A/N: Thanx to everyone who reviewed! Here's the next one!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
0—Misinterpretations/Ten—0
When they exited the restaurant, it was already well past sunset. The streets were devoid of their fellow citizens, mostly because the majority of them were indoors, escaping from the freezing temperatures outside. Hinata shivered as the door slid open and was immediately greeted with a wall of icy air, burying her hands deep within the folds of her coat pockets and digging her chin down towards her neck to nestle safely into the warmth of her scarf.
"Wah! It sure is cold out here." Sora exclaimed, his breath coming out in small visible gasps. His brown hues flicked over to the indigo haired female, his brows pulling down ever so slightly. "Want to share a cab, Hinata-chan? I'm sure that that would be more comfortable than walking around in these temperatures."
The former heiress' teeth chattered as the cold seemed to sink into her, and as tempting as riding in a warm cab with the company of her childhood friend was, she knew that she could not. If Sora found out about where she was staying, he'd probably tell Neji, or even Hanabi, thinking that he was helping them to stop worry, while all it would do is have the entire Hyuuga clan come down on the Haruno residence and blaming them. But I can't let that happen. Hinata's cheeks grew warm; at least when I'm there I can be in a new family environment, where people actually care how your life is going and how their day went. She flashed Sora her dimpled smile as she carefully stepped away from him, folding her hands behind her back as she slowly retreated.
"Iie…Good-bye Sora-kun." She gave him a small wave before dashing across the street, narrowly dodging the passing cars that separated her and the male. She continued in her light jog, ignoring the male that called out for her, knowing full and well that if she hadn't have done so, he'd have tailed her until he found the location of her "safe house". I'll just be sure to apologize for leaving in such a rude manner when I see him again. Hinata thought with a wince as she reached up and pulled her fluffy hood down over her head to shield her ears from the stinging wind. That is, if I do ever see him again.
0—Break—0
"Sakura-sama! I suggest that we go home and continue our search in a vehicle!" Lee shouted over the sound of the wind, his hand stretching out in attempts of dragging the pinkette back to the shelter of his body.
"N-N-No Lee-kun!" Sakura ignored the biting cold and managed to take a few more steps despite the numbness that has taken hold of her legs and hands. She could barely feel her nose, and her lips felt as if they were cracked beyond repair. She grimaced. Even Chapstick wouldn't help in such a situation. "W-We have to find Ryuu-kun b-before we c-can go back home!"
"But you are not accustomed to this type of weather, your people came from the dessert lands, remember? This cannot be good for your health!" Lee strode forward and placed his hand on her shoulder, watching with concerned eyes as she practically curled into the touch and sighed at the warmth that accompanied it. "I am sure that Ryuu-kun will be able to make it home on his own." He said in softer tones, his arms wrapping around her shoulders in a manner that he made sure that wouldn't be misinterpreted by any passersby. "He is obviously native to these lands, thus he will be able to manage the cold with more ease than you."
My eyelids are so heavy…Sakura thought, attempting to widen her jade hues. The cold only served to dry them faster and make her want to close them even more. "L-Lee-kun…I'm so t-tired." She murmured, her head lolling to the side to rest in the crevice between his neck and shoulders.
This is not good. Lee's brows pulled together and he swiftly lifted the Haruno heiress into his arms. I must get Sakura-sama back to the mansion. I will inform Gai-sensei once we get there that Ryuu-kun is missing, but first thing is first, we must get Sakura-sama inside somewhere warm and get a phone to call for the car. He thought, figuring that they were much too far from the mansion for him to run back to before she got severely sick. With that in mind, he spun on his heel and started back the way they came, almost positive that there would be a convenient store nearby that was bound to be open and with a working phone.
"W-where are we g-going Lee-kun?" Sakura's eyes remained closed, though her teeth continued to chatter incessantly.
"We are going to find a phone." He responded, not slowing down for a second, though he did manage to maneuver the pinkette's hood in such a way that the majority of the wind did not hit her in the face.
"What?" Her eyes snapped open and she stared around herself, briefly disoriented, before her heated gaze snapped back up to her guard. "L-Lee! W-We need to f-find Ryuu-kun! Y-you're going the wrong w-way!"
"We are going to return you to the mansion and then Gai-sensei and I are going to resume the search." He stated firmly, concentrating on memorizing which ways they had turned in the alleyways to get back to the street.
She would've struggled if she had the strength. "Lee!" She wailed, the image of a freezing Ryuu calling for her help in the back of her mind. "He could die out here!"
"And so can you!" The green lover answered, his eyes snapping down to meet her gaze without flinching. "I am sorry that Ryuu-kun is stuck out there somewhere alone, but I am your bodyguard. Not his."
The female opened her mouth to refute, only to be cut off by the sounds of low laughter sounding from somewhere nearby.
"Wow…These rich girls are really a whiny sort of bunch aren't they?"
The green clothed teen paused, his circular eyes flicking this way and that, unable to accurately discern where—or rather who—the source was.
"You're right; man, this is going to be so easy!" Another voice, this one being a female's voice.
"Enough you two, we just need to concentrate on the Haruno. Be serious."
