Hanabi? An adult-like child with limitless possibilities in talent and personality. With Naruto and her friends there, the proud girl will not break to those who wish to control her.
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A Wish to an End
by TamaSaga
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Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Ah! My Goddess, or All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku. I am merely borrowing ideas and characters to create a story that others will enjoy. In no way do I intend to make a profit off of this story.
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Jump to the future. It's been a month after Naruto and Skuld met Hanabi in Chapter 4. And several months since the events in Chapter 8.
It was because of their father that the relationship between Hanabi and Hinata had strained nearly to the breaking point. It was a close thing, but then Naruto came along at just the right time.
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"...chan?"
"Nabi-chan?"
"NABI-CHAmmmff!"
Startled from her thoughts, Hanabi looked up to see the other three staring at her. She blinked owlishly at the sight of Skuld-san covering Naruto-san's mouth.
"Miss Skuld?" Miya timidly asked. Skuld turned to the pink-haired girl, and then yanked her hand away.
Naruto was quick to react now that his mouth was free. "So, what do you think Nabi-chan? Are you free tomorrow?"
"...?" Hanabi thought about it for a moment before she nodded.
"Great! Okay! It's decided then, we're going to check it out tomorrow. I'm sure they have some neat stuff stashed away for us." Naruto cheered, pumping his arm high in the air and losing his ice cream cone in the process.
'He's going to be disappointed', Skuld thought worriedly as she covered her head and ducked.
¤ Splat. ¤
Miya stiffened up dramatically. And then the remains of the cone started to leak down her back. "Cold!" she shrieked as she reached for her back and struggled to remove the freezing cold dairy treat.
As Naruto hurried over to help his pink-haired friend out, Skuld was staring at Hanabi.
"Get it out, get it out!" the pink-haired girl cried.
"Hold still Miya-chan!" Naruto shouted back as he ducked, dodging Miya's shoulder tackle.
Skuld blinked as she noticed something. "Stop!" she suddenly called out, freezing the two in place. The ice cream cone slid out from the bottom of Miya's shirt and landed with a plop.
Naruto took a tentative step forward. "Skuld-chan?"
Skuld shook her head sadly. "Naruto, I need to cancel. I have something to take care of tomorrow." Skuld assertively said before she smiled and relaxed. "maybe next time."
"Aww...but..."
Skuld turned to their perky catgirl friend. "And you can't go either Miya. You need a checkup."
Miya recoiled in terror. "What?! I do? But I thought Miss Skuld gave me one a week ago."
"I did. But another one won't hurt."
Miya fell to her knees and stared up at Skuld. "But Miya wants to go with Mr. Naruto." she begged loudly before she deflated and quietly whimpered, "Will there be a needle?"
"But..." Naruto tried to protest.
Skuld turned to Hanabi. "Hanabi can still go, right? Why don't you two go alone?"
Naruto had a confused look on his face. "Huh? Sure..." his expression morphed to one of annoyance. "but isn't it Skuld-chan's turn to cook?"
Instead of answering, Skuld turned to look at the fourth member of their group, the one that hadn't said anything the entire time.
Caught staring, Hanabi quickly averted her eyes and ducked her head.
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Chapter 9: Special - Hanabi.
Characters: Naruto, Hanabi, Hinata
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When the servant entered my bedroom to wake me up, she found that I was already awake and sitting up. But I was still in bed, staring down at the white bedsheets. Wondering. What would the room look like if they were in purple? Or maybe red. Anything but white.
I didn't want to get up. It would mean another day of disappointing everyone.
I was so weak. Why couldn't I be stronger...like Naruto-kun? Even when he failed a test...or lost to his opponent...he would still stand up, smile, and train.
A feeling of warmth blossomed within me. I want to be like Naruto-kun. I don't want to give up when things become tough. I resolutely climbed out of bed and onto the soft but cold tatami floor.
-o-o-o-o-o-
After removing my nightgown, I briefly entertained the thought of Naruto happening to glance in through the open window as he pulled one of his pranks on this mansion.
When I felt the heat rise to my face, I quickly entered the furo and ducked down to hide my blush.
I think I lost track of the time. When Hanabi entered the bathroom, I blinked and sat up, feeling as if I was just waking up from a dream.
I stared at my younger sister. She is exhausted, and it looks like it's taking all she has to stay awake. The droplets of water that covered her body was not from the steam that filled the air.
Hanabi stumbled slightly when she picked up the full bucket of water. She really was becoming stronger, I thought happily. She did not need help with the bucket this time. With a mighty heave, she lifted it above her head and inhaled sharply when the cold water washed away the sweat.
When she set the bucket down and turned to glare at me, I knew what she wanted.
Remembering my resolve from this morning, I didn't leave. Instead, I shifted a little to give her room to enter. It had been some time since we were together, I wanted to ask her what father had been teaching her lately.
I saw the surprise pass across her face, but then her glare hardened.
A feeling of disappointment welled up within me as I stood up and climbed out of the furo.
As I left the bathroom, I heard the water shift as Hanabi entered.
-o-o-o-o-o-
As I waited in my room for breakfast, I opened one of the academy textbooks to read.
I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew a servant was tapping my shoulder and notifying me of the time.
I hurried to the dining room, worried about how severe father's reaction would be. I stopped short when I saw the glares from Hanabi and father.
"You're late," father said in a cold voice when I left the sanctuary of the hallway and entered the dining room.
"S-Sorry f-father," I found myself replying as I bowed low to apologize.
He didn't reply; I was beneath his attention.
The air at the breakfast table was cold. I wished that I wasn't here...that I did not have to be here. But father demanded that everyone be present for breakfast.
We were halfway through our meal when someone broke the silence.
"Father."
I looked up when I heard Hanabi speak. Breakfast was often a quiet affair, it was an unwritten rule that people tended to speak only when there was something important to discuss.
"Yes daughter?"
"I wish to be excused from practice for the afternoon."
"Do you have a reason?"
"I have been invited to accompany a friend to the Hokage Monument today."
I was surprised and, I think, delighted. The branch house rarely expressed interest in making friends with the main house members. I silently wished Hanabi's friendship the best of luck.
"No," Father harshly responded. "The Jyuuken style has no use for a practitioner who attacks with wasteful bursts of chakra. You have no time to waste on trivialities if you cannot disable a chakra point in a precise manner."
"I understand," Hanabi said with a small nod as she returned to her meal. It was fleeting, but I think Hanabi looked sad for one brief moment.
-o-o-o-o-o-
As I trudged down the quiet empty hallway, I happened to peer into an open doorway. Hard rubber mats lined the floor of the large training room inside. It was here that Father would train Hanabi in the early morning. He had stopped training me some time ago when he found out that I was weak.
The Hyuuga clan needed a strong leader. I wasn't fit for the role.
Hanabi...I don't hate her for taking my place. But I worry for her. She's strong, stronger than I am. But her strength pales before father, and the council controls everyone. Both of our lives were going to become worse.
I should have been stronger. With everyone focusing their attention on me, I could have shielded Hanabi from them. Suffered for her. Protected her. She is maturing too quickly. She is far too serious for a child her age.
Hanabi...I'm sorry. Your sister is weak and unfit. She should not have been your sister.
-o-o-o-o-o-
I couldn't help but feel a little happier when I left the quiet mansion. The sun was just starting to shine, and the birds were happily singing in the background.
I slowly made my way to the academy. I hope that Naruto-kun did not skip class today.
-o-o-o-o-o-
We were outside for practice, using the forest training area when I noticed that Naruto-kun was missing. Inuzuka-san was gone as well.
"Naruto? Naruto?!"
I was taken aback when I heard Iruka-sensei's curse.
