AN: Hey, me again, and I bring tribute! I present to you a new chapter. Anyway, I'm glad to see most of you all liked that last chapter. The NaruSakuIno fans were happy at least, but as I like to play around with different ideas, here is my latest! However please, sate my hunger and feed me lots of reviews. I crave them. On with the fic!
Tomorrow's Dirge
Hinata walked briskly down the hall of the luxurious Hyuuga estate towards her room, carrying a plate of pork and fresh fruit. She had excused herself from the strangely unfriendly atmosphere of the dining room when her stomach had begun to bother her, but Hiashi insisted she eat something, so she took the rest of her barely touched meal with her. No one was in the hall to take notice of the way her feet barely left the floor as she went, or of how her already fair complexion was fading to a ghostly white, and no one was there to hear the plate crash to the ground as she locked her door behind herself.
The pork and fruit scattered to the ground as she tossed them aside and dashed to the bathroom, covering her mouth and opening the lid to the toilet. She fell to her knees, and began to vomit up her scant meal, nearly choking on the force of the heaves. She shuddered and leaned forward, supporting herself on the bowl until she was finished.
The Hyuuga girl wiped the corners of her mouth on her light brown jacket, and stood up slowly, shivering the whole way. She lifted her head, and was suddenly gripped by a wave of dizziness, and turned around again. She wretched for a minute, having nothing to purge herself of aside from bile, then sat back and flushed the mess away.
Again she wiped her mouth and stood up, much more slowly this time, and leaned against the wall, resting her exhausted legs. Hinata wrapped her arms around herself as she stood, trying desperately to stop shaking, until she moved and went to the sink. She opened the medicine cabinet and took out a toothbrush and some toothpaste, then turned the water on.
She brushed thoroughly, trying to clear her mouth of the wretched aftertaste, as well as trying to clear her mind of the awful images of Naruto bleeding out all over Kakashi.
There was so much blood, she thought mournfully, pausing to rinse. And the wound was so deep… there's no way that Naruto-kun could have…
Her eyes began to tear again as she recalled Kakashi carrying Naruto out of the door to that horrible place; the boy was crumpled up like a rag doll, and everything was so soaked in…
Hinata's stomach turned, and she fell to her knees again, covering her mouth and praying she wouldn't throw up again. Even as she held the urge to gag back, she could feel the foul swill welling up in the back of her throat. She swallowed hard and suppressed the reflex, finally quelling the apprehension.
She stood and picked up the bar of soap to wash her face. She hesitated though and instead stared down into the marble sink for a minute, then closed her eyes and shook her head. What's the matter with me? She wondered as she closed the medicine cabinet and glanced into the mirror.
Hinata screamed and stumbled backwards, throwing the soap at the mirror and clutching at the towel rack for support. It came ripping out of the wall as she fell and landed hard against the floor. The soap recoiled harmlessly off of the polished surface and plopped down on counter.
Gasping for air, she go up and scurried to press her back against the wall as she stared off at the mirror, not seeing her reflection and dreading what she might spot again. "What was that?" she whispered between gasps as she clutched at her chest. Hinata stood there for several moments, trying to slow her rushing heart and master her breath.
She knelt down and scooped up a towel, then walked forward and turned her head to the side. Without looking, she tossed the towel up and draped it over the mirror, completely covering the reflective crystal. Slowly, she looked up to examine her work and ensure that the mirror remained completely out of sight. It was.
Hinata measured her breaths, as her heart began to calm again, and dared to take a step closer to the veiled antagonist, but stopped short as the uneasiness of before returned double strength. She sidestepped the mirror to get to the door to her bedroom, and opened it slowly; each creek from the aged hinges sending a sharp chill down her spine and through her stomach.
She quickly got out of there and flung herself on her bed in the corner opposite the bathroom. She rolled so her back was against the wall, and she stared unblinkingly at the door, almost like an animal awaiting its predator. Minutes ticked by as the sunlight streaming in through the windows gradually faded to a rosy hue and then a deep red, until it was almost gone.
