Melody of the Fox
Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.
AN: No, this isn't a filler.
Chapter 10
Yamanaka Ino was bored. Utterly, incredibly, stupendously bored. Only two people had come into the flower shop so far; one being her own mother to bring her lunch, and the other being the elderly woman down the street who stopped by everyday to buy a single sunflower for her hair.
Of course, that was to be expected. It was Fall, and most of their business came from the Spring and Summer months. The only time people bought flowers this time of year was to either pick up a centerpiece for their dinner tables or to send flowers to a hospitalized friend. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your viewpoint), the amount of injuries also seemed to decline around this time of year.
Despite the fact that they were on less than pleasant terms since they discovered their mutual interest in Uchiha Sasuke, her best friend and rival Haruno Sakura would usually stop by for an hour or two to chat and catch up on all the latest gossip. However, since Sasuke's defection from the Leaf, the pink-haired girl had been coming around less and less. Now that she was getting training from the Hokage herself, she hadn't been coming around at all.
Sighing loudly, Ino boredly thumbed through her fashion magazine for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. At that moment, she wished that someone -- anyone -- would come through the door of her family's flower shop, even if it was to rob the place. At least then she could enjoy kicking the thief's ass. As if Kami-sama himself had granted her wish, the bell hanging over the door chimed noisily. She immediately straightened herself up and opened her mouth to recite the store's customary greeting.
"Hi! Welcome to the Yamanaka Flowe--Oh, it's just you," the girl said, slumping her shoulders with disappointment. The customer angrily marched up to the register.
"What do you mean, 'it's just you'?! Ain't I a paying customer too?! It's no wonder this place is so dead! with you behind the counter, I'm surprised the shop is still in business!" Ino rolled her eyes and leaned forward on her elbows.
"What do you want, Naruto? No, wait, before you saying anything, I don't know where Sakura is." While she had gotten her wish, she wished that Kami-sama would have sent someone a little less...annoying.
"Huh? Oh, I didn't come here for that," he replied. She perked up a bit at his answer. The only time she ever really communicated with the boy outside of missions or group functions was when he wanted to know something about Sakura. Still, she was convinced that he was there for something involving her friend slash rival.
"Really? Then what did you come here for?" She noticed with some interest that he seemed a little hesitant answer. After a few seconds of silence, he finally looked up to meet her eyes.
"I need to buy some flowers." Ino smacked her palm into her forehead. Of course.
"Sorry, we're out of miniature cherry blossom trees for the year. Come back in Spring, if you really want one." Naruto gave her a confused look.
"What? So? I want to buy some flowers, Not a sakura tree. Geez, Ino, try to keep up." The girl cocked her head to the side with confusion. Didn't he know that cherry blossoms were Sakura's favorites? She wouldn't be satisfied with anything else. Unless Sasuke gave them to her, anyway.
"Aren't you buying flowers for Sakura?" She asked, her curiosity starting to get the best of her.
"No, when did I say that?" Now, she was definitely curious.
"Well then, what are you buying flowers for?" He nervously scratched the back of his head and avoided her invading gaze. She was starting to freak him out with her staring.
"They're for...a friend. Look, I just need help picking some flowers because I don't know what any of them mean, okay?" Ino's eyes widened to almost comical proportions. Naruto, the blond, Sakura-obsessed fanboy, had finally moved on?! This was the kind of gossip that girls (and a few guys) would give their right arm for! Determined to get some more information out of him, she quickly slipped around the counter and grabbed Naruto's hand, leading him towards the store's greenhouse.
Most of the plants were arranged by name and lined the walls of the greenhouse, although the more popular flowers rested right at the entrance to the medium-sized room. There were flowers of all shapes, sizes, and colors all over the place, looking very much like a miniature rain forest. She pulled him inside the transparent building and closed the door behind her.
"Alright, before we do anything, what are you planning to make?" She asked, walking towards a large table in the corner. On top of it, there were various vases, colored ribbons, and tissue paper neatly arranged by size and color. Naruto stared after her with a dumbfounded expression.
"Make?" he asked, following her over to the corner. She picked up a vase and a piece of tissue paper.