"What seems to be the problem?" Mizuki-sensei asked as he walked up.
"The brat's gone."
Mizuki-sensei turned to me. "Hinata."
I immediately felt myself tense. "H-hai?!"
Use your bloodline to tell us where they are."
"Y-yes!" I quickly agreed.
I quickly formed the required hand seals. But I was so worried that I fumbled the third one. I didn't want to see what would happen, so I started over.
I fumbled the last one!
They were both staring impatiently at me. The rest of the class was too.
When I formed the very first seal, I realized that I had messed up. Again! On the very first seal! Oh my god, I couldn't do this! Why did they have to call on me!
I shut my eyes tightly and tried again. This time I wasn't going to stop if I messed up. I didn't care if I exploded or not! I just wanted them to stop staring at me! I felt my hands reach the last seal.
"Byakugan." I whispered, praying that my death wouldn't be painful.
And then the world exploded around me.
It took me some time to regain my bearings and realized that I had not died...
But everything was blurry.
I quickly realized that my eyes were still closed.
When I opened my eyes, the world came into focus and I could see all around and above me. I was using my bloodline!
"Finally," Mizuki-sensei said.
I felt my head fall as shame filled me.
"Now where are they?"
I searched around frantically. I have a ninety-five degree blind spot, and I can't see very far, but I think I spotted Kiba running in the direction opposite the academy, into the forest.
I looked around for Naruto-kun. I didn't see him anywhere and I was feeling dizzy from all the turning around.
I cancelled my bloodline and felt myself sway off balance. I fell against a nearby tree.
In that same motion, I had chanced a glance upward. I saw a shadow in the branches above. When it shifted, I felt my eyes grow wide.
It was Naruto-kun, he was sitting upon a tree branch right over me. He had a finger to his lips as he stared down at me, telling me to stay quiet.
'Oh no.' I felt lightheaded.
...He was right over me...
...He saw me make mistakes.
Before I could cry, I felt a hand land on my head.
"Hinata, did you see them?" Mizuki-sensei asked.
I nodded.
"Where are they?" Iruka-sensei demanded.
I didn't know how to answer. They weren't together. What should I do?
I was about to point upwards because Naruto-kun was closer when something made me stop. My finger pointed in another direction.
Sorry Inuzuka-san. "I-Inu-zu...-s-san is t-that way."
I could tell that both teachers were struggling to hear what I said. Iruka-sensei finally asked, "Where is Naruto?"
Naruto-kun wanted me to stay quiet. A feeling of apprehension built up within me as Mizuki-sensei and Iruka-sensei continued to stare at me.
Right when I was about to point upwards and give away Naruto-kun's postion, Mizuki-sensei spoke. "She probably doesn't know. Must be out of her sight range."
"Damn. Well, I'll get Kiba then." Iruka growled. I shrunk back when he glared at me, I didn't mean to disappoint him...
"Alright then, let's get back to work." Mizuki clapped loudly, grabbing everyone's attention.
We continued to throw Kunai at the targets while Iruka-sensei went off in the direction that I pointed. When it was my turn, I missed all of them.
Before Yamanaka-san could try, Iruka returned with a heavily bound Inuzuka-san. Inuzuka-san's pet was being dragged along as he held onto Iruka-sensei's pants with his teeth
I glanced behind me, to see what Naruto-kun was doing. That was when I noticed a large white teardrop fall from above...
-o-o-o-o-o-
There was a lot of screaming as smoke suffocated the clearing. Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei were both shouting at everyone to calm down
Someone grabbed me and panic seized my body. I was being kidnapped! I tried to resist, but then he whispered into my ear.
"Shh, stay quiet. We're getting out of here."
The blood rushed to my face and I started to feel dizzy. Naruto-kun was holding my hand!
I couldn't faint...I couldn't faint...
...I think I'm going to faint...
-o-o-o-o-o-
"I can't believe you left me behind!" Kiba shouted as he ran up to us Akamaru trotting quickly after him. "Who's this? Is that...I can't believe it! You saved the weird girl instead of me?! Some friend you are!"
I winced. '...weird girl...' I don't know what I do differently from all of the normal girls, but all of my classmates think that I am weird...even Naruto-kun, I think.
I saw Naruto-kun grin at Inuzuka-san. "I knew you were going to escape,"
"Where are those two?!" someone shouted.
I couldn't help but let out a squeak when I felt a sharp tug on my hand. A hand slammed over my mouth and then Naruto started pushing me from behind. 'What was going on?' I wondered desperately. I felt him forcefully push me from behind. 'Was Naruto-kun really kidnapping me?'
"Shh! This way!" Naruto-kun continued pushing me deeper into the forest before we arrived at a wall. Inuzuka-san followed closely after us.
When Naruto-kun finally pulled his hand away and released me, I couldn't help but feel worried. Was this when a shinobi from Kumo would arrive?
I watched as Kiba and Naruto turned to each other.
"This is where we split up, right?" Inuzuka-san asked.
"Yeah." Naruto-kun said with a nod. We watched Inuzuka-san walk off. "Hey. Don't get caught. Otherwise I'll be laughing at you in class tomorrow." Naruto-kun called out.
Inuzuka-san paused and turned to us. "Heh, the same to you."
"Che. They'll never catch me." Naruto-kun boasted loudly as he walked off. I wish I had his confidence.
I soon found myself standing alone in the middle of the forest. I don't think I was going to be kidnapped by a foreign nation, but why would Naruto-kun leave me here? Had he forgotten about me?
I stood there until Inuzuka-san passed me. He was trailing after Naruto-kun. I quickly followed after the two, praying that they wouldn't get angry if they saw me.
We hadn't walked far when Naruto-kun turned around. "I thought we were supposed to split up."
I took a step back. Oh...I guess he didn't want me to follow him after all. I backed up several more steps and hid behind a tree and watched as Inuzuka-san took a step forward. "Hey. I just wanted to ask what you were gonna do now."
"Why?"
"Because."
"Because...?" Naruto slowly drew out.
"Just shut up and answer the question."
"Fine. I'm going to...uhh, I'm going to take a friend to find some treasure."
"Treasure?"
"Yeah! It's going to be something really rare and really cool!" Naruto-kun happily shouted. I found myself wishing that he would take me along.
"Do you even know what it is?"
"Nope! But it's going to be great! Believe it!" Naruto-kun cheered loudly before he turned and walked off.
"Hmmph." Inuzuka-san grumped before he started following after Naruto-kun again.
I hid in my spot until the two had disappeared. Then I decided to head home. I don't think my instructors would be happy with me if I returned to class.
-o-o-o-o-o-
As I stood outside of the walls of the Hyuuga mansion, just out of the sight range of the guards, I had to wonder why I believed that my father would be any happier if he discovered that I was not in class.
"I was wondering where you had disappeared to!" Someone whispered to me from behind. My heart started to race when I realized that someone had spotted me.
A hand fell on my shoulder and I hurriedly turned around to see who it belonged to. Naruto-kun!
He was startled for a brief moment before he grinned at me. He put his hand behind his head. "Hey! Sorry about startling you." he said before he took my hand. "C'mon. Let's go."
I could feel my face grow warm as I felt myself being pulled along...
Naruto-kun...
-o-o-o-o-o-
On our second pass around the walls, I couldn't help but wonder why Naruto-kun was searching around the mansion. If he wanted to enter, why didn't he approach the main gate?
"How'd you know that I was coming here anyway?" he finally asked on his third pass.
"I-I live h-here..." I found myself replying, but I don't think he heard because he didn't say anything afterwards.
He continued to lead me up and down the wall. When he stopped to feel around at one point in the wall, it was almost like he was trying to find a way in.