Hinata slowly stood up and crossed the open floor between herself and the bathroom, and opened the door as wide as the hinges would allow. There were no creaks this time, and she peeked her head inside. There was nothing out of the ordinary; the bathtub was curtained off, there were no sinister shadows skirting about behind the toilet or sink.
There was no delay between her flipping the switch and the small chandelier casting its warm light over the whole room. But the dread was still there. It had grown with every step she took closer to the mirror, and now that she stood directly beside it, it was mind numbing, though she still felt there was no choice but to look.
She reached out and began to fumbling with the very corner of the towel, rubbing it between her thumb and index, and trying to convince herself one way or the other to do something. Slowly she peeled it up, exposing only the slightest edge of the mirror, but it was too much. She couldn't look and dropped her hand, shrouding the mirror again.
She jumped at a sudden knocking, and spun towards the door. "Hinata-Sama? Are you in there?" asked a familiar voice.
"Y-yes, Neji-nisan," she sighed catching her breath.
"Are you all right? Hiashi-Sama asked me to check up on you," said Neji from the other side of the door.
Hinata walked to the door and unlocked it, after shuffling the spilt food off into the corner with her foot, then opened it and stepped out. "Is everything alright?" she asked, closing the door behind her, "I'd heard you just got back from a mission up north today but didn't see you at dinner. How did it go?"
Neji stood there with his arms crossed and starring at the floor. "Hiashi-Sama would speak with you in the main anteroom as soon as I can bring you to him," he said ignoring the question, "Please come with me."
Hinata stepped behind Neji without question, knowing that if she was to be escorted within the confines of the Hyuuga estate, her father must be greatly concerned over something. Neji began to lead them down the hall in a b-line path for the very center of the complex. They passed few others in the halls, and those they did see didn't make eye contact, but continued along with their own tasks.
Neji stopped before a large wooden door that was out of their way, if they were heading for the main anteroom that is, and unbolted it using a key he produced from inside his baggy white shirt. With minimal effort he tugged on the door until it opened with a puff of air that blew his hair out of his face, leaving Hinata free to see that her cousin had a sutured gash above his ear.
"Neji," said Hinata, concerned, "What happened?"
"It's none of your concern, Hinata-Sama," he said pulling his hair back down into place to hide the abrasion. He pulled the door open and motioned for her to enter the stone hallway beyond.
Hinata stepped up and walked in as Neji shut the door behind them. "This way," he said pointing down the steadily descending and curving passage.
They both began to make their way through, Neji leading the way with Hinata following close behind, guided only by the light of thin slits in the rock wall that held small, smokeless oil lamps.
"Neji, where are we going?" asked Hinata nervously, "the anteroom is on the other side of the mansion."
"Hiashi-Sama," said Neji after a brief pause, "is worried that Konoha may soon come under attack and he's moved down to the tunnels connecting this estate with ANBU HQ to be in more direct contact with Konoha's sources. He will speak with you further in just a moment."
"What do you-" she began, but stopped herself as they rounded a corner to find Hiashi himself standing in front of another large wooden door.
Neji and Hinata both bowed, and Hiashi waved his hand. "You're dismissed," he said, and immediately Neji began to walk off.
"What's the matter?" Hinata asked, breaking protocol by speaking first, "Is something wrong?"
Hiashi grimaced and took a step closer. "I understand you just got back from a mission involving that Uzumaki child." He said coldly, "Is this correct?"
"Yes father it is, but-" she said "I don't understand why everyone is so on edge all of a sudden."
Hiashi reached up and stroked his chin. "I need to know exactly what happened today in Aerin."
Hinata spent the next twenty minutes recounting everything she could remember about the day's events, and answering her father's incredibly direct and specific questions. Most of the report centered around the non-ninja warriors, who Hiashi seemed convinced were samurai for hire, as well as the later chakra-based attacks, and the specific effects of each. With noticeable discomfort, Hinata recalled the strange energy that blasted her to the ground, and how it was similar to the technique that held Kurenai in place for so long.