"Do you want to make a flower arrangement, or a bouquet?" He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, carefully observing each choice. After a minute or two of silence, Ino sighed exasperatedly. "Today, Naruto."
"Fine, fine. I'll take the tissue paper then."
"What color?" She asked, turning to the wide assortment of hues. As soon as the words left her mouth, she immediately regretted her decision. She quickly turned back around and waved her hands in a disarming fashion.
"No, nevermind. On second thought, I'll pick a color for you." Naruto grinned widely and nodded.
"That's a good idea! You'd know best, anyway!" Ino's hand froze in mid grab. What did he mean by that? Shaking her head, she gathered up a couple of sheets of dark purple tissue paper and a long white strand of ribbon. Now, the fun began.
"So, Naruto, tell me about this person you're buying the flowers for. Is it a guy or girl?" He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. He might act dumb 99.9 percent of the time, but even he could tell that she was up to something.
"Why does it matter?" The girl cursed silently. Trust this to be the one time Naruto grows a brain.
"Why does it matter?!" she repeated, feigning shock. "It's the most important thing in flower arranging! If you give a guy girly flowers, people might start questioning your sexuality. I mean, unless you really are--" Just as she expected, the boy's eyes widened and he began to vigorously shake his head in disagreement.
"N-no! No way! It's a girl, alright?!" he yelled, a slight blush appearing on his cheeks. To be honest, he didn't know why it was so embarrassing in the first place. He was just buying Tayuya some flowers to help her get better soon. While he was lost in his own thoughts, he missed the triumphant grin that appeared on Ino's face. Question a guy's sexuality, and they give up information faster than Chouji can put away a full course meal. And that was pretty damn fast.
"Great! Now we're getting somewhere! Since it's a girl, let's start with some of these." Ino picked up a few small white flowers and set them around the edges of the tissue paper, which she had placed in a bouquet holder. She then picked up some small pieces of ivy and fern to add some contrast.
"Hey, that's pretty cool! You're really good at this Ino!" She felt her face grow slightly warm at the compliment. No one outside of her own family had ever commented on her flower arranging, and even though he was a complete idiot when it came to flowers (and a lot of other things), it still managed to make her feel somewhat happy. She smirked and rolled her eyes.
"We're not even close to done yet. Before we can get to the good stuff, you have to tell me a little more about this girl. What's she like?" Naruto cast her a suspicious glare.
"Why does that matter?" Expecting him to ask that question, she gave him the stupidest look she could muster.
"You really don't know? You have to pick flowers based on her personality, or the whole thing will clash and be a total failure!" Naruto frowned deeply. There was no point in buying the flowers if they didn't work! When he looked up to think, Ino secretly covered her mouth to hold in a giggle. He was so gullible, it was almost a crime.
"She's kind of loud," he started, scratching his cheek. Ino immediately began thinking of all the girls that she and Naruto knew who fit into that category. Her eyes widened when she realized that only she, Sakura, and Ami fit into that category, and none of them had seen much of Ami since their Academy days. Sakura was also out, since he'd clearly stated that he wasn't buying flowers for her earlier. That only left...
"W-what else? I can't tell a person's personality just from that," she stuttered. It wouldn't do any good to jump to conclusions, as there was a very good chance that he had friends she didn't know about; especially since they weren't really that close.
"Well, she can be really mean at times, and degrading too." Ino winced. "But, I can tell that's not how she really is. I know that she cares a lot about others, even if she tries to hide it. She's also strong-willed and independent, and doesn't take shit from anybody. I think that's what I like about her the most."
She gasped and blushed a mild crimson at his words. It was possibly the sweetest thing she'd ever heard, and what made it even more astounding was that it came from Naruto. The same boy that everyone called 'dead-last' and 'idiot' had practically defined her in a short four paragraphs. Either she was as transparent as a sheet of glass, or he was much more insightful than he let on. Still, just to be completely sure...
"What do you think about her looks?" she asked, trying her damnedest not to blush.
"Hey! I thought you said flowers were picked based on personality?!"