He turned to me. "Heh, sorry about this. Normally I come at night. It's much easier to see it then."
Naruto-kun had been to my home before? At night? Did he...did he see me in my nightgown? Oh my god!
"How do we get in?" he mumbled quietly as he craned his head to stare at the top of the wall.
I was glad that he hadn't noticed my blush. When I recovered enough of my senses, I tugged lightly on his sleeve. "T-this way."
"What?"
"This w-way," I repeated raising my voice slightly. I felt like a heel afterwards. It wasn't Naruto-kun's fault.
"Oh! Haha, sorry about that," he laughed at me. "You spoke so quietly."
"Sorry..."
"Hey hey, there's no need to apologize dattebayo."
"Sorry..."
"I told you not to apologize!"
When I apologized the third time, it wasn't out loud.
-o-o-o-o-o-
I took Naruto-kun to a hidden hole in the wall that I had known about since I was little. I don't think anyone else knew about it.
"Wow, hey! This is what I was looking for. Thanks!" He stopped halfway into the hole. "Wait here."
I nodded and then he disappeared. What was Naruto-kun up to? It occurred to me that Naruto-kun was looking for someone. Was it a girl? But the only girl that I could think of that would not be busy at this time of day was Anya-san of the branch house...
...was Naruto-kun interested in...old women?
"Give that back."
I started when I realized that I recognized that voice.
Naruto ran out moments later.
Hanabi came out soon afterwards. "I have already told you that I cannot go today, Father says that I need extra training."
"But we promised to go today. And I'm not going to leave you behind."
What was going on? Why did Naruto pull Hanabi out?
Hanabi turned to me and stared. I started to fidget under her gaze.
"You shouldn't be here." she finally said.
"Hey! You know her?" Naruto interrupted before I could reply.
Hanabi turned to regard Naruto for several moments before she replied, "She's my sister?"
"Woah! Really Nabi-chan?! I had no idea you had a sister! What's her name?"
Nabi-chan?! Naruto-kun had given my sister a nickname already?!
"Hinata." I saw her eyes narrow as she turned to me. "Why is she here?"
"C'mon! Don't be like that! She saved me!"
Saved? How? I didn't save him...
"I find that hard to believe." I couldn't help but feel depressed when my own sister confirmed my thoughts. "Now give me back my lunch."
"How could you eat this stuff? It's gross."
Hanabi looked like she wanted to agree, but she looked away instead. "Just give it back. I have to continue training with Father soon."
"Nope. Let's go." He ran off, laughing.
Hanabi stood in her spot for a moment before she growled and ran after Naruto. "Give that back!"
I stared at the mansion for a moment before I turned and followed after the two. While father doesn't care about me, he would be severely displeased to see me outside of the academy at this time.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Were we really still in Konoha? It was hard to believe we were traveling down the backside of the Hokage monument.
Naruto-kun turned to us and started to walk backwards. "C'mon, hurry it up! The treasure's waiting!"
I winced when he fell to the ground after tripping over a protruding rock. Naruto-kun soon sat up and tried to pick it up, only, it wouldn't come out.
Soon he bent down and started to dig. It took him some time, but he finally uncovered the rock completely. It was large...only the tip had been showing earlier.
"How's that," he gloated before he tried to lift it.
"Nnnngh." The rock didn't move.
It didn't look like he could move it alone...
"Ano..." I took a step forward to help and he looked at me. A large grin filled his face as he waved at me to move back. "Don't worry Hinata-chan, I got this."
"Hai..."
I watched as he struggled for several more minutes. A surge of admiration welled up within me as I watched him. He wasn't giving up.
You can do it...Naruto-kun...
I think I saw the rock move a little when he flopped down upon it. When he stood up, I was hoping to see him move it this time. I was disappointed when he kicked it instead.
I think I heard a snort from Hanabi when Naruto-kun began hopping wildly on one foot afterwards. But the calm look on her face made it hard to tell.
Soon he started to pile dirt onto the rock. In moments it was completely covered, you wouldn't have known that it was there. Oh, I thought glumly. He was so close too.
"There!" Naruto shouted. "Stupid rock!" He taunted.
"That rock won't be bothering anyone anymore." Hanabi commented. I almost missed it, but I think there was a tinge of sarcasm in Hanabi's voice.
"Yup." Naruto-kun failed to see anything special in Hanabi's voice.
...Maybe I was mistaken...
-o-o-o-o-
We were on our way soon after.
Naruto-kun led the way for a short distance before he turned and looked at me. I saw him walk slower. I stopped as well, but he beckoned at me to come closer.
Soon the two of us were walking together, and I was dimly aware as he continued a story that he had been telling me earlier.
"So anyway, Dog-boy and I were arguing about which girl was the best and, get this, just when we were about to start hollering at each other, the one he wanted, I think Ino was her name, walked up to us and started yelling at us to shut up. When the Mutt tried to invite her on a date, she kicked him out out of his chair. See! We all know that Sakura-chan is better. She wouldn't do something that mean.
I could only nod my head, too afraid to say something and ruin the moment. I was there. Naruto-kun and Inuzuka-san were shouting at each other and Yamanaka-san stopped arguing with the other girls over Uchiha-san because they were too loud.
Naruto-kun turned away. "Hey Nabi-chan! Why are you walking so far away. Come closer and join in."
Hanabi looked over at us before she turned away, she didn't slow down at all.
"Hey hey, are you ignoring me? After everything that I've done for you?"
And then Naruto-kun ran over.
"Let me go," Hanabi demanded as she struggled to pull her arm away from his grasp. I saw her wince. Naruto-kun, you're hurting her.
Naruto-kun seemed to notice as he quickly released Hanabi's arm and then tried to push my sister over. "C'mon closer. It's more fun when we're all together."
Hanabi did not budge. "No."
Naruto paused to ask, "Why not!"
Hanabi pointed at me. "Her."
Naruto turned to me and stared. I looked away.
"Hinata-chan? What's wrong with her?"
I winced. I could think of so many reasons...
"She's weak."
I couldn't help but feel betrayed. Hanabi used the one that hurt the most.
"Weak?" I wanted to cry when I heard Naruto-kun say that. Now he was going to look down on me as well.
"She's not weak."
I was startled when I heard that. Had I heard wrong?
Hanabi had a confused look on her face. I think she believed that Naruto-kun must have heard wrong. "She is weak." she repeated.
"How do you know?" Naruto-kun challenged. It was then that I knew that I was not delusional.
"Father says she is."
Naruto-kun suddenly grasped my arm and yanked me forward. I nearly fell from the loss of balance.
As a haze started to cloud my thoughts, I distantly heard..."Does this look weak?" I felt him pull up a sleeve of my coat and show off my thin arm.
There was a faint, "Yes" from Hanabi.
'Please Naruto-kun, let go,' I prayed desperately, he was embarrassing me.
And then I dimly heard, "...Hinata-chan, are you okay?" It was so faint that I kept thinking that I was imagining it. Was someone shaking me?
"I'm going ahead." I distantly heard my sister say. Moments later, there was the sound of rock crumbling.
"Ahhh!"
The haze started to lift when I heard Naruto-kun shout "Nabi-chan!" I felt myself fall when he stopped holding me up. It felt like a dream. As I collapsed to the ground, I watched as he turned toward Hanabi and dived for the edge. He reached out just as my sister disappeared from view.
"Hanabi!" someone shrieked. It was me, I soon realized, and time returned to normal as the dreamy feeling disappeared.
"Don't let go! Don't let go!" I heard Hanabi scream frantically from below. I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, Naruto-kun had caught her.
And then, to my horror, Naruto-kun slipped forward.
Hanabi screamed again.
