Melody of the Fox
Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.
Chapter 14
Tayuya and Naruto spent the majority of the next morning packing for their trip, opening and turning over every item in the apartment. She didn't really have anything to pack except for her flute and a few extra pairs of underwear, so she occupied herself with helping him seal individual cups of ramen into a large scroll.
Earlier that morning, she'd woken up to find him sitting cross-legged in his room surrounded by piles of clothes, weapons, and ramen. He'd been unceremoniously tossing random items into the large camping bag resting on his bed, and she frowned at the excessive amount of space he was wasting by not packing effectively.
After showing him the correct way to fold and place his clothes into the bag, she was eventually enlisted into helping him clean up and search through his apartment for items he wanted to take with him. To her surprise, the majority of the things he owned were technique scrolls and books 'borrowed' from the library, free weights, and posters of Konoha symbols. They both decided that it'd be best to leave the posters and free weights where they were for the time being, but the training documents could prove to be useful in the future.
The teens only stopped once during the entire morning, briefly leaving the house to grab a few bowls of Ichiraku Ramen for lunch. Ayame and her father had been depressed to hear about their departure (Tayuya swore she heard sobbing in the back room as they left), but were also excited that the two were going to become stronger shinobi of Konoha. To celebrate their journey, the old man gave them both an extra bowl of ramen, much to their obvious pleasure.
Before they left, Ayame pulled the redhead to the side and whispered something in her ear. Tayuya's face flushed a light shade of pink, and ignoring Naruto's curious stare, she stalked back home.
They worked well into the afternoon, managing to pack all of his clothes and weapons into his camping bag and seal most of his ramen into the roll of paper. The genin shared quite a few laughs along the way; mostly when it involved one or both of them tripping over an unseen item. For the first time since she'd joined the Sound, Tayuya found herself laughing with genuine mirth, and each time she struggled to wipe the humor-filled tears that were budding at the corners of her eyes.
Finally, after literally six hours of packing, Naruto and Tayuya sat tiredly on the couch, watching some obscure anime about an orange-haired shinigami and sword fighting. Her legs were curled comfortably underneath her as she reclined against the worn cushions of the chair, and she basked in the feeling of a job well done. She idly played with the edge of the large black shirt she'd borrowed from Naruto that morning.
Her own long sleeved shirt was a little smelly from over two days of wear, and she'd been forced to hastily wash it in the sink. To her dismay, it nor her pants were dry by the time they were ready to leave for the ramen stand. Being the generous idiot that he was, Naruto happily offered her one of his favorite shirts to wear for the rest of the day; a pitch black t-shirt with a small, red spiral directly in the center of her chest. He also gave her an old pair of orange shorts that they'd decided to leave behind due to its small size. Ironically, they fit her perfectly.
A sudden growl jolted her from her post-work glow, and she lazily glanced over at Naruto with a small smirk.
"Hungry?" she asked, noticing the starved expression gracing his whiskered face. To be honest, she was beginning to feel a little ravenous herself. The blond smiled sheepishly and nervously scratched the back of his head, a habit Tayuya was quickly becoming used to.
"Yeah, a little bit. Want some ramen?" The disgusted look on her face told him all he needed to know, and his smile dropped into a disappointed pout. It wasn't that she didn't like ramen; hell, she couldn't complain considering that she was getting to eat for free. Still, even a girl as undemanding as herself needed a little variety now and then.
"Fuck no, we've been eating that shit for three days straight!" She neglected to tell him that Shizune had treated her to an asian cuisine only the day before. "How about sushi?" He wrinkled his nose at the mention of raw fish.
"Ew, I don't like sushi. It always tastes spoiled."
"That's probably because you go to those cheapass places. I'll pick the restaurant; you just pay." Leaving no room for argument, she hopped to her feet and walked towards the front door, running her fingers through her messy long hair as she did so. Her legs felt nearly as good as new, and although she probably couldn't jump through the trees or run very fast, she was able to walk freely without the use of any kind of support.
Which was a really good thing, considering that they were expected to leave the next day.
She heard a defeated sigh from behind her, and watched amused as he trudged to his room to grab his wallet. She waited a few minutes for him to emerge, and when he didn't appear, she frustratedly poked her head into his bedroom.
"Oi, Naruto, Hurry the fuck u--Whoa!" Bent over a small metal box, Naruto was hurriedly counting out a fuckload of bills and coins. There had to be at least 20,000 yen in his hand, and glancing into the box in front of him, there looked to be a whole lot more. "W-where the hell did you get all that money?!" He quickly slammed the top shut on the box and slid it back into the floor, placing the floorboards and rug back over the hidden compartment.