"Uh, they are! But...uhm, the color of the flower is picked based on her looks?" she finished lamely. Damnit. There was no way he was going to fall for that one. He rubbed his chin in thought, slowly nodding his head as if understanding what she was talking about.
"Oh, I get it!" he exclaimed, slamming his fist into his palm. Ino stared at him with disbelief. Just when she was starting to think that he might have some sort of brain in that big blond head of his, too. She quickly regrouped and rested her hands on her hips impatiently.
"Well? I don't have all day." Naruto almost said something snide about the lack of customers he'd seen when he arrived, but decided against it this time. She was helping him out, after all.
"Okay, okay, hold your horses," he sighed, assuming a thinking pose. A few seconds later, he smiled in an 'A-ha!' fashion.
"I don't care as much about her looks, but she's definitely in the top ten of Konoha right now." Ino gasped. While she would prefer to be considered as number one in Konoha, she realized that he was trying to be as honest as possible in his description. It was hard to place her at the top when there was the Hokage and Kurenai to contend with. "She glares at me a lot more than she smiles, but when she does smile, it's almost like she's a whole different person." By now, her face was practically the color of a tomato. She turned around and walked further into the nursery to hide her blush. "Ne, Ino, where are you going?" Naruto asked, starting to follow. Without looking back, she held out her hand to stop his advance.
"J-just stay there, Naruto. I know exactly what she would want," she stuttered, tucking a persistent strand of hair behind her ear. His eyes lit up, and he nodded his agreement. This was going to be a whole lot easier than he thought.
"Really? Thanks! I knew you were the right person to go to!" She smiled softly to herself as she cut a few light red carnations away from the bush. That particular color represented admiration, and she knew without a doubt that admiration was one of the things he felt based on the fondness in his tone when he spoke of her.
She continued on down the aisle, plucking various flowers from their stands. She picked flowers that represented love, hope, and adoration, while at the same trying to keep the bouquet within the boy's price range. Judging on his choice of attire and unhealthy obsession with ramen, he couldn't possibly have enough money to afford more than a dozen or so roses.
While picking the flowers, she tried to make sense of her own feelings. For some strange reason, she could actually see him as a friend, and maybe even a potential boyfriend. They both had blond hair and blue eyes, strong personalities, and he was always happy and supportive of his friends no matter what the circumstances.
Of course, she'd have to change his wardrobe and eating habits, and maybe buy him a dictionary or two to expand his vocabulary if he wanted to date her, but that was something she could work on in time. Ino giggled to herself at how quickly her mind had accepted Naruto.
She'd never thought much of him before today, as he was always considered the prankster, dead-last, and idiot of the Rookie Nine. Now that she thought about it, however, he was actually one of the strongest among them! In the chuunin exams, he'd managed to beat Inuzuka Kiba in the preliminary rounds. His method was a bit...unconventional, but it had worked
He'd then gone on to beat Hyuuga Neji, last year's rookie of the year, in the third round. She had been more than surprised when that had happened. How a fresh out of the Academy, dead-last idiot managed to beat a Hyuuga genius with over thirteen months of field experience was beyond her.
Not only had he beaten some of the best genin Konoha had to offer, she'd also heard from Temari that he beat Gaara of the Sand. Sakura had at first said that Sasuke defeated him, but eventually admitted to being unconscious for the majority of the fight. Seeing as how Temari was actually awake and watching at the time, she'd been forced to believe the older Sand nin.
Initially, she'd been shocked. For a few weeks after the incident, she'd believed that Sasuke had done most of the work, and that Naruto simply came in for finishing blow. As time wore on, however, she had grudgingly begin to realize that the loudmouth genin was a lot stronger than he let on.
Not even a week after his confrontation with Gaara, she heard from Shikamaru that Naruto had gone on a trip with Jiraiya, one of the legendary sannin, to find the next Hokage--another one of the legendary sannin! Once again, her world had been turned upside down. Just how did Naruto know one of the legendary three, and why was he allowed to accompany the man on his journey? There were so many questions surrounding the boy, yet she knew none of the answers.
Ino bit her lip. Just who was Uzumaki Naruto? She'd have to pay a visit to Sakura sometime next week.