At this, Hiashi ran a hand over his face and shifted uneasily. "Was the energy some kind of chakra?" he asked, "Could you tell exactly?"
"No," she said sheepishly, "It was completely different, almost like essence more than energy."
"Then it was indeed Yamanaka Inoichi…" muttered Hiashi, "Could you identify where any of the enemy ninja were from by their faces?"
Hinata thought for a minute, "I couldn't tell. They were covering their faces, and even with the Byakugan I was really only focusing on killing them. When I was pinned under a body, it didn't help any."
"That's all," Hiashi said tersely, "If that's the case, then that's all I need you for."
Hinata gulped, "Yes sir," she said quietly, "But I was just wondering…"
Hiashi raised an eyebrow.
"Do you think that I could go to the hospital tomorrow and visit Naruto?" she asked.
"No," he said, and turned around to open the door.
"Why not?" asked Hinata, her voice rising nearly to a challenging pitch.
Hiashi looked over his shoulder and scowled at her. It was just a simple question, but Hinata had just questioned the head of her very prideful clan. "What was that?" asked Hiashi, "I'm sure you didn't mean whatever it was to come across quite that way. His voice was full and cold, almost furious but still controlled and seemingly calm.
Hinata covered her mouth and quickly back stepped away. She shook her head, praying her father would not be insulted enough to pursue the matter.
Hiashi's white eyes burned as he glared at her, ruffling his brow into a frown. "You do not question me." He said in the same chilled voice.
Hinata nodded, then turned around as he jabbed his finger towards the exit and scurried off. She nearly ran back out into the well lit, carpeted hall, and shut the door firmly behind her.
"Am I crazy?" she gasped.
SC
The hospital room was almost completely dark, the only light being from a streetlight outside casting its rays in through the window. But it was enough for Ino to be quietly, almost silently busy which was important as she didn't want to wake Naruto who was sleeping peacefully on the bed. She was moving around the room, organizing eight or nine porcelain vases of varying sizes around the nightstands and on shelves, and unpacking plastic wrapped flowers from cardboard boxes.
After she had decided which arrangement of flowers would look best in each vase she set about actually combining the plants and pots into very attractive decorations, then shuffling them about once again until they were in a spot she thought Naruto would notice and approve of.
Once she was finally done beautifying the room, Ino sat down next to the bed on the unrolled comforters her mother had brought in several hours before. She lay back, and wrapped some of them around her, hoping that the Hokage had made it clear to the nurses and doctors that would be coming in periodically that she (Ino) had special permission to be there, on account of "being exceptionally skilled with healing herbs, and thus fit to watch over the boy while her remedies took effect."
Ino smiled when she remembered how the Hokage had actually intervened for her and told the nurses that she was a practicing herbologist. It's not entirely true, she thought to herself, I don't actually practice herbology, but even so…
Occasionally Ino would drift off into a light slumber, but she could never truly fall asleep. Her mind was restless and there was always some noise or shadow to distract her and turn her thoughts back to first seeing Naruto come out of the surgery. He looked so helpless and shriveled just hours ago but now, color had returned t his face and he looked stronger, almost normal even. The change had been dramatic, but it was nothing she was going to complain about.
Hours passed and the nurses began to come in every forty five minutes to check Naruto's vitals and make sure his wound hadn't reopened. These were good opportunities for Ino to keep tabs on exactly how well he was doing, and it seemed that there was nothing but good news; he was completely stable, and each time he was checked the wound seemed a bit less pronounced. Naruto was doing so well in fact, that the first nurse to check on him doubted herself enough to call the doctor in to confirm what she saw.
SC
"How am I doing?" Naruto asked the giant fox.
Kyuubi looked down at the genin in front of his cage made some kind of rumbling in his chest. (One would have a hard time telling if the demon was chuckling or growling.) "Your body is healing exceedingly fast due to my efforts. You should be back to normal by sunrise at the latest."
"Well, uh… thanks," said Naruto, not quite how he should respond to a demon saving his life.
"Don't thank me kit," said Kyuubi with some measure of amusement, "I'm only doing this so I don't pass into the void. Believe me when I say that I have no affection for you in any way."