"What money?" He asked, doing his best to look innocent. She regarded him with a deadpan expression before pointing insistently at the area he had just covered up.
"That money! What the fuck did you do, rob a bank?!" The blond quickly shook his head, eyes widening at the accusation.
"No way! I've just been saving this up since I was in the Academy. The old man gave me a weekly allowance for food and clothes, but because of the bastard fox, no one wanted to sell me stuff. So, I just saved it," he said, shrugging nonchalantly.
"How much is there? Do you know?" Most of her surprise stemmed from the fact that she believed him to be a poorer-than-dirt genin based on his clothes and choice of food alone. Now that she knew he was loaded, her mind quickly began to formulate a plan.
"I'm not sure, but I think there's around 750,000 yen left." If she was surprised before, Tayuya was positively floored now. "Anyway, I'm hungry!" he exclaimed, hopping to his feet and practically skipping out of the room. She stood there for a moment longer before shaking her head and following, already making a mental checklist of things she'd need to buy.
The streets were abuzz with action as they walked to the Market District. People were walking in and out of buildings, chatting on the sidewalk, and a few shinobi were even sprinting along the rooftops. The redhead was annoyingly aware of the heated glares they were receiving from the citizens of Konoha, but casually brushed (flipped) them off as she didn't want to cause any trouble before they left.
She was so caught up in giving the finger to the haters that she didn't notice the large beast of a man stalking boastfully in their direction. Naruto easily sidestepped the man, but unaware that Tayuya wasn't paying attention, watched surprised as she was sent barreling butt first to the ground for the third time that week. The man frowned and looked down at her from over the bridge of his nose. A large scar ran from his forehead down to his lower right cheekbone, and huge, rippling muscles protruded from the open sleeves of his weather-worn shirt. Behind him were two similarly built guys, and both had matching grins etched cockily into their faces.
"Watch where you're going, demon's bitch!" he spat, bringing his foot up to step on her. By now, people were already beginning to mumble and whisper amongst themselves, curious as to what was going to happen next. Would the Kyuubi tear the man apart for threatening his mate, or would he allow the girl to be hurt? With an effort-filled grunt, the man speedily dropped his foot towards her abdomen.
To his and the crowd's surprise, the petite redhead easily caught his sandal-covered foot with her left hand. She slowly sat up onto her knees and lifted her head to glare at the thug with a large amount of killing intent. So much for not causing trouble.
"Oi, who the fuck do you think you're talking to, bastard?" she hissed, gradually increasing the pressure of her hand. The man's eyes widened in pain as she crushed his foot with just her hand, and he let loose a loud scream of agony when she let go. She calmly stood to her feet and regarded his lackeys with a bored glare. "You fuckers want some too?" Angered by her words, the two men pulled out a kunai each and rushed with the intent to kill.
"Tayuya! Watch out!" Naruto yelled, moving to stop the men from hurting her. Glad to have some action, Tayuya only smiled sadistically and opened her arms wide. As soon as they were close enough, she flipped backwards onto her hands and brought her feet up to connect solidly with their chins. Before they could stumble back in pain, she grabbed their heads and slammed them together, causing a loud cracking sound to be heard throughout the entire district. They hit the pavement with an earth-shattering thud, and if it weren't for Naruto grabbing her arm and pulling her away from the fallen men, she would've hopped squarely onto their windpipes and killed them.
The leader of the group stumbled to his feet and grabbed his partners in crime before dragging them away from the scene. "You...you monster! You demon wench! You won't get away with this! Danzo-sama will kill you, you hear me?! Kill you!" he yelled as he limped off in the direction the Hokage tower. Tayuya placed her hands on her hips and laughed boastfully, exposing her sharp canines to the gasping villagers.
"Go ahead, I'll fuck his ass up like I did to you! As a matter of fact, y--hey!" her tirade was cut off when Naruto slung her over his shoulder and took off in the opposite direction. "Put me down! C'mon, let me finish em!" She swung her legs wildly in the air as she screamed, and the blond struggled to keep from dropping her flat on her face.
"Hold still! We have to get away before the ANBU show up!" She finally quieted down at the mention of the elite guard of Konoha, and when he was sure that she wouldn't cause any more trouble, he gently set her back down on her feet.
"That's not fair, you know. It was those shitty bastards who started the fight! You shouldn't let them walk all over you like that!" Naruto only smiled wryly and shrugged.
"I know. That's why I'm working so hard to become the Hokage! I'll get them to recognize my existence, and then I'll make sure that everyone gets treated fairly by myself!" Tayuya blinked her eyes in mild surprise before shaking her head and snorting under her breath at his proclamation. She'd nearly forgotten about his goal to become the Hokage, and hearing him say it now, she actually sort of believed him.