She stopped in front of the large section of tulips, looking them over with a critical eye. They were a favorite among customers, as they weren't too romantic, too elegant, too bright, too big, or too small. They were simply perfect. She picked a few red tulips to complement the carnations she'd picked up earlier, and a few yellow ones to brighten up the arrangement. Yellow tended to mean cheerful thoughts and happiness, something that she thought fit the both of them.
Ino snuck a peek at Naruto out of the corner of her eye. It didn't look like he had moved an inch from where she had left him, although sometime during her reverie he had unzipped his heavy orange jacket, revealing a tight black t-shirt underneath. His head band was tied around his neck for the time being, and she noticed with a small blush that he actually looked sort of cool with his bangs falling into his eyes. She vigorously shook her head, trying her hardest to get those thoughts out of his head.
What the hell was she thinking? This was Naruto she was talking about! The dead-last in the Academy! The ramen freak! Sakura's self-proclaimed fanboy! Just because he had shown a little interest in her, she was acting like a civilian schoolgirl with a crush. It didn't make sense! Plenty of guys had approached her over the years, promising her love, fortune, and a life of comfort. So why was Naruto any different?
Maybe it was different because it was Naruto. Maybe it was because the boy who had previously shown interest in Sakura now had a crush on her. In a way, she was stealing his affection from her rival, proving once and for all who was better. That had to be it!
Or...maybe it's because he was Sasuke's best friend, making Naruto the closest link she has to the missing Uchiha. Or maybe...
Ino shook her head again. These thoughts weren't getting her anywhere!
"Ah...Ino? Are you okay?" the blond asked, eyeing her with unhidden concern. She jumped slightly and turned back to the tulips in front of her.
"Um, sure!" She laughed nervously and tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear. "Hey, Naruto-kun, can you come over here for a second? I need you to pick the main flower for the bouquet." He lifted an eyebrow at the addition of -kun to his name, but walked over to stand next to her.
"Shouldn't you do this? I don't really know anything about flowers." She shook her head and smiled.
"I can't. This is your arrangement, so you have to pick the flower that most represents what you feel about the person you're giving it to." At his confused expression, she hung her head and sighed. "On second thought, just pick whatever you think would look nice." His face immediately lit up. That, he could do.
Ino watched with mild amusement as he raced up and down the aisles of the greenhouse, stopping for no more than one or two seconds at each group of flowers. Finally, after a few minutes of searching, Naruto appeared from around the corner with a single lavender rose.
"This one!" he yelled, holding it up in the air. The girl smiled and plucked the flower from his fingertips. Even though he probably didn't know it, lavender roses usually meant things like love at first sight or enchantment. After placing the flower directly in the center of the bouquet, she tucked the same strand of hair behind her ear and turned to show him the completed arrangement.
"What do you think? Beautiful, right?" He grinned foxily, fully exposing his unnaturally sharp canines.
"Yep! Next time I need to buy flowers, I'm definitely coming to see you!" Ino blushed slightly and turned to walk back into the store. Just as they entered the main building, Naruto suddenly stopped and ran back into the greenhouse. "Ne, Ino, hold on a minute!" he called from among the flowers. She rested an impatient hand on her hip as she waited for him to reappear, curious as to what he was doing.
"Naruto-kun? What are you doing?" As soon as the words left her mouth, the genin in question rounded the nearest shelf with a single white wildflower in his hand. He grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.
"I just wanted to buy one of these, too." She raised her eyebrows at the flower, but shrugged and ushered him into the store. After walking behind the counter, she quickly rang up his order.
"Counting the wildflower, that'll be 1,850 yen." The boy's jaw dropped in surprise, causing her to frown and narrow her eyes. "What, you can't afford it?"
"N-no! It's just that the flower shop down the street is five times as expensive as this place!" Ino blinked in surprise. The last time she'd checked, their prices were nearly the same. He quickly shuffled through his pockets and produced a few bills, placing them in the girl's outstretched hand.
"Here you go! You can keep the change as a tip!" Ino blinked again. Since when did Naruto have enough money to give her a--she quickly glanced over the bills in her hand--500 yen tip?!
