give Hinata a parade. Hanabi finding Hinata was about to ruin Sasuke's plans for Hinata. But what was really going on? Did Hinata know of Hanabi's presence? Did Hinata already know that she possessed the Byakugan? And then there was Naruto. How on earth did he know Hinata? Sasuke could only assume that the blond idiot had no idea that Hinata was a lost Hyuuga, or the little goody-goody two shoes would have packed off Hinata to Konoha by now. His ex-teammate seemed to have had some sort of close relationship with Hinata and Sasuke found that he did not like that. He did not like that one bit.

But he supposed that Naruto was no threat to his plans for Hinata. He was always inconsequential. But Hanabi was a threat. Hanabi was smart and knowing that little arrogant and ambitious Hyuuga, Sasuke was sure that Hanabi would be up to something, but what? He couldn't get rid of her in Kumo. It would draw too much attention to Kumo and Hinata and he didn't want that. Sasuke figured that the best thing he could do would be to sit and wait and watch. If things went in the direction that he didn't want, then he'd be forced to act. Hinata would be his and that was that.

Nayako was not stupid. She knew she had just come into contact with a Hyuuga ninja. The remnants of bandages tied around her thigh, her hand falling almost nonchalantly at her right side, but still on the ready in case she had to pull out a kunai, gave away the girl as a ninja. But it was her eyes that stood out. She had the same eyes as Hinata! But the little girl's eyes were different still. Yes, Hinata's eyes were more beautiful, but this little girl had eyes not of a wild animal with grinning savagery, nor the crazed fearfulness of a maniac, but this little girl had the pale eyed, expressionless look of the supreme efficiency of a killer. Nayako knew that if she had stepped into that room, there was a high possibility that she would have been killed. Such a young child had struck absolute fear into Nayako's heart as she realized what was happening.

They had come to get Hinata.

She walked briskly back to the hairdresser's, not daring to look back, not bothering to. Her mind was racing. Suddenly she spotted one of the maids from the okiya, carrying a bundle of flowers. She grabbed the girl in the middle of the street. The girl jumped as she let out a small squeak. Passersby pretended not to see, assuming that the girl had most likely done something to anger the beautiful woman.

"N-N-Nayako-san!"

"Listen to me! I want you to go back to the okiya and tell Auntie to make preparations for Hinata and me. Tell her to send everything to the Four Roads Inn. She'll understand and know what to do. You tell her this in confidence. Do you hear me! Whisper it to her! Do not write it down! Whisper it to Auntie. Hurry up now, child!" She let go of the trembling maid, but did not look back. She took quick, fluttering steps, eager to put distance between herself and the okiya. She felt as if Konoha was closing in on her. First Naruto, then Sasuke and now that Hyuuga. She had to leave and she had to take Hinata with her. She needed to get far from here and the best place she could think of was to go to Sand.

Damn it! She just remembered that she didn't get the pocketbook!