Sort of.
She glanced at the area surrounding them and realized with some amusement that they were standing right in front of a large plethora of different restaurants. Grabbing his shoulder, she turned him towards the entrance to a sushi shop.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll believe you when you actually do it. Now go buy me some sushi!" At the mention of going into the store, he suddenly stopped cold and lowered his head. When he didn't move, she poked him in the back and frowned. "What?"
"Well...I'm not allowed to go in here."
"Why...oh," she said, a look of understanding passing over her face. She crossed her arms and sighed. She couldn't wait to get out of this discriminatory shithole. "Well, how about this; I'll go in, get a menu, and bring it back out here for you to look at. We choose what we want, you give me the money, and everything's honky fuckin' dory. What do you think?" A large, foxy grin broke out on his face at her idea.
"Sounds good to me!" She nodded her head and casually stepped into the restaurant, shooting him one more backwards glance before closing the door behind her. Already bored without anyone around to talk to, he leaned against the wall and stared up at the cloudy sky.
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Hyuuga Hinata stomped through the halls with frightening force. Her face was the picture of the determination, and her fists were clenched tightly at her sides. She was on a mission; a mission to make one Uzumaki Naruto hers. The branch members looked on in surprise as the normally quiet girl literally blew the wide double doors of the foyer open, and she couldn't stop a small smirk from spreading over her face at their expressions.
For the past three days, she'd been bitching, moaning, and crying alone in her room, only leaving to eat or use the toilet. It was safe to say that she stressed over the recent appearance of a potential rival. The redheaded bitch had given her numerous bruises on on her wrist, something she hadn't discovered until she'd gone to wash up that night. She was shocked at the strength of the strange girl, and believing it was impossible to beat her, cried herself to sleep.
It wasn't until she'd looked at Naruto's picture that morning that she remembered his words from the Chuunin Exams. She remembered how he'd cheered her on that day, telling her to never give up until the very end. Although she hadn't been awake to see it herself (something she cursed herself for to this very day), she also recalled how he'd beaten Neji during the third round of the same exams. He hadn't given up then, and she wouldn't give up now!
She reached the door of the mansion in record speed, and gripping the handle with a strength comparable to that of a one ton gorilla, threw it open and stepped outside--only to run headfirst into her cousin Neji. He'd just been about to open the door, and was thoroughly surprised when it was ripped open in front of him. Luckily, both had the reflexes to maintain their balance and avoid a very painful fall down the somewhat high stairs leading to the front door. Neji was the first to recover, and he stared down at his younger cousin with concern. Her face was twisted into a frown, and her overall aura was vastly different than what he was used to.
"Hinata-sama? What's wrong? Where are you going?" he asked, visually checking her over for injuries. Hinata rubbed her head to get rid of some of the dizziness, wincing at the sore spot on her forehead that had developed from their collision. Not wasting any time, she pushed the boy out of the way and continued on her warpath to her love's apartment.
"Not now, Neji-nii-san, I'll explain later!" Thrown off guard by her forcefulness, Neji followed after her with a frown of his own.
"Wait, there's something I must tell you before you go." He placed a hand on her shoulder to slow her down a little, but immediately regretted it when she slowly turned around with infamous Hyuuga glare. The veins around her eyes were literally pulsing with chakra, and the murderous frown marring her lips caused a small lump to form in his throat.
"Neji-nii-san," she started, emanating a violent aura of killing intent, "Remove your hand from my shoulder this instant or I'll cut it off, deep fry it, put it on a silver platter, and serve it to your teammates with soy sauce on the side." When it became obvious that he was too astonished to move, Hinata ripped her shoulder out of his grip and hurried on down the path, leaving a very confused and afraid Neji in her wake. He stared after her for a few minutes until his mouth finally decided to move.
"What the fuck just happened?"
As soon as she was outside the gates of the Hyuuga estate, Hinata took off towards Naruto's apartment at full speed. Since they lived on opposite sides of the village, it'd take at least half an hour to get there on foot. Still, half an hour was a long time; who knew what kind of things that bitch was doing to her poor Naruto-kun?! Inspired by this thought, she reached the Market District in a speed never seen before in Konoha, arriving in just under ten minutes. Unfortunately, the traffic made it impossible for her to run through on foot, so with a mighty leap, she hopped onto the nearest rooftop and began her sprint anew.
Her legs were a blur as she jumped from roof to roof, and she used chakra on each step to give herself a boost. The crowd below her looked like nothing more than a monotone blur of brown and beige from her vantage point, and for the first time since she'd joined the Academy, she was happy as hell to be a ninja.
Suddenly, a bright yellow and orange blur from the corner