"Uh...thanks, here are your flowers," she murmured, still a bit awestruck. Maybe she'd underestimated the boy. Still, there was something that bothered her about this whole situation. "Hey, Naruto-kun?" When he looked up to stare at her, she continued. "Instead of going through the trouble of buying flowers, why didn't you just tell me how you felt?" The blond tilted his head in the typical Naruto fashion.
"How I feel about what?" he asked, obviously confused. She furrowed her brows and leaned forward to stare into his eyes. He wasn't getting away that easily.
"About me, idiot!" Now, he was really confused. He cocked a curious eyebrow at her annoyed expression.
"What about you?" Ino's eyebrow twitched. Either he was really good at playing dumb, or she'd made a horrible mistake in her assumptions. Unfortunately for him, she wasn't quite ready to admit that she was wrong. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she slowly walked from behind the counter to stand directly in front of Naruto. She placed both of her hands on his shoulders and looked him squarely in the eyes.
"Naruto," she started, her expression deathly serious, "How do you feel about me?" Naruto shifted uncomfortably under her intense gaze. Her piercing sky blue eyes showed visions of death and castration if he didn't answer her question correctly. Deciding to tread lightly, he gulped loudly and shifted his eyes away from her.
"Uh, w-well, I-I think you're really smart and stuff and know a lot about flowers," he stuttered, trying to gauge her reaction. When her eyes narrowed, he quickly continued. "And um, you're pretty?" the girl's mouth twitched upward, causing him to let loose a small breath of relief. Maybe he could get out of this unscathed after all. "And you're really nice for helping me pick these flowers for Tayuya!" Her hands clenched painfully on his jacket clad shoulders.
"Say that again?" she ground out, her stare turning into a glare. Naruto thanked the gods that he had used the bathroom before he left the hospital.
"Y-you're really nice for helping me pick these flowers for Tayuya. I think they'll help her get better in no time!" Ino slowly let go of his shoulders and took a few steps back.
"Oh. I see." While she was cool and composed on the outside, her insides were in turmoil. How could she have been so stupid as to assume that he would actually have a crush on her? They'd barely spoken in the six years that they've known each other, and he'd certainly never shown an interest in anyone except for Sakura. But...just who was this Tayuya girl he was buying flowers for?
Frowning deeply, she slowly trudged back behind the counter and plopped down on the stool, leaning her chin on the palm of her hand. What the hell was she thinking? Naruto as her boyfriend? Ha! They would never work! She was a girl that demanded a certain amount of attention, and knowing his love for ramen and training, there was no possible way that he could give it to her! Ino thrust a persistent strand of light blond hair behind her ear and nodded triumphantly to herself.
He could never give her what she needed! He knew nothing about romance, and his fashion sense was simply atrocious! It would be better if she just admitted to herself that she'd let her boredom get the best of her, and forget that this whole entire thing ever happened. Suddenly, she felt something insert itself over her left ear. She blinked to see Naruto moving his hand away with a smile.
"There! Now that piece of hair won't bother you anymore!" He exclaimed. He took a few steps back to admire his handiwork, putting on a serious face for effect. After nodding to himself a few times, he smiled and gave her a thumb ups. "Wildflowers really suit you, Ino-chan!"
Ino's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. She lifted her hand to feel the soft, willowy petals of the flower he had gone back to get only five minutes earlier. While the thumbs up had been extremely corny (Really, who the hell did that anymore?), his comment caused a light pink blush to appear on her face. She smiled bashfully and tried futilely to bring down the color in her cheeks.
"Um...thanks," Ino murmured. His smile widened into his trademark foxy grin, and with a small wave, he exited the store.
"Later, Ino-chan!" For five minutes after he had gone, she stared at the clear glass door of the shop, unable to believe what had just happened. Not only had he done something extremely sweet and out of character, but he'd also managed to pick her all-time favorite flower! Sighing loudly to herself, she allowed her head to thump painfully against the countertop.
Screw next week, she was going to pay a visit to Sakura tomorrow.