Lee's eyes swiveled to the left, just in time to see a male with wild black hair shoot out of the shadows and plunge his fist into his stomach, sending him and his mistress flying back to the wall.
"Ugh!" Lee's arms tightened around Sakura just enough to prevent her from falling from his arms, but carefully kept her separated from him to take the brunt of the collision of the wall himself.
"Oh, how sweet. He's such a loyal mutt." A female followed the smirking male from the shadows, her long hair having bells at the end where it was tied, jingling as she slowly approached. Her hand stretched out, reaching for the other female.
"You will not lay a hand on her!" Lee attempted to slap her hand away, only to cry out when a snow encrusted boot landed on said hand, pining it to the ground. His eyes snapped up in time to see a male with half of his face bandaged, his single visible eye crinkled in disgust.
"You don't hit girls where I'm from, friend." His husky voice sounded hypnotizing, somehow keeping the martial artist from lifting a hand in defense when the male slammed his fist into his face.
Meanwhile, Sakura watched from the sidelines in horror, unable to move thanks to her frozen limbs and the brunette's firm grip on her hair. "L-Lee…" She whimpered softly when tanned hands dug into her hair roughly, irritating her scalp enough to bring tears to her eyes.
"Quiet down girl, or my friend Dosu here is going to start using his knife." The female grumbled.
Lee-kun…I…I can't protect you. I'm not…I'm not strong enough! Sakura's eyes snapped open, and she glanced up, watching with her tear-filled gaze as her bodyguard's face was slammed into the wall. Ryuu-kun…help. Lee's legs were beginning to become rubber—she could tell, for when Dosu, the bandaged man shoved him towards the other male, the green clad teen stumbled lightly, unable to keep his feet stable underneath himself. Ryuu-kun, help.
Lee was now being shoved between the two thugs, the crazy haired one laughing manically while the other one's low chuckles seemed to be holding darker intent. "RYUU-KUN, HELP US!" The scream tore from her throat before she knew what was going on, and before she could react, the female shoved her face first into the snow, attempting to muffle her screams.
0—Break—0
I know that I heard Sakura-chan. Hinata's heart was beating frantically as she started to run in the direction of her crush's scream, meandering throughout the alleyways that were connected to the main street that led to the Haruno's mansion. I know that it's a bit cold out here, but there is no way that I'd imagine something like that! She dodged a couple of drunkards and females who were looking for a good time, her lavender hues flickering this way and that as she attempted to locate her new charge.
"PLEASE, HELP—!" The second scream sounded far more distressed and judging by the way it was abruptly cut off; someone had to be with her. These are most likely amateur kidnappers. Hinata's expression turned grim as she strode towards through the alleys, her mind buzzing with the new information. While amateur kidnappers are far less experienced, they are also far more careless. They could accidently kill Sakura-chan! She spun around a corner and ran down the street like a freight train, nearly going too fast to spot the speck of pink out of the black and white background. Sakura!
If she were Neji, she'd have thought of a plan before barreling in, however, she caught sight of the thug shoving Sakura's face into the snow and Lee being pummeled mercilessly and all thoughts flew straight out the window. "L-LEAVE THEM ALONE!"
0—Break—0
Sakura's hearing was a bit muffled, but there was no mistaking that voice. Ryuu had finally made it. He would make everything better and they'd all go home and drink a nice warm cup of cocoa. That was what her mind was telling her anyways, until the female pulled her out of the snow, only to put a knife to her throat.
"Who the hell are you? Stay back or this girl will get it!" She threatened needlessly.
Ryuu stood there, his messy indigo hair falling gently into his warm lavender hues, his breaths coming out in deep pants as he tried his best to catch his breath. His cheeks were flushed from the cold, and his clothes already becoming wet from all of the snow that must have melted on him. She had never seen anything more magnificent than that before in her life.
"Let them go." Sakura could tell that the male was desperately trying to keep from stuttering, knowing full and well that these gangsters would take it as a sign of weakness and attack.
"Why should we?" The first guy, the one with the crazy hair and aggressive attacks barked, his eyes flicking over to his partners. "Who the hell are you that we should be listening to?"
Ryuu appeared to hesitate for a very long while, as if contemplating a possible answer, his hands at his sides and clenched into tight fists. "You…You don't want them."
"I'm pretty sure that we do, pretty boy. You see, this girl's the heiress to the Haruno fortune." The female smirked. "And unless you're the heir of the Uchiha or something of the like, I'm afraid we don't give a rat's ass about you."
"You do not want them…" The male sighed heavily, and in that moment, he glanced over in Sakura's direction, meeting her eyes for a split second. The female gasped at the wide range of emotions that flowed through his eyes, fear, sorrow, regret, and…Love. She inhaled deeply. Love. She could see it deep within the young man's eyes. Was he possibly trying to convey..?
"You don't want them because I can offer you something greater." Ryuu then reached into his shirt and pulled out a small pendant, lifting it high enough for all to see. "You don't want them because," his voice became lighter, taking a more feminine sound to it. "I am Hyuuga Hinata, the missing heiress of the Hyuuga clan."
0—Ten/End—0
A/N: Man, I'm tired. Well, I'm going to sleep now you guys; until next time!