Naruto turned to look at me, a look of panic on his face. "Hinata-chan! Help!"
What could I do? I didn't know what to do! I looked around for an answer.
The sound of rocks sliding on rocks pulled my attention back to Naruto-kun!
"Help us Hinata-chan! "
I don't know why, but I threw myself onto him just as he was about to slip over.
It wasn't enough. The sound of rocks sliding over each other grew as we were pulled forward. Before I knew it, I was holding tightly onto Naruto-kun as we went over the edge. Then all three of us started to fall.
I didn't want to see my death, so I closed my eyes and hugged him tighter. This had to be a bad dream.
-o-o-o-o-o-
A large gust of air rushed upwards before we finally crashed into the ground, only the ground seemed to give way under us...were we going to hell? But I hadn't done anything!
That was when the ground started to push up and I found myself desperately clinging onto Naruto-kun as a feeling of vertigo assaulted my senses. I was being turned inside out, I realized. That was what was happening. When father found the three of us, we would be unrecognizable.
That feeling quickly disappeared when I felt myself being pulled downward again.
"Yahooo!" Naruto-kun's back rumbled against my cheek as he shouted loudly..
What was happening?! I opened my eyes, only to close them again when I realized that I was staring at Naruto-kun's back and not a pillow. Oh my god...
The ground gave way once again when we fell into it, and right when we came to a stop, we were launched into the air again. After three bounces, we finally stopped moving.
"Hey uh...Hinata-chan, you can let go now." Naruto-kun sounded uncomfortable when he said that.
My eyes shot open and I jumped off, only to stumble and sink deep into the soft pink surface. I desperately reached out for a protrusion that was far taller than me, only to fall over when it bent under my weight. What was this? What did we land on?
Hahahaha, that was fun! Naruto-kun shouted as he struggled to stand up. He fell over soon after.
There was a large indent in the ground nearby, I slowly crawled over to investigate. I soon found out that my sister was laying inside.
Hanabi had a wild look on her face and she was gasping desperately for breath, but she didn't seem to have any physical injuries.
"Let's do it again." Naruto-kun shouted as he landed right next to us, I let out a squeak when the ground shook wildly and I lost my balance.
That brought Hanabi out of her stupor. "We could have died!" She shouted as she sat up.
"No we wouldn't! I had it all under control." I'm not sure why I had that feeling, but I think Naruto-kun was lying when he said that. Hanabi seemed calmer now however.
Naruto-kun started jumping away. "C'mon. This way." he shouted.
The three of us struggled to the edge. The pink ended, and we were slowly sliding down a soft velvety skin-colored surface that ended at the ground below.
I stood up and turned around, curious to see what had saved us from falling to our deaths.
I wish I hadn't.
When I saw the giant emerald-green orbs, the pink suddenly made sense. It was-we had landed on a giant balloon of Haruno-san! Naruto-kun...you didn't!
"Hee. Like it? Skuld-chan was really mad when she found out that I had used her entire rubber stockpile to make it. Hmm..." he stared at it for a moment before a grin filled his face. "Hey! I thought I messed up and made the forehead too small, but after it's been blown up, it looks just the right size. I can't wait till she sees it!"
"She's fat." Hanabi finally said from off to the side.
My eyes immediately went to the midsection of the balloon. It wasn't just the waist, but the arms and legs as well. Haruno-san was going to be mad.
"A-Ano, I don't think you should sh-show that to Haruno-s-san," I don't think it was just worry for Naruto-kun's safety that made me say that. Naruto-kun's face fell...I felt like a heel and found myself wishing I could take back my words.
"Aww, but I spent a long time making this."
"It's ugly. Throw it away." Hanabi said with a frown.
"...fine, I can see that you two don't like it. I'm sure Sakura-chan will appreciate it though."
And then the giant balloon was gone. It had disappeared as quickly as it had came. How?
"Sorry..." I tried to apologize for my harsh words.
But Naruto-kun was stalking off. He wasn't listening to me.
I looked mournfully back the way we came. Now that we were on the ground behind the Hokage monument, it was a long climb back to the top. But Naruto-kun was angry at us and I was worried about what lay ahead. What should I do?
...When Hanabi followed after him, I had no choice but to follow as well.
-o-o-o-o-o-
I think we had been travelling for half an hour when a loud rustling in the bushes caused all of us to pause.
Naruto-kun started to walk up and investigate when it stepped out.
It was a bear cub.
"That's it?" Naruto-kun finally asked. He sounded a little annoyed. "You don't scare me." he finally said to the bear cub as it slowly approached us.
closer...
Closer...
Right when I could reach out and touch it, Naruto-kun suddenly threw his arms into the air. "RAWR," he screamed at it, scaring the cub.
I watched Naruto-kun chase the bear cub into the trees. He stopped before he entered the tree cover and turned to us with a grin. I couldn't help but think how mean that was of him.
I turned to my younger sister to see what she thought about Naruto-kun's action. She was watching, but there wasn't a hint of emotion on her face. I could not tell what she was thinking.
I started when Naruto-kun called out to me. "What's wrong Hinata-chan?"
My eyes self-consciously lowered to the ground as I answered him. "T-That was a bit..." cruel Naruto-kun, was what I wanted to say but I couldn't bring myself to complete the sentence.
"What? A bit what?" he prodded as he walked up.
"...cruel... " the instant the word left my mouth, I wanted to take it back. Naruto-kun was already mad at me. This would make him hate me.
"Huh?" he asked as he leaned in. I breathed a small sigh of relief, Naruto-kun hadn't heard what I had said.
Before I could think of a more suitable reply however...
"GROARF!" A large tree fell in front of us.
"..." all three of us turned to the new animal. It was bigger. Much bigger. Was this the mother or the father?
"Holy!" Naruto-kun cried out. "Run!" The words had not even left his mouth when both my sister and Naruto-kun had disappeared from my side. But I couldn't move. I was too afraid.
I distantly heard one of them shout out, "Wait, we have to go back. Hinata-chan is in trouble."
But it was too late, the large bear was already in front of me.
I shut my eyes when it raised its giant paw.
Moments afterward, I felt the bear rub my head lightly before leaving something on top.
I cracked an eye open and watched as the large bear turned around and lumbered off.
-o-o-o-o-o-
I was confused. Why did the bear leave a leaf on my head?
I looked toward Naruto-kun.
He turned to me and grinned. I couldn't help but feel elated. He wasn't mad at me anymore.
"That was so cool Hinata-chan! What did you do to that bear?!" he asked me.
I don't know. I quickly turned away, feelings of embarrassment overwhelming me. In doing so, I caught sight of Hanabi; she was exhausted. We had been walking for some time now and she needed a rest.
"Ano, U-Uzumaki-s-san"
"Call me Naruto, Hinata-chan!"
That was so casual. Naruto-kun had given me his permission. I concentrated; I had to get this right. "N-N-N-N-Uzumaki-s-san
"Naruto!" he insisted.
I wanted to cry. I really was trying! I desperately looked around for something to help. I turned to my sister, but she was crouched down and swaying erratically.
"Ha-Hanabi"
"Hinata-chan! I'm not Hanabi. She...is?" he turned to my sister and paused. "You look tired Nabi-chan."
"I'm not." she growled as she forcefully stood up and began to stubbornly plod on.
-o-o-o-o-o-
"We should rest," Naruto finally suggested in a worried tone of voice.
"I can keep going." Hanabi struggled. She was breathing heavily and she looked like she could collapse at any moment.
"We should rest!" Naruto insisted again.
"I" Hanabi grunted, "have to get home as quickly as possible. Father is waiting."
"You could die if you keep pushing yourself like this. What would your father say then?"