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There were many words that could be used to describe Orochimaru; Evil, sinister, cruel, deceiving, snake-like. Hell, even sexy (In a sick, abnormally twisted sort of way).
Patient was not one of them.
"Damnit, Kabuto! Where are those two! They should've been back yesterday!" Orochimaru yelled, his voice echoing in the large, dark throne room. Countless snakes slithered among the rafters, and human skulls lined the thick stone walls. The young man pushed his glasses further up on his nose before answering.
"Yoroi was spotted at the border to the Fire Country last night. Misumi was not with him." The sannin hissed with annoyance. He thought the mission had been simple enough, but apparently, he'd thought wrong. Why was everyone in his village so incompetent?!
"Where is he now?" he asked, displeasure clear on his face. At that moment, the doors to the chamber slowly opened to reveal a Sound ANBU officer.
"Otokage-sama," he started, bowing low to the ground. "Akado Yoroi is here to see you. Shall I send him in?" The sannin's face visibly lit up, sending a small shudder through the ANBU officer. A smiling Orochimaru was never a good thing. After receiving a nod of confirmation from his leader, the shinobi quickly backed out of the room, only to be replaced by a thin, cowering man. He looked like he hadn't eaten in days, and dark rings were prevalent beneath his eyes.
"What took you so long?" the snake spat, staring down at the man with obvious disdain. The man quickly fell to his knees and placed his forehead against the ground.
"Please excuse me, Orochimaru-sama, we--I, ran into some trouble on the way here." Relief flooded the man as the Otokage frowned but nodded his acceptance. It was difficult for even a jounin level shinobi to cross the Fire Country's border undetected.
"Did you complete your mission? And where is Misumi?" Yoroi froze and slowly lifted his head to look at the spot where he believed his leader to be.
"I...I don't know." The room was deathly silent for a few seconds.
"YOU DON'T KNOW?!" the sannin yelled. The man was visibly shaking, and unconsciously began to scoot backwards towards the entrance to the throne room. Visions of his life began to pass before his eyes as he realized what was about to happen next.
"W-well, Misumi insisted t-that he be allowed to do the job on his own, a-and the girl was crippled from the waist down and there was just a blond kid with h--"
"A blond kid?" Orochimaru asked, cutting him off. Yoroi nodded from his position on the ground.
"Y-yes, but he didn't seem like much of a threat. I believe Misumi said that he was going to kill him too, just in case." The room once again became silent as the sannin and his second in command processed this information. There were hardly any blond shinobi that Kabuto knew of in Konoha except for the Kyuubi container and those of the Yamanaka clan. It was possible the kid was a civilian, but it was highly improbable.
"Orochimaru-sama, could that blond kid be Naruto-kun?" Kabuto whispered from Orochimaru's right side. The sannin remained quiet in thought for a few seconds before lifting his head to address his subordinate.
"What did you discover when you returned to check on your partner?" Realizing that he wasn't going to die right away, the man sat back on his haunches to think.
"Well, there was no one there, but the ground was ripped up in a few places and a few trees had been broken in half. The area was also heavily guarded by a team of ANBU, so I couldn't get any closer to look for details."
"Interesting..." the Otokage hissed, narrowing his eyes in thought. "I suppose I can try to sense her presence to see if she's alive or not. For your sake, you had better hope that Misumi completed his mission." Orochimaru closed his eyes to concentrate.
It was a simple task to sense the presence of those he had given the cursed seal to, and he could easily find any of them no matter where they were. Yoroi was waiting nervously for the results, hoping against hope that his friend and partner had somehow managed to finish the girl off. A few minutes later, the sannin opened his eyes and smiled. "It seems like you're allowed to live for the time being."
The man's head snapped up with surprise. He had been completely sure that he was going to die at his master's hands.
"Orochimaru-sama?"
"Perhaps he managed to kill Tayuya first before being killed by the blond. No matter, as long as the mission is complete. Leave me." Yoroi wasted no time in getting the hell out of there, and Kabuto noticed with some amusement that he had a large wet spot on the back of his pants.
"Are you worried about Naruto-kun?" he asked in that infuriatingly smug tone of his. The sannin chuckled evily and shook his head.
