SPOILERS: Through Naruto chapter 342 and/or Naruto Shippūden episode 112/ the second year of Shippūden.

NOTES: One of the things I've always found odd about Naruto is how the kids don't know much about one another despite there being, in theory, only 27 kids in their year or at least per homeroom. Take Shino's use of bugs. In recent filler (SPOILER!), Shino actually mentions it during shuriken practice, but only his team seemed to know about it during the chūnin exams. Sure, most of that is due to story-telling and pacing convenience (gotta help the audience go, "EW!" by having the characters do the same). But if you have a kid named Aburame in your class for years, and Aburames are one of the four big clans, shouldn't you know he's a bug user the same way you'd know that kid on the other side of the room is in band or has a dad who's a dentist or a brother on the football team? Anyway, because of this tendency in the series, I decided to err on the side of ignorance and lack of social interaction.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto.

CHOOSING FATE

Chapter 13: Tea and Dango

Hinata had only seen Kiba's sister from afar, but the Inuzuka tattoos made the konoichi easy to recognize. When Hana entered the shop, she spotted Hinata immediately and offered her an easy smile that was like a milder version of Kiba's. Hinata couldn't help noticing Hana had round irises instead of slit ones like Kiba and Lady Inuzuka, which made her wonder if her child had a chance at having round eyes, too.

"Thank you so much for inviting me to tea." Hana sat across from Hinata and glanced at the little menu in the middle of the table. Turning, she caught the eye of the waitress. "I'd like a mitarashi and kibi combo, please." Facing Hinata, again, she grinned. "I've never been to this place. It's cute."

Hinata had chosen this shop because it was about halfway between the Akimichi compound and the veterinary clinic where Hana worked, but she liked that it had little, mosaic-topped tables with pairs of brightly cushioned chairs, as opposed to the communal wooden long tables and benches more traditional shops used. It gave her a greater sense of privacy, and they blended in better among the almost exclusively female clientele.

"Thank you for coming. I hope you like it."

"I'm sure I will if it's this crowded, but I didn't come for the food." She reached out and laid her hand on Hinata's as though she'd done it all her life. "I'm just glad to finally get to meet the mother of my future niece or nephew. Thank you so much for deciding to keep the baby. It means a lot to all of us, even mom." Her low, rich voice imbued her honest words with a depth of emotion. After a pat, Hana pulled back her hand and poured herself a cup of the tea Hinata had already ordered. "So how are you doing? You look well."

Although Hinata did her best to like everyone, she already felt a certain affinity for Hana. Maybe it was because, like Kiba, the kunoichi was so comfortable with herself that it made it easier to be comfortable around her. "Sakura says the fetus and I are both healthy."

Hana laughed. "Well, it's an Inuzuka, and Kiba's taking care of you, so that's a given. I meant how are you doing. I know your clan didn't kick you out, but none of this can be easy."

Hinata focused on the dainty cup of sencha in her hands for a moment, enjoying how it warmed the autumn chill out of her fingers. "It was really difficult at first, when I was at my house. Kiba could either be with me or Akamaru..." She looked up and consciously smiled. "Now that we have our own place, it's a lot easier on all three of us."

Hana snorted. "I'm sure it's easier on him to be under his own roof, but being away from your family..."

"Here are your dango, ladies." The waitress smiled as she set down two plates and refreshed the teapot with more hot water. "Just let me know if you need anything else."

Having been unable to choose, Hinata had picked a combination of three flavors. Preferring to start with the least sweet first, she thoughtfully chewed one of her anko dango while considered what to say. "I miss my family mainly because I feel like I'm not fulfilling my duty to them. It's as though...I'm betraying them. I'm being selfish putting Kiba's needs above theirs."

"You really don't value yourself enough, do you?" Hana's expression was a mix of sympathy and disbelief.

With her teacup halfway to her lips, Hinata paused in surprise. "Excuse me?"

Frowning, Hana raised a placating hand. "I apologize. It's not my place to say something like that, but Kiba has always grumbled about how your family doesn't seem to consider your needs as a person." She shook her head and sighed. "Think about what you just said—you're being selfish because you're putting the needs of someone else above theirs. Your unselfishness is selfish?" Her eyes narrowed and her nose scrunched. "I can sort of see how that works if I squint, but honestly, it doesn't make a lot of sense."