"Ah c'mon," said Naruto standing up and walking up to the edge of the bars, "You mean that talking to me all night hasn't made you any more fond of humans at all?"
"To be honest, I've found your attempts to create conversation nothing if not irksome."
"Then why did you even bother talking to me at all?" asked Naruto, "I mean you didn't hesitate at all when we were talking about your exploits in the past."
Kyuubi was silent for several moments, and Naruto gave up trying to get another word out of him. The two of them had been conversing for most of the night about history and battle. Naruto had learned a great deal about the demon's history in particular, or at least the gory parts of it. Kyuubi was quite free with information about his slaughtering dozens of villages hundreds of years ago.
"You might try training while you're in here," said the fox, completely changing the subject.
"What?" Naruto asked.
"Train. Learn. Toughen up. If we're to survive in the real world amongst all the enemies who could really hurt you, you must be prepared for them. My abilities to heal you won't count for anything if you're killed in an instant."
"You mean I can like work out in here and stuff like that?"
Kyuubi sniffed. "Why not? You're just as real in here as you are out there, just as I am just as real here as you are."
"Cool!" shouted the blonde, jumping to his feet and turning to face the fox, "What should I do?"
"It's my world in here kit. I can make whatever I want happen. You on the other hand, are just as limited here as you are outside, so how about I conjure up enemies and you try to survive them."
"Sounds good to me," said Naruto, slamming his fist into his palm, "But just on thing… Will fighting in here make me stronger out there?"
"No. You'll have to become physically more adept in the real world, but fighting in here will teach you to use the strength you already have… Think fast!"
There was a rush of motion, and Naruto spun around. A glint of light appeared right in front of his face, and he ducked just in time to avoid a kunai that flew over his head with deadly speed. Off in the distance, Naruto saw the man who threw it, and charged without hesitation…
SC
"Okay… okay, I'm done," said Naruto, leaning over the fallen bodies of three men robed in black. The blonde put his hands on his knees, and his two dozen shadow clones all disappeared in poofs of smoke as the bodies faded into nothingness. "Damn, that was tough."
"Those were comparable to what you'd face on one of your C class missions kit," said Kyuubi, "You charged right into their trap."
"I won didn't I?" growled Naruto, "What does it matter if they got the jump on me?"
Kyuubi shook his head. "Kit, you need to learn to think before recklessly charging in. Snares are the greatest weapon your enemies possess, and they're not hard to create. You proved that a few children could defeat one of your greatest warriors when you and the other members of your team bested Kakashi."
"Ok I got it," said Naruto, as he sat down with his back to one of the cage's massive bars, "I won't charge after a single ninja when he may have allies nearby."
"One lesson down, one million to go," Kyuubi sneered, snapping his jaws shut with a loud clap. "You humans are all the same; you see what you think is a threat, you attack it, and get yourselves in way over your head."
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Naruto.
Kyuubi again was silent, so Naruto elected to close his eyes and simply rest. Almost immediately the boy felt refreshed and rejuvenated.
"A side-effect of the state your mind is in," explained Kyuubi without prompting, "It may be my domain, but because this is still a part of your mind, seconds of rest here will replace hours of sleep."
"That's cool," said Naruto, "What time is it out there anyway?"
Kyuubi looked towards the invisible ceiling, then sat up straight and looked down at Naruto. "Seven in the morning and it's almost time for you to wake up. You're in a hospital room decorated with lots of plants. I'd assume the flora means that Yamanaka girl is either currently nearby, or has recently been here."
"Ino?" asked Naruto, looking up, "Can I wake up now?"
"It's up to you kit. You decide that, not me, just look up and want to wake up."
Naruto didn't hesitate but looked up towards where the ceiling should have been, and immediately sensed that he was flying skywards into the blackness. Gradually he noticed the feeling of things around him. There was a soft mattress beneath him, and the smell of wildflowers all around. The boy opened his eyes, and found he was indeed in a hospital room with lots of vases and flowers scattered about.