Hanabi didn't say the next few words...I did. "F-Father wouldn't care." I must have been tired as well, because I have no other explanation for why I said that.
"Uhh..." Naruto was staring at me with shock written on his face. I felt ashamed, I had said too much.
Hanabi was outraged. "Yes he would!" she shouted at me.
I didn't want to upset Hanabi, but I couldn't stop. "If f-father cared..." I started to say.
"He cares!" she shouted at me.
"Hey guys...?" I distantly heard Naruto trying to mediate, but we were in the middle of an argument.
"F-Father...he only cares about the clan. He doesn't care about us." I found myself shouting back.
Hanabi was very angry. "Take that back!" Before I knew it, she was running at me with her arms outstretched.
I fell backwards, the force of her push knocking me to the ground.
"No he's not!" she shouted down at me.
"..." I had to concede. Hanabi was too strong. I couldn't win.
"Uh...Nabi...chan?"
"Be quiet! This is your fault." she snapped at him before taking the lead...but she seemed to be going in a different direction than we were heading earlier.
"Wait, where are you going?"
"Home."
"No, c'mon. Stay Nabi-chan! We're almost there."
"I will not waste anymore time on your trivi-trivialities!"
Naruto ran in front of her and held his arms out to block her way. "Stay!"
"Who are you to order a Hyuuga around? Stand aside commoner."
Naruto reached out to catch her arm and I watched with horror as Hanabi lashed out at him, only...she missed.
My horror grew when I watched her fall against him, taking him down with her.
Naruto was the first to hit the ground. Hanabi fell on top of him.
I hurried over to help them up, something supernatural removing any indecision that I might have had.
-o-o-o-o-o-
By the time I had arrived, Hanabi had managed to separate herself from Naruto and she was now sitting nearby, fixing us with a quiet glare.
Naruto sat up and checked his pockets. Hanabi's lunch was the first thing that he pulled out. It was squashed from the fall. An angry expression appeared on Hanabi's face.
"Eh heh...sorry Nabi-chan."
"Now what will I eat?" My sister demanded in a cross tone of voice.
"No problem!" Naruto cheerily said as he pulled something from his pocket. "Hey Hinata-chan, don't tell anyone about this."
"?"
Naruto-kun held a small boxlike object out to me and grinned before tossing it underhand toward a clearing.
There was a giant cloud of smoke.
And when it cleared, I beheld a red and white checkered tablecloth lying upon the ground, covering multiple upside-down bowl-shaped objects.
Naruto-kun had a strange expression on his face as he walked up and lifted a corner of the tablecloth. He set it back down and reached into his pocket again. "Good thing Skuld gave me two of them."
Before he could toss this one however, Hanabi had pushed him to the ground before pulling the small cube from his hand. She placed it upon the red tablecloth.
When the smoke cleared, the tablecloth was blue and white. It was also covering everything again.
"..." All three of us stared. It was obvious that whatever was underneath was ruined again.
"...this is all your fault." Hanabi finally said.
Instead of answering, Naruto dug under the tablecloths and pulled out a pair of thermoses. "Yeah! Skuld-chan's thermoses! Guaranteed to keep the water hot for as long as you want."
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a third cube and tossed it before Hanabi could stop him. A pile of large foam cups appeared when the smoke cleared.
"Ramen, anyone?"
Ramen? I had seen Naruto eating it before. At that stand that he liked to visit so much. It must have been delicious since he always ate so many bowls.
I picked up a cup. It was lighter than I expected. I saw Naruto-kun peel off the lid. Curious, I repeated this action for my cup. Inside were dry powder and vegetables heaped on top of noodles.
I looked up to see what Naruto-kun was doing. He was placing a large rock on top of his cup. "There!" he happily said before he turned to me. "What's wrong Hinata-chan?"
I looked down at my cup before searching around for a rock. I thought ramen was a soup...
-o-o-o-o-o-
When Naruto-kun pulled off his rock and started to eat, I moved to do the same. It was only after I removed the rock and lifted the lid when I realized my mistake.
"Hey, why didn't you add water Hinata-chan?" Naruto-kun asked as he peered over. He lifted up the colorful orange thermos. "Here."
"..." he wanted me to bring the cup over so that he could pour the water in. I moved to obey.
He poured in the hot water and in moments, the cup was steaming hot. I was about to eat when Naruto-kun immediately seized my chopsticks. "Wait wait! You have to wait 3 minutes before you can eat Hinata-chan."
Oh. I set the cup down and put my rock on top.
- Slrrp. - Hanabi was staring at me with a neutral expression on her face. I had to wonder how she knew how to make ramen properly.
-o-o-o-o-o-
I was surprised. Ramen was delicious!
Some shouting drew my attention away from my cup.
"Hey, what about Hinata-chan?" Naruto-kun asked.
"What about her?"
"Doesn't she get some cookies too?" It was then that I saw that Naruto-kun had a cookie in his hand. Hanabi had a small pile of them sitting next to her. I think she had found them from between the tablecloths.
Hanabi bit into her cookie before shaking her head no.
Then you can have this Hinata-chan.
My eyes flickered over to Hanabi. There was a hint of outrage on her face.
I tried to refuse it. "N-Naruto-kun, I-I..."
Naruto-kun wouldn't take no for an answer. He dropped it in my lap before picking up his cup of ramen and continuing to eat.
Soon he was shaking the thermos. "Aww, no more hot water."
I nearly dropped my cup when Naruto's stomach growled. That was loud. He turned to Hanabi, "Hey Nabi-chan, can I have another cookie."
Hanabi stopped eating her cookie to glare at him. She shook her head no.
"What, why not?"
I picked up the cookie that Naruto-kun had just given to me and held it out to him.
"No no, you've gotta try these cookies Hinata-chan. Skuld-chan has Super Cooking-kun make them but she uses Bell-chan's recipe. They're really good!"
Skuld-chan? Super Cooking-kun? Bell-chan? I watched as he turned back to Hanabi. "C'mon Nabi-chan! Gimme one!"
Hanabi shook her head before moving to block the pile.
"Another one! It's all I'm asking." Naruto-kun said as he leaned forward.
"If you are quiet, I might let you have one." Hanabi finally said as she pushed him away.
Naruto-kun suddenly sat down and fell quiet. But he continued to stare at Hanabi.
Hanabi finished off her cookie, an amused expression on her face. She was taunting Naruto-kun.
By the third cookie however, Hanabi had a troubled look on her face. She finally looked away. "Stop staring..."
Naruto continued to stare.
I could see that Hanabi was trying and failing to finish her third cookie. She finally picked up a cookie from the pile and threw it at him. "Here."
A surge of elation grew within me when I saw Naruto-kun win.
"Yes!" Naruto-kun cried out as he picked up the cookie and wolfed it down in a single bite. He settled down and started to stare at Hanabi again.
-o-o-o-o-o-
After our lunch, Hanabi seemed to have more energy now.
We came to a waterfall.
It was beautiful. And the sound of the rushing water was relaxing. A hand waved before me. I turned and took a step back when I realized that Naruto was right next to me.
"C'mon Hinata-chan! It's right under there!"
There was a large hole behind the waterfall. It was easily visible when we saw it from the side.
Before I could follow, something caught my attention, and I turned toward the opposing bank of the lake.
"Hinata-chan! What are you waiting for?" Naruto shouted as he appeared from the hole and beckoned towards me before disappearing back inside again.
"I-I thought..."
I thought I had seen someone...
-o-o-o-o-o-
Hanabi was standing at the entrance, making no move to enter.
Nabi-chan! This isn't time for you to be scared of the dark!
I was surprised. Hanabi was afraid of the dark?