Hinata's life had been an unending lesson about obligation and duty to her clan. They were supposed to come first, not anything else. Did it really seem so strange to people who weren't Hyūga? "I'm the heir of my clan..." If Hana didn't understand, could she explain it?

"And that's a huge responsibility, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't be allowed to do anything for yourself." The older kunoichi pulled a dango from a skewer with a little sound of happiness before continuing. "Please tell me you actually want the baby for your own reasons, otherwise I may have to kick Kiba's ass for pressuring you into this."

Shaking her head, Hinata focused on her tea again. "Kiba's lost almost everything because of this, because of me... This pregnancy is so important to him, and I didn't want him to suffer more." A growl caused Hinata to look up. Hana's expression was vicious. The transformation was startling, and Hinata held up both hands as though she could stop the other woman with the gesture. "But...that's just part of it! I decided to keep the baby because it's not its fault this happened. I know it will be loved, so I want it to have that happiness."

Hana seemed mollified by that, but her expression changed from frightening to skeptical. "That's still a reason for someone else, for the baby, not yourself."

"What I'm doing now...being with Kiba, it's not just for him. It's what I want." She could feel a blush stain her cheeks. "I've always been more comfortable with him than anyone, but this has changed how he acts around me. It's like he's afraid to even touch me."

"I'm sure part of that is guilt." Pouring herself another cup of tea, the older woman sighed. "But he's probably just trying to restrain himself."

Admittedly, Hinata didn't associate guilt with Kiba anymore than she did fear, but she preferred Hana's explanation to Master Kurenai's. "What do you mean?"

"Well, despite your being unable to marry, your pregnancy makes you his mate." Hana's expression turned a bit sheepish. "Inuzukas are very...passionate with their mates. It's why our dad left. So if Kiba were to be too comfortable with you..." She shook her head. "It would be easier for him to avoid temptation than to partially give in."

"But I want to have that comfort back." Hinata took two kuri dango at once and hastily chewed on them, barely noticing their sticky sweetness. "It's what I wanted to talk to you about. I thought you might have some advice, that you could tell me something I could do that would help him get back to being comfortable around me again."

"Have you told him this?"

Because she had been so focused on her physical desire for Kiba, and because that desire was tangled up in the loss of his easy familiarity with her, she hadn't thought to separate the two. So it had never occurred to her to come out and say what she wanted. Then again, she'd never really learned how. "Um, no..."

Finishing off a skewer, Hana shrugged. "It would be a good start, but he might give you the same response—that it has to be all or nothing."

The potent flavor of the goma dango refused to be ignored, and Hinata paused to appreciate it before sighing. "So there's nothing I can do?"

Hana's eyes lit up as she held up an empty skewer and opened her mouth, but then she shook her head and picked up her last skewer to eat another dango.

"What?"

Twisting her mouth into an uncertain frown, Hana glanced away. "Well, I'm not sure if you'd be comfortable with it..."

Hinata reached out to take the other woman's hand. "Please..."

Returning her gaze to Hinata, Hana seemed to weigh something in her mind. At last she offered an amused smile. "Bathe with him."

"Huh?" Given the heat she could feel radiating off her cheeks, it amazed Hinata that everyone in the shop didn't notice her blush.

Hana pointed at her with the skewer. "Ah! See why I hesitated!" Setting it down, she patted Hinata's hand. "For the Inuzuka, it's no big deal. We almost never bathe alone. Aside from being hygienic, it's also social, a time for catching up on what everyone's been up to." Relinquishing Hinata's hand, she picked up the stick of dango again. "Think of it as a safe zone. It's a place where you can interact without having to worry about..." She paused to grin wryly. "...without him expecting more."

With her family's wealth, Hinata had always had the facilities to bathe by herself, and even when she was little, she only ever bathed with her mother and sister. But Kiba's place had one modest bath—big enough for a single Akimichi but crowded for two regular people. Given how much wood he chopped, she knew it must take a lot of effort for him to keep their bath water hot enough for both of them to bathe separately. She suspected that was why he always had her go first. If they bathed together, they'd both get hot water, and it would save him a lot of work. Despite this realization, what came out of her mouth was, "So you and Kiba used to bathe together?" She covered her lips with a hand as though to retract her words.