"Wow," mumbled Naruto, "Ino went all out on this." He slung his feet over the side of the bed nearest the door and stood up stretching. Then looked around at all of the different kinds of flowers, and actually recognized most of them from the Yamanaka's garden. It was only after having stood up that a thought occurred to him.
I'm naked! He realized, grabbing the sheet off of the bed and throwing it around his waist. Why am I naked if they were just working on me above the waist?
"Naruto!" a feminine voice joyously shrieked behind him.
Naruto jumped and spun in midair, landing ready to fight. But before he realized what was happening Ino had leapt over the bed and thrown her arms around him. "I was worried sick about you…" she sighed into his shoulder.
"Eh," gasped Naruto, not entirely sure what to do in the current situation. Though Ino was threatening to crush him with her grip, Naruto kept his hands off of her, keeping them in the air as not to make things any more awkward. "No worries," he stammered after a moment, "I feel great."
Ino clutched slightly tighter, then loosed her grip and stood back just a little, keeping her hands on his shoulders. She stared into his dazzlingly blue eyes, and he looked back at her.
"Um… Ino," said Naruto quietly.
"Yes, Naruto?"
The boy stammered for just a second, trying to find the right words, then looked back at her.
"Do you know where my clothes are?"
SC
It was unearthly cold. Sarutobi's lips were turning blue, despite the smoking pipe he held between them, and his eyes shifted constantly between the cadaver lying on the cold stele table in front of himself and the coroner. The bodies face was shrouded beneath a dark veil, and the rest of it was hidden beneath a white sheet.
The coroner walked to the wall and flipped a switch. A lighted, blood red sign on the opposite wall came to life, and boldly read "Autopsy in Progress." That, coupled with the steady light from a single light bulb suspended above the table, gave the room an eerie atmosphere of living death.
"I thought you should be here for this," said the coroner in a raspy voice. "Forgive me if I'm quiet, but few people to talk to doesn't make for much of an enchanting sound."
"I understand," said the Hokage as he took the pipe in his hand and blew a smoke ring away from the corpse, "You said it involved the security of Konoha so let's get to the point shall we?"
"Of course, Hokage-Sama," said the smaller man. "First I think you should know exactly who we're looking at." He walked to the head of the corpse and removed the mask, exposing a fair haired, attractive man in his middle thirties.
"Yamanaka Inoichi?" said the Hokage in amazement.
"Yes, the ANBU sent to investigate Aerin brought almost forty bodies back for me to examine. None were particularly out of the ordinary… at least as ordinary as ninja can be anyway, but this young man was far different."
"How so?"
"Well first," continued the little old man, "He is from Konoha. The others were all from countries far from here as far as I can tell. Then when I examined his brain, I found several abnormalities in his frontal lobe."
"So the behavioral central wasn't working properly." The Hokage noted.
"Yes sir, he would not have been himself in the least: probably exceedingly violent and vengeful. He would've made a mountain out of a mole hill, as they say."
So how much more would he make of Naruto? Wondered Sarutobi as he stepped closer to the deceased Nin.
"And it wasn't that the lobe was even severely traumatized, as is the case with most patients like this, but the brain matter had rather been overloaded with a strange chakra."
Sarutobi grimaced, "Strange chakra from what?"
The coroner grasped the sheet at Inoichi's chin, and drew it down to his abdomen, showing the sewn up incisions he had already made to examine the body's organs. He leaned down and turned the head so Sarutobi could see the neck and shoulder.
"I believe this is the culprit." Alleged the coroner.
Just above Inoichi's collar bone, there was a small black mark in the shape of a coiled serpent no larger than a coin.
Sarutobi bit down on the end of his pipe, snapping off the mouthpiece. The finely crafted wooden tube fell to the concrete ground and splintered, spilling out the smoldering ash.
"A cursed seal…" mumbled the Hokage.
AN: So, there you have chapter ten. I had intended to take it farther, but for the sake of plot twists to come, I'll cut it off here. Soon to come: The Funeral and The Fox. Will everyone survive? Probably not ;) Tell me what you think! Reviews for me please!