Hello all! Once again, thanks for all of your amazing reviews, I am really glad that I am satisfying your reading pleasure. :-D he he…now then, it's time for my latest chapter…I hope you all enjoy it, I like it quite a bit. Please don't forget to review; I love hearing what you guys think and I don't mind any criticism either…nobody's perfect! Anyway, here we go again…
Chapter Ten
A glance into the unknown
"Ha!" Hinata shouted, lunging at Neji with one of her palms outstretched. Neji turned around in surprise, turning his back on the block of wood that had appeared before him, and throwing out his own hands to block his cousin's attack. Hinata rushed forwards, bent as low as she possibly could and lunged at Neji from below, hitting him on the chin from below and sending him flying upwards.
The two of them were sweating profusely, and Hinata had discarded her large purple hoodie and was fighting now only in her black under clothing. He body moved gracefully as she dodged Neji's attacks, and every hit that she aimed seemed to make contact in exactly the right place; Neji was beginning to lose speed, and she had a clear advantage over her opponent.
Neji landed on the ground a few feet away, his body sprawled in an uncomfortable position, and Hinata stood at the ready, waiting for him to move again, but he did not stir. She dropped her guard and clasped her hands before her, making her way over to him and bending over him curiously to see if he was alright.
"Neji?" she said uncertainly, and he moved slightly.
"Are you alright, cousin?" she asked, bending down next to him, concerned, and his legs came flying out of nowhere and knocked her feet out from under her so that she landed flat on her back, her cousin on top of her, a blade to her throat.
"Never let your guard down, Hinata-sama."
"N-Neji-nii-san!" Hinata stammered, but she remained still beneath the sharp blade, "I was worried that I had hurt you! I had to show that I was concerned, I couldn't just let you lie there!"
"Right then, Hinata, I was not your cousin, but your opponent. The enemy. Never let your guard down around the enemy."
Hinata nodded slowly and Neji got off of her, helping her to her feet as she breathed deeply again. She had barely been able to breathe because of fear of being cut, but now that the blade was gone she felt alright again.
"Let's take a break." Neji said, and he headed towards the house where a tray of tea and rice balls had been placed on the porch for them. Hinata followed, and sat alongside her cousin, picking up her tea cup and sipping deeply from it. She was tired, that she could not deny, but she and her cousin had never fought as intensely as today before. Despite her tiredness though, it seemed as if she had a lot more stamina than her cousin did, and she was easily able to match his speed and to mirror his movements even in the most exhausting of moments.
"You've improved dramatically, Hinata-sama," Neji said quietly, and Hinata blushed, looking down into her cup of tea. Being acknowledged by her cousin was a great honour, and she was happy that she was able to get it.
"Thank you, Neji-nii-san," she said just as quietly back, and the two continued to sip their tea in total silence. After the loud and ongoing conversation that Hinata had shared with Naruto earlier that morning, the silence made her feel dreadfully uncomfortable, yet not a sound passed her lips as she waited for her cousin to speak again.
"Where were you all morning, Hinata?" Neji asked after some time and Hinata jumped at the opportunity of some conversation.
"Out running errands," she said simply, then decided to elaborate more, "I met up with Naruto-kun at the park and we spent the morning together. He walked me home when we were done."
"Oh?" Neji said, raising his eyebrows slightly, "Then what was Kiba doing with you outside?"
Hinata's mood dropped slightly as she thought back on what had happened between her and Kiba earlier that day. It seemed that her friendship with Kiba had changed as dramatically in that single moment when he had grabbed her arm, as her relationship had changed with Naruto early that morning. However, Hinata felt that her relationship with Naruto had changed for the better, whereas her and Kiba's had now changed for the worse.
"I don't know…" she muttered helplessly, leaning back onto her hands. She stared out at the sun before her, which was just beginning to set, giving the sky a purple and reddish glow. As she admired the view a strange feeling began to creep up her spine, and her eyes suddenly dropped closed. Neji was also staring out at the sunset, and a loud 'thump' alongside him made him turn to his cousin in surprise.
"Hinata-sama, what are you -?" he stopped when he saw her lying flat on her back, her arms underneath her at a crooked, awkward angle. Her breathing was fast and sweat droplets covered her forehead.
"Hinata-sama…" Neji said awkwardly, and he reached out to touch her arm. Before he could touch her bare skin though, Hinata's eyes snapped opened and she arched her back as she breathed in deeply and her eyelids fluttered uncontrollably.
"Hinata-sama!" Neji shouted, but Hinata was too far away to hear him…
"It's not your duty to save her!" Kiba shouted, his arms holding Hinata tightly to his chest. They were standing in the middle of a barren landscape, filled with crevices and lamenting trees. The sun was setting, giving the sky a red glow, reminding her all too much of blood. It was raining as well, and it came down thick and heavy upon their heads, mixing with the blood upon their bodies.