"I'm not scared." she denied calmly.
But we couldn't proceed deeper because it looked like it was too dark to see. We waited at the entrance as Naruto-kun searched for a light source so we could go deeper...
Hanabi suddenly paused. "Did it get darker all of a sudden?" She asked, a slight tremor in her voice.
"Huh?"
The ground shook and Hanabi fell over. We turned to see what caused it.
Oh my god...
"Run!" Naruto-kun shouted. He wanted us to run back the way we came.
"We can't! It's blocking the entrance!" Hanabi shouted back in a terrified voice.
"Go in!" Naruto yelled at me, giving me a push before he ran over to Hanabi, barely dodging a swipe from the long bony fingers.
I turned and ran deeper into the cave.
Heavy footsteps sounded behind me as the creature followed.
-o-o-o-o-o-
We hadn't needed a flashlight after all. The deeper we ran into the cave, the more the walls seemed to glow with a bluish color. We finally had to stop. By now, the walls emitted plenty of light to see by.
"Why'd you stop?!" Naruto-kun demanded.
"W-we can't go any farther," I told the other two as they ran up to me.
They turned to look. "It's a dead end."
The skeletal monster lumbered into view. It towered over us as it approached.
"Now what?!" Hanabi shrieked.
Naruto picked up a rock. "Stand back. When you get the chance, run." With that, he threw the rock. It missed the creature completely. "Hey ugly!" he shouted as he ran in.
"Naruto." Hanabi whispered beside me before she fell into the traditional Jyuuken stance while forming several familiar seals. She reached the end of the sequence and concentrated, "Byakugan!" she cried out and veins formed around her eyes.
Before I could remind Hanabi that Naruto wanted us to run, she charged in after him.
I was torn. Was I supposed to help them or was I supposed to listen to Naruto-kun's instructions?
Before I could do anything, I was knocked back as something crashed into me. I fell in an ungainly manner, dragging whoever had crashed into me down to the rocky floor.
I raised my head. It was Hanabi.
"Go! Run!" Naruto-kun shouted before he tried to tackle the monster, only to be grabbed in midair and thrown at an opposing wall.
Naruto-kun! "Ha-Hanabi! We-" I wanted to tell Hanabi that we had to escape except she wasn't listening. When I saw her run past the monster, I suddenly realized that was what she had in mind. The monster turned to her.
"Go Hinata-chan!" Naruto-kun shouted again as he dived. He grabbed onto the monster's feet, causing it to look down with empty sockets.
Hanabi suddenly turned around and ran for the creature. She struck it in the hip, blasting the leg off with an uncontrolled burst of chakra. She immediately pointed her palm upwards.
The monster's skeletal rib cage shattered under the second large assault of chakra. The recoil from the blast caused it to sway, it was off-balance.
Naruto-kun was under the monster when it started to teeter on its single leg. The entire thing fell upon him and he let out a grunt. When the smoke cleared however, Naruto-kun was standing outside of the pile of bones. He was fine.
"We did it!" he cheered.
Both of them slowly walked up to me.
Hanabi was pale. She was in danger of chakra-exhaustion. She did not have a large chakra reserve to begin with and those two attacks must have drained most of what she had.
It was Naruto-kun that frightened me however. The disappointed expression on his face made me realize that I had done nothing to help. I felt ashamed.
"It's just like her. Weak." Hanabi said with a hint of self-satisfaction before she winced and clutched her side.
"She's not weak, Nabi-chan!" Naruto sounded like he was trying to convince himself.
"She is WEAK!"
"She's not!"
It was then that I saw the skull rise above the ground. Several bones from the pile attached to it. It was pulling itself together.
The monster was still alive! But Naruto-kun and Hanabi were too wrapped up in their arguing to notice.
I had to do something before the monster repaired itself.
"She's weak!"
...but I was weak...
"She is not!"
...I didn't want to see Naruto's disappointed face again. I didn't. I didn't!
The monster was just standing up when my bloodline finished activating. The monster was a giant torch of chakra. In addition, it had no chakra pathways at all. My worry grew when I realized that I could not see its tenketsu's. I know I could not see them normally, but for something emitting this much chakra, they should be easy to see...even for a Hyuuga with an inferior bloodline.
What could I do?
It didn't matter, I soon decided when I saw the abomination rear up and prepare to attack. I ran in and aimed for a random spot on monster's pelvis praying that I hit a Tenketsu. My strike connected, and it cracked under my attack. I was surprised, I had not expected the creature to be this fragile. The entire creature started to collapse as its pelvis split apart under its weight and the legs gave way. Only this time it did not break apart when it hit the ground.
There was no time to plan my attacks. When it came, I just reacted. And the incoming arm retreated when I split one of the two forearm bones after successfully blocking the attack and then countering with everything I had. I-I could do this!
I quickly struck again, this time the entire arm was now being supported by a sliver of bone. I was confused. How was Hanabi able to shatter the entire structure in a single strike? I know that she was able to see tenketsus normally, but I couldn't help but feel that a vast gulf separated us in terms of power..
The ground shook. That was all the warning I had before a spear of bone ripped up through the ground and pierced the spot that I had been standing moments before. The spear suddenly became limp.
As I waited for the attack, I realized that there was something strange about the monster's chakra.
And then it whipped towards me.
I was about to dodge it when something hit me from behind and I stumbled forward. I barely ducked the incoming whip in time. Something had entered from my blind spot. I turned around to see what. To my dismay, I realized it was the arm that I had destroyed earlier, only it was whole once again.
How could we defeat it if it kept reforming?
The tail lashed out at me again and I sidestepped and caught it. It lost all semblance of life when it broke apart in my grasp.
"Yeah, go Hinata-chan!"
A surge of confidence welled up within me when Naruto-kun praised me. However, when bony fingers wrapped around me, I knew that that distraction had cost me. The creature had somehow grown another pair of hands and I was now trapped within its grip. I struggled, but I couldn't break free. For some unknown reason the monster's fragility had disappeared.
It was because of chakra, I soon realized. Everytime I had attacked before, I was using chakra to enhance my physical attack.
I was helpless. I could not use Hakkeshou Kaiten because I was unable to release chakra from all of my tenketsus.
I watched with horror as I was pulled towards the creatures chest. The rib cage closed around me with a snap and I felt myself lifted into the air as the creature stood up.
Then the bones started to tighten around me. Soon I couldn't breathe and my body was starting to give under the crushing pressure. I tried not to cry out in pain. To be strong for Naruto-kun. It hurt, but strangely I didn't feel fear.
Black spots started to appear in my vision, whether from the crushing pressures or the lack of air, I didn't know. Through the dim haze, I barely saw Hanabi charge forward with Naruto, desperation on their faces.
It was strange, as I was dying, the only thing I could think about was what was wrong with the monster's chakra. After looking at Hanabi and Naruto, I realized that the monster's chakra coils were not circulating. How could that be?
"Get away from my sister," I distantly heard Hanabi shout.
"Hanabi" I tried to shout, "get away."
"Look out!" Naruto-kun barreled into my little sister, taking her out of harm's way just in time. He was struck by a skeletal hand right after.
"Naruto!" I heard Hanabi cry. I wanted to call for him as well.
All of a sudden, there was a loud crack, and a severe jolt of pain shot through my chest. I couldn't hold it back anymore and I cried out, emptying out whatever air I had left.
I saw the two stand up when they heard my scream but I couldn't do anything...
My eyelids felt heavy...
The world became blurry...
Naruto...kun...
-o-o-o-o-o-
I slowly opened my eyes. What happened?
Oh.
It was strange. I thought I would be in more pain, especially since I remember feeling a bone break. Right now, my ribs felt a little sore and I had a headache, but I felt fine overall.