"Why should I be? If he couldn't even stop that weakling Misumi from killing Tayuya, what kind of threat would he be to me?" The silver-haired medic-nin nodded his agreement.
"Imagine if he and the girl had become friends. Then he'd have two reasons to seek you out." Orochimaru's maniacal grin widened.
"Let him come. If I kill the Kyuubi, the Akatsuki won't be able to succeed in their plans to use the nine bijuu."
"Are you sure that's wise? They'll come looking for you to extract their revenge."
"Ah, but by then, I'll have the Sharingan. Once I eradicate the Akatsuki, nothing will be able to stop me!" His cackling echoed throughout the room, causing Kabuto to crack a small scheming grin of his own.
If only he knew.
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'One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. There are seven birds,' Hyuuga Neji counted to himself. Things had been extremely quiet ever since he'd flown off the handle a few days earlier. Besides the daily visit from Gai, Lee, and Tenten, no one else had bothered to stop by for fear of extracting the Hyuuga wrath upon themselves, which suited the stoic boy just fine. Everyone else was just an annoyance anyway.
So it came as no surprise that Neji's eyebrows shot up into his forehead when the door to his hospital room slowly opened to reveal a small girl standing in the doorway.
"Hanabi-sama?!" he yelped, shock visible on his face. The girl stepped into the room and closed the door behind her.
"Nii-san," she said, nodding her head in his direction. He slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position to address his younger cousin.
"Is there something wrong, Hanabi-sama?" His face scrunched up with slight worry, a fact which many clan members would find amusing had they seen it. It was no secret to anyone that the genin used to despise the Main family, although he'd recently been making an effort to be much more civil and kind towards his cousins. Hanabi slowly shook her head and raised it to look him in the eyes.
"No, nothing's wrong. At least, it's nothing serious. I think." Neji lifted a confused eyebrow. He'd never seen his cousin act so confused about something. Truly, whatever was bothering her must be serious. He attempted to smile comfortingly, although it came out as more of a painful grimace.
"Why don't you tell me what's bothering you, and I will do my best to help you if I can." She slowly nodded again and moved to stand at the foot of his bed.
"It's about nee-san," the girl started, her face completely devoid of emotion.
"Hinata-sama?" The genin was honestly surprised that she was coming to him about her sister. Usually she only wanted to ask for tips or advice about the Jyuuken style, never about anything personal.
"Hai. I saw her...touching herself," she explained, scrunching up her face in mild confusion. "When I asked her about it, she refused to explain, and I don't think it's something that I should bother Otou-sama with." The elder Hyuuga's jaw dropped, and his usually fierce eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Hinata?! The shy, sweet, peace-loving little girl he'd known for years? Impossible. Neji put on an amused smirk. His youngest cousin was obviously mistaken.
"Hanabi-sama, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. Perhaps you only think you saw it?" Hanabi shook her head.
"No, she was standing in front of her mirror naked doing things like this." The girl lifted her hands to her admittedly flat chest and began to move them in a circular fashion, attempting to emulate what she'd seen her older sister do a few days before. Neji's face turned a deep shade of scarlet, and he quickly turned his eyes away from his cousin molesting herself.
"H-Hanabi-sama! Such actions are well below the standards of the Hyuuga!" he stuttered. She shrugged and moved her hands away from her chest.
"Well, I kind of figured that, but I just wanted to know what it does. Does it help your chest to grow bigger? I think it does, because nee-san's chest is this big," she started, demonstrating her elder sister's size with her hands, "And everyone else in the clan is only around this big." By now, blood was threatening to spew out of his nose like a running faucet, and with his last bit of consciousness, he slammed his head back down to the bed and closed his eyes.
"Find Tenten and have her explain it to you. She'd know better than I would." Hanabi's face lit up.
"You're right. Arigatou, nii-san." As soon as he heard the door click shut, he slowly released the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding and pulled his pillow over his face. Fuck what Naruto said.
Fate got great pleasure out of bending him over and raping him up the ass with the metal-spiked strap-on of destiny. He sighed and glanced out of the window again to calm his nerves.
'One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, ...eight. Goddammit.'