"No," said Naruto, standing a short distance away from Kiba, "It is my duty Kiba, but I'm not doing it out of duty…"
"Then
what are you doing it out of! You risk everything Naruto, absolutely
everything! And for what? Acknowledgement? In order to be the hero?
For what, Naruto!"
"For love," Naruto replied simply, and Hinata felt Kiba's arms tighten around her, "I love that girl that you're holding Kiba, and I'll make you let her go. I love her, and I won't lose her…I love you Hinata…"
Hinata suddenly felt Kiba's arms slacken, and before she knew it he had pushed her lightly towards Naruto. She stumbled slightly, her head dizzy, and Naruto caught her, smiling down into her blood stained face.
"I love you," he whispered, and at that moment a dark shadow appeared behind them, and the sharp blade of a sword pushed its way through Naruto's chest, making him gasp and let go of her. She fell to the floor as she watched the smile in his eyes dim, and become lifeless.
"No!" she screamed, crawling towards him, "Naruto-kun! No!"
"No!" she moaned, as she felt hard hands grab her by her shoulders and shake her lightly, "No! No, no, no, no!"
"Hinata-sama!"
"No!"
"Hinata-sama! Wake up!"
"Neji?" she whispered, her eyes fluttering open. Her cousin knelt beside her, his face overcome with worry and concern. The sun had set behind him, and Hinata could make out the first of the evening stars above his head.
"Neji? What…what happened?"
"You collapsed," he said quickly, holding her head up lightly and bringing a cup of cold water to her mouth, "It seems the training wore you out more than I realized. I apologize, it was my fault; I pushed you too hard."
"No, Neji-nii-san, it wasn't-" but she was cut off as the cup of water was forced to her mouth.
"Drink first, you'll feel better."
Hinata drank, slowly at first, but soon she gulped the water down, realizing how dry her mouth actually was.
"You need to rest Hinata-sama, let me help you up and lead you to your room."
"No Neji, honestly, I'm fine!"
She did feel perfectly alright; she doubted that she had passed out due to tiredness or exhaustion, and instead decided to blame it on the extreme heat of the day. She had simply been dehydrated, but after that cup of water she felt much better. Then her mind thought back on the strange dream…
She swayed lightly, and Neji reached out to hold her steady again, but she pushed his hands away and walked away from the house instead, trying to regain her strength and absorb some fresh air. She walked towards the main gate of the Estate, passing through the beautiful garden which she had helped
plant. She could hear the sound of crickets as they awakened from their slumber and began to make their sweet melody of the night; her younger sister hated the sound, but Hinata felt entranced by it, marveling at the way it all seemed so synchronized. As she came towards the gate, she saw a familiar friend pass by it, and she rushed forwards, calling out to her.
"Sakura-san!"
Sakura paused and turned around at the sound of her name, to see Hinata rushing towards her from the opposite side of their family's large, protective gate.
"Oh, hey Hinata!" she said, moving towards the gate and standing across from it with her hands clasped behind her back and a giant, friendly smile upon her face. Hinata ran towards her, stopping at the gate and clutching the cold bars with her hands.
"Where are you off to, Sakura-san?" Hinata asked, and Sakura laughed silently to herself, "Oh, just out and about," she said, and Hinata looked at her inquisitively.
"I heard a rumour that a bunch of our friends are going out tonight, and I didn't want to miss out on the action!" She winked and Hinata agreed silently with her.
"Who's all heading out?" she asked, hoping to hear that a certain someone was among the crowd.
"Oh, I heard Temari was in town, you know, from the Sand village? Apparently the Hokage told Shikamaru to take her out, so they'll definitely be out…and Choji will probably go along…dunno who else really…oh, yeah, and I heard Naruto invited himself as usual."
Sakura sighed and Hinata's heart leapt at Naruto's name, but Sakura didn't seem to notice anything.
"I don't get along with Temari that well, actually…" she muttered to herself, "It's not going to be enjoyable to go there and have no other proper female company…Hey, Hinata?"
Hinata had been lost in thought about her morning with Naruto once more, and was admiring the necklace around her neck when Sakura said her name.
"Hm?" she said, noticing the mischievous glance in Sakura's eye.
"You want to join us tonight Hinata?" she asked, and Hinata was momentarily caught off guard.
"What, no, I couldn't!"
"Ah, come on, it'll be fun!" Sakura insisted, and Hinata shook her head vigorously.
"No, Sakura-san, I've never been out before, I wouldn't know how to act!"
"Come on, it's no biggie, just stick with me and you'll be fine!" Sakura assured her, and Hinata paused and thought about it for a second. Well, Naruto would be there…
"Oh, all right!" Hinata gave in, and Sakura clasped her hands in delight.
"Great! Now, how about you come with me to my place and we'll find you something to wear, ok?"
Hinata nodded and ran back to the house to grab her things, telling Neji her plans along the way. She had a feeling that tonight was going to make a change…
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