Whispers drew my attention to my right.
Someone was conversing with Naruto-kun. I heard Naruto-kun say the word 'bug'. What could that mean?
"Quiet...it looks like they're starting to wake up."
An unknown woman suddenly appeared before me and poked my chest. I gasped. She immediately recoiled. "Sorry. How much did that hurt?"
"It-it didn't. I was j-just surprised." I quickly answered.
"Oh." The strange woman suddenly smirked and leaned in. "You're very well-developed for your age, aren't you?" there was a hint of laughter in her voice. "Quite sensitive too." she whispered into my ear.
I felt my face heat up. Did she say what I think she just said? "A-Are you a doctor?"
"Of course-"
"-not." Naruto-kun jumped in. I turned to face him. "The hag calls herself a love-doctor but she's horrible at it."
The woman immediately reached for Naruto-kun. "Die brat!"
Naruto-kun was in danger! But I didn't know what I could do...
I didn't have to do anything...
Instead of running away, Naruto-kun bravely stayed in his spot and threw a round object at the woman.
BOOM!
From the corner of my eye, I saw Hanabi suddenly sit up at the sound of the explosion. When I heard a hacking sound, my attention returned to the threat at hand. We were still in danger.
I was wrong. The woman had calmed down greatly by now. She coughed a few more times before she calmly pushed herself off of the ground. "My sister and I are going to have a long talk." she growled angrily as she smoothed out her blackened hair.
I felt a pair of eyes burning into my back. Turning, I saw Hanabi clutching her head with a hand. She was staring at me strangely. When she caught sight of my gaze, she suddenly turned away, "Weak."
"She's not weak. Didn't you see her kick ass?" Naruto-kun shouted as he appeared in front of Hanabi. "Bam, boom, pow! She was dodging and hitting like no-"
"Shut up!" Hanabi yelled out as she used her free hand to push herself off of the ground. She suddenly covered her mouth.
"?!"
Hanabi looked like she wanted to say something. "Mmf" instead, she turned away. Right before she turned, I caught sight of an irritated expression on her face.
"Uhh, Nabi-chan?"
"I can't believe it, hanging out with you makes me stupider!"
Naruto-kun burst out laughing. "Stupider isn't even a word!"
"It is too!"
"Skuld-chan says it isn't!"
I had to do something. "A-Ano," I squeaked, and they turned to me. "you...shouldn't fight." I finished lamely.
Someone started laughing, and we all turned to her.
"Quite the ladies' man, huh boy?" The bronze skinned lady.
"What are you talking about? And where's the treasure anyway ya hag?!"
Bonk!
"Ow!"
"Treasure huh? If you mean this," she reached into the small pool and pulled out a small bottle. "You're too young."
"Am not! You just want to hog it all to yourself!"
"Hahahaha, you're right. Well then, I leave everything to you loverboy, get em home." She popped off the lid of the bottle and took a long drink. "Mmm, good stuff." She laughed again as she walked toward the mouth of the cave.
When the strange woman's laughter stopped echoing off of the walls, Naruto-kun finally turned to us and asked, "So uhh, is everyone okay?"
-o-o-o-o-o-
Naruto was quiet as we left the mouth of the cave. "Sorry everyone, I thought there was treasure here. Skuld-chan said that her sisters liked to come here whenever they visited."
"Skuld-chan?" I questioned. I remember hearing Naruto-kun mention that name.
"She's my best friend! We live together." A smile appeared on his face when he said this.
"Oh," I couldn't help but feel disappointment when I heard that.
"What's wrong Hinata-chan?"
"N-nothing!" I heard myself squawk. Agh, how embarrassing.
I quickly turned around to hide my face.
"Hinata-chan?" I distantly heard him ask. But I was occupied with the scene before me. The sun was setting, casting the waterfall in a brilliant reddish glow.
It was beautiful.
"Oi, Nabi-chan, let's go. Wait, are you admiring the view too?!"
"Of course you uncultured buffoon."
"What did you just call me?!"
-o-o-o-o-o-
It was dark when we reached home. Father awaited us at the front door.
"Hanabi..." He said in a no-nonsense voice. He turned to Naruto-kun. "This is your fault I suppose?"
Instead of backing down, Naruto-kun stepped in front of Hanabi and glared up at father.
I wanted to pull him away, tell him that father was not a man to be trifled with. But I watched, and prayed that father would be lenient.
Father looked somewhat annoyed, but I watched in surprise as he relaxed. He gave Naruto a firm nod that seemed to say that Hanabi was not in trouble. Naruto-kun stepped aside and Hanabi was free to walk forward.
My sister and father both went into the mansion.
I didn't know what to say. Did Naruto-kun just win? Against father?
I was about to follow after my sister and father when Naruto called out to me. "Wait, Hinata-chan."
I slowly turned to him.
"Give this to Nabi-chan."
I stared at the rough orange stone that seemed to dance with light, when I took it, I suddenly felt stronger.
He pulled something from his pocket. "And here."
He gave me a smooth stone that was giving off a soft green glow that was almost soothing. It felt like I was floating.
They looked unnatural, yet they were beautiful.
"I know we didn't find any treasure, so I'm going to give you my treasures instead. Skuld-chan's sisters made them for me, one of them makes you feel more confident, the other makes you feel happier."
"Naruto-kun, I couldn't!" I was surprised to realize that I had said that without stuttering! Was it because of the stones? All of a sudden, I didn't want him to take them back.
He didn't. "Bye!" he shouted at me, giving me a thumbs up before he ran off.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Hanabi was standing challengingly in front of father when I entered our home. She looked at me for one brief moment.
"It is time to train daughter."
"I wish for Onee-san to join us." Hanabi demanded.
I was startled when I heard Hanabi say that. Even father looked surprised.
"In order to develop your full potential, I can only train one of you at a time." he said with a voice that meant that the conversation was over.
I saw my sister shrink slightly and back down. She passed me as she walked off to prepare for training. Sorry Hanabi...it's for the best.
Before I could feel disappointed, I felt her take something from my hand before she stepped in front of me again and stood to her full height. "Then train Oneesan."
Something was missing. Which one did she take?! I wondered frantically, wanting it back. I didn't like how it was missing.
"You would sacrifice your chance to grow stronger?" father demanded.
I turned around to see Hanabi glaring at father. But her mouth remained tightly closed.
"Answer me."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because Oneesan isn't weak."
I felt Hanabi slip something into my pocket before she took my hand.
"And neither am I."
She squeezed my hand. All of a sudden, even though I could feel both in my pocket, both stones seemed to have disappeared. But I felt something so much stronger had replaced them.
I looked over. I don't know why I had worried. Even if the Council was strong...even if Father was strong...Hanabi was not going to bow to them. And maybe...maybe, neither should I.
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Omake! Ichi!
I was shocked to find that they were glowing even more brightly than before. I was positive that they were stronger, but I couldn't feel their effects.
My door slid open, and I turned to look.
I want the orange one. Hanabi demanded as she entered my room.
I shook my head quickly.
"Then give me the green one."
I shook my head again.
"..."
She narrowed her eyes at me. "Give me both then."
I slowly closed the drawer that I had carefully placed them.
Standing up from my chair, I gave her a challenging glare before I shifted into a stance that suggested that I was prepared for combat. Naruto-kun gave them to me, so they were mine. If I had to use force to tell Hanabi this, then I hope she was prepared to lose.
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Omake! Ni!
Naruto opened the door. His eyes widened when they fell upon me.
"Wow Hinata-chan, you actually came!"
I couldn't say anything, but I felt heat rush up to my face.
"Are you feeling okay Hinata-chan? You look really red!"
A taller black-haired girl walked up to the door. "Is something wrong Naruto?" I felt my eyes widen. She was beautiful! I felt depressed when I compared myself to her. She turned to me, and I felt warmth and friendliness in her gaze but there was a deeper feeling, like she was finding something from me. And then that deeper feeling disappeared while the warmth grew until it seemed to envelope my entire body. I remember feeling depressed, but I can't remember why anymore.
She turned to me. "Naruto says that you feel sick."
"No no, I-I think I'm okay." I squeaked out.
"Oh." Naruto said before he turned to the unknown girl. He turned back. "Have you met Skuld-chan yet Hinata-chan?"
I shook my head.
"Okay! This is Skuld-chan! She's really smart, but don't enter her room or she'll get mad."
A hint of irritation appeared on Skuld's face. "No I won't."
"And Skuld, this is Hinata-chan! She looks like Hanabi because she's her sister, but in reality, Hinata-chan is much much nicer."
Skuld beckoned me inside. "Pleased to meet you Hyuuga-san. Please come in."
I entered and looked around. This was Naruto-kun's home? It was...I liked it. It was nice and comfortable, but a bit small.
"Hey!" Naruto-kun suddenly shouted.
I turned around in time to see Hanabi and Skuld slam the door shut. Knocking and shouting was soon heard from the other side of the door. It was then that I realized that Skuld and Hanabi had thrown Naruto-kun out.
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Omake! San!
"Hanabi!" She snapped loudly.
Naruto looked at her questioningly. "Nabi-chan?"
"If you wish to call Oneesan, Hinata-chan, you will address me as Hanabi-chan." She paused for a brief moment to think about what she had just said, "Hanabi-sama." she corrected.
"..." a playful look appeared on Naruto's face. "Hina-sama!" he called out, turning to Hinata's direction.
Hinata stopped conversing with Skuld to turn to Naruto. A moment passed. And then Hinata's face turned a bright red and steam seemed to leave her ears when she realized what Naruto had just called her.
"..." everyone watched the elder Hyuuga sister flop bonelessly onto the couch. She made no move afterwards, even when Miya crept up and started poking her curiously.
Naruto was the first to speak. "...What just happened?"
Hanabi panicked. "You broke Oneesan!"
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Chapter Preview!
"Okay everyone! Jiraiya's death!" Naruto shouted as he walked onto the stage with a microphone in hand. "What's up with that? We have a full house tonight, and I would personally like to thank everyone for attending this preview."
He didn't see the yellow blur until it was too late.
BOOM
Several lighting fixtures fizzled as Naru-chan sat up. "When am I going to appear again!" she wailed.
"Get offa me Naru-chan!"
Naru-chan suddenly realized just where she was. "Mmm." she cozily laid down on top of Naruto. "No."
Naruto's female alternate suddenly felt herself being yanked upwards.
"What? Hey!"
"I have her." Hanabi shouted as she struggled to hold the older girl in place.
"Lemme go you brat!" Naru-chan shouted as she tried to poke out an eye.
"Okay! Our next chapter will take us back to the past, where I meet Skuld-chan's lovely sisters."
Hanabi paused. "I won't be present?" she asked, a hint of venom in her voice.
"Not this time." Naruto said with a grin, completely ignoring the warning signs.
Miya appeared at just the right time. "But I'll be there, right Mr. Naruto?"
Naruto cringed. "...sorry Miya-chan."
∗Sniff∗ "Miss Skuld you bully! Waaah!"
"What did I do?!" a confused girl asked from off-stage as she stopped manning the control panel to watch the catgirl run off..
"Miya-chan!" Naruto called out as he moved to chase her. He was tackled by a pair of irate girls before he could move.
"We will appear or else..." Hanabi coldly demanded.
"Skuld-chan, help!" Naruto cried out.
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Magic Shop
Where there're goddesses, there's magic.
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Urd and Belldandy's Magical Stones
- They look like polished rocks, but they glow with a beautiful light.
- The orange stone instills confidence into the bearer.
- The green stone instills calmness and happiness into the bearer.
- Both stones are good and bad. They're great as pick-me-ups, but you must never rely on them. I have to emphasize that the moods they induce are artificial.
- It sounds cheesy, but love and trust are better than the stones. It's why the stones lose a lot of their effect when you have someone or something to believe in.
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Character Data Sheet:
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Hinata Hyuuga
Daughter of Hyuuga Hiashi as well as possible heir to the Hyuuga clan. A mousy girl who believes greatly in Naruto.
Age: 12
Birthday: December 27
Blood Type: A
Immediate Family: Hiashi Hyuuga (Father), Hanabi Hyuuga (Younger Sister)
- Recommended positions in a formation are support and backup. Hold back for assault and seduction roles.
- Lacks self confidence
- Not a risk-taker.
- Hard Worker
- Often indecisive
- Intelligent, but lacks common sense sometimes
- Hinata lacks the ability to improvise on the fly.
- Hinata tends to react strangely when Naruto is around.
- Hinata tends to break away from her usually timid self when around Naruto, such as going out of her way to help him or putting more effort into something because he is nearby.
- Naruto's presence tends to make Hinata set aside her fears and misgivings.
- She also becomes more assertive on Naruto's behalf, and once she realizes that people do listen to her, she won't hesitate to defend him from those who dare to slander his name, even from himself.
- Hinata loves her sister dearly.
- If I recall correctly, combat-wise, Hinata cannot see tenketsu at this point in time.
- Hinata possesses a very large blind spot (95°). Most of it is self-inflicted. If she has more confidence, she can easily reduce it quite a bit.
Hanabi Hyuuga
Hanabi is Hinata's younger sister, and quite different personality-wise. She's 4 and a half years younger than Naruto.
- Member of the Main family. Possible Heir
- Age: 7
- Birthdate: March 27
- Blood Type: A
- Known Immediate Family: Hiashi Hyuuga (Father), Hinata Hyuuga (Sister)
- Hanabi isn't the type to think for herself when she's young.
- Hanabi is that type of younger sibling that does almost everything better than the elder.
Traits:
- Polite
- Shy (Not as much as Hinata)
- Proud
- Holds her father in high esteem
- Intelligent (Not a Genius. However, the Hyuuga's wealth gives her access to the best. In addition, a desire to please her father drives her to learn.)
- Rich
- Lives in the present
- Generally calm, but if you push her far enough, she becomes impulsive.
- Socially weak
- Selfish
- naïve
- Observant
- Easily-Influenced
Future Traits:
Future (Good) – Naruto enters her life early.
Playful
Trusting
Sneaky
Proud
Future (Bad) – Naruto does not enter her life.
Cruel
Paranoid
Manipulative
Arrogant
Notes:
- Hanabi is Hanabi. She's not an ice-queen, nor is she a spoiled brat. She's a rich girl in a confining family.
- Hanabi usually isn't stubborn. There is one thing where she will stick her foot down though...
- Hanabi's schemes are pretty complicated. Too complicated actually, and they end up failing because something unexpected always happens.
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A/N:
Just because I loathe romances between Naruto and Hinata doesn't mean I think little of her character. Hinata is interesting. In truth, if you take my personality and add kindness, you'd get something quite close to Hinata. It's why I could type up this chapter without much role-play involved.
I thought this adventure was fun. Hope you enjoyed it.
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Acknowledgements:
Quathis, Xbud, The Great Rick, and Megaolix for their votes on the balloon. I tried my best, but it's hard to show Hinata panicking in a funny manner when she's just stalking Naruto at this time. Her admiration hasn't developed to the point where she'd start search for a stake to drive into the balloon's heart.
Quathis for the funny yet insightful comment about an overweight Sakura balloon.