Hana laughed. "To be honest, I miss it, and so does mom, though she'd never admit it." With a sad smile, she sipped her tea. "I'm sure Kiba does, too. It's like an important communication link's been lost." As she chewed her last dango, the kunoichi's eyes lit up. "I know! I could treat you both to a visit to the hot springs. They have private medicinal ones, you know. I could say it's for your health, then I'm sure he'd agree."

The enthusiasm Hana had for her plan reminded Hinata again of Kiba. "But I haven't even tried..."

"Oh, it'll work like a charm, you'll see." Raising her hand, Hana caught the waitress's eye. "An order each of kibi and goma to go." She turned back to Hinata with a grin. "I'd really like to make this a habit, if it's all right with you."

"Tea?"

"Yeah, though next time I expect us to have a pot of mugicha or something herbal." The absent nutritional awareness of the comment reminded Hinata of Kiba yet again. "This place is great, and it'll give us a chance to get to know each other better." Hana took Hinata's hand again. "I'm going to be a part of your child's life. I'd like to be a part of yours, too."

It wasn't just hormones that caused the warmth and sincerity of Hana's words to touch Hinata's heart, releasing a wellspring of mixed emotions. The feeling was like the reassurance of a thick blanket on a cold night, and some previously unidentified tension in her eased. She couldn't help thinking how marvelous it must have been to grow up with an older sibling who cared for you so much! "I would like that." It felt wonderful to be so fully accepted by Kiba's sister despite being the reason she'd been separated from him.

The waitress arrived with the to-go order and bills. After paying up, Hana and Hinata wound their way between the little tables to the exotic stained-glass doors. As they exited the shop, three massive gray dogs surrounded them, sniffing Hinata with avid interest. While their intentions seemed benign, it was more than a little intimidating.

"Back off, boys." Hana laughed, shoving one of them aside with her hip, but they clung to Hinata like her shadow. "Sorry, but they can't help themselves, especially knowing who you are."

"Who I am?"

"The mother of the heir of the Inuzukas." She said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Hinata blinked in confusion. "But...you're the eldest...wouldn't that be you?"

"Me? I'm no alpha." While Hinata wasn't familiar with the term, she could guess its meaning. Besides, it was Hana's turn to be confused. "Didn't Kiba tell you? Your child will take his place as the future head of the family."

"No." She suddenly felt dizzy, and Hana grabbed her arm to help her to a bench outside the shop. "I didn't know."

"Men." The word was spoken as an epithet, but Hana's expression grew concerned. "Are you all right?" She put one hand to Hinata's forehead while the other checked her pulse.

"No, I'm not." It was awful enough having agreed to give the baby up, but she didn't want her child to have to endure the same pressures as she had. Just thinking about it stirred a fire in her stomach. "I think I'm angry."

Hana seemed baffled by that. "Well, that's understandable, but..."

When the pause had gone on too long, Hinata prompted the kunoichi. "Yes?"

Giving herself a little shake, Hana came out of her reverie. "What do you think of my brother?"

One of the dogs put his head in Hinata's lap, and she absently rubbed behind an ear. It soothed her as much as it pleased the dog. "What do you mean?"

"You've worked and trained with him for years, and you're willing to have his baby, regardless of the circumstances." One of the other dogs put his head in Hana's lap and received a good chin scratch. "So you must think he's a pretty decent guy, right?" The third put his head between the women, looking glumly from one to the other until they both patted his head.

"Yes, I do." Hinata hadn't really thought about Kiba objectively for a long time, not since the early days of their genin team. Despite her recent awareness of his masculine appeal, which she couldn't help but suspect was subjective, Kiba was just Kiba. It took some effort to step back and categorize the qualities that made up the whole. "He's brave, loyal, reliable, and has an admirable, carefree, independent spirit."

"Do you think of him as unhappy or stressed?"

She wasn't sure where the questions were going. "No. Well, not until all this happened, anyway."

"Then don't worry about the baby. He or she will be raised like Kiba was—to be strong and wild and free."

The thought stirred something potent in Hinata. It was like relief, but that was too paltry a word to encompass it. The feeling was so strong that tears stung her eyes, yet she couldn't help smiling. "Then it will be all right."

Despite the dogs, Hana put an arm around Hinata's shoulders and drew her close. "I promise I'll take good care of them both, but in the meantime, there's something I could use your help with."

"What is it?" Given how rare it was that Kiba ever admitted needing help, she wondered how difficult it was for his sister to ask.

Hana released Hinata's shoulder to pull something from a pocket and place it in Hinata's hand. "First of all, I'd like you to have this. Think of it as a gift for the wedding you might have had if genetics weren't an issue."

Opening her hand, Hinata found a small golden cylinder on a chain. "It's lovely. But..."

"It's a dog whistle," Hana explained. "All the Inuzuka dogs know it. If ever you need anything, just blow it and one or more of us will come running. It's your right, as the mother of the fetus you're carrying, to have our protection."

"But how does this help...?"

"Aside from safeguarding you, if you wear it, Kiba will know he's still connected to us, despite what mom did. But that's not the only request I'd like to make of you." Hana grasped both of Hinata's hands and gave her an awkward smile. "Please, at some point, mention you'd like to have me over. If you ask, he'll invite me. Then I'll have an excuse to visit." She handed Hinata the dango she'd ordered to go. "And when I come, I promise I'll bring sweets."

Hinata was confused. "You ordered those for me?"

Nodding, Hana grinned. "Living with Kiba, I'm guessing you don't get many sweets."

"No no!" Although she didn't have as many sweets as she'd like anymore, she felt the need to defend him from his sister's implied criticism. "He makes zenzai whenever he makes mochi or gets some on sale."

"Really?" Hana seemed genuinely surprised. "Well, I couldn't help noticing how much you enjoyed the goma. But they're for both of you, actually."

Hinata was even more confused. "But...Kiba doesn't like sweets."

Holding up a finger, Hana's voice took on a lecturing tone Hinata could only imagine Kiba had heard many times growing up. "That depends on the sweet! He'll like the chewiness of the kibi. Plus, this will explain why you have my scent and theirs," she scratched the middle dog between the ears, "all over you."

Hinata hadn't even thought of that. Turning her attention back to the dog's head in her lap, she murmured, "I guess it would be hard for him to miss, huh?"

Hana laughed. "You think you're ready to go now?"

"Yes." She took the older shinobi's offered hand as she stood, her earlier dizziness completely gone. "Thank you for everything."

"Thank you. I'm thrilled to finally get to meet you and solve a long-standing mystery."

"Mystery?"

Nodding, Hana leaned close, as though confiding a secret. "Now I finally understand why Kiba always liked to sit near you when you were in school."

"Huh?" Once Hana had said it, Hinata realized it was true. She remembered the times he sat right next to her because Akamaru was distractingly cute when he was little, but thinking back to the times Kiba wasn't, she recalled he was usually behind her or across an aisle from her, always close. Why had she never noticed?

Apparently Hana misinterpreted her confusion. "Because you smell so nice." One of the dogs barked, and his master squinted up at the sky. "I didn't realize we'd talked so long. I really have to get back to work."

"I'm sorry to have kept you." Hinata bowed in apology.

Hana shook her head. "Don't be. This was great, and I almost never go out for my breaks. I look forward to doing this again soon." Turning to go, she stopped and turned back. "Try to remember one thing when dealing with Kiba—and Akamaru, for that matter. Be firm and direct in telling him what you want. If you do that, everything should work out fine." With a wave Hana and her dogs wove their way into the crowd and disappeared around a corner.

Slipping the chain around her neck, Hinata tucked the little whistle under her shirt and headed home with a lot to keep her thoughts occupied along the way.

DETAILS

Sencha = unroasted, unground green tea made from fresh dried tea leaves; it should be steeped at 180° in order to keep its delicate green color and prevent it from tasting bitter

Dango = round dumplings primarily made with sticky/mochi rice flour and sometimes flavored, served several on a skewer with one of many coatings that are usually somewhat sweet

Mitarashi dango = dango covered with a soy and sugar sauce—this is also Anko's surname

Kibi dango = dango made of millet flour instead of rice flour

Anko dango = dango covered in a sweet red bean paste—also Anko's personal name

Kuri dango = dango covered with a chestnut paste (YUM!)

Goma dango = dango covered with a black sesame paste (YUM YUM!)

Zenzai = a thick porridge made of sweet azuki beans and usually served with mochi; according to Narutopedia, one of the Naruto databooks lists zenzai as one of Hinata's favorite foods

Mugicha = roasted barely tea

THANK YOU to all my reviewers—especially Hellewise14, heartsXkisses, Little Hoarder, Greatness Alone, and DreaminginOctober for reviewing multiple chapters—I really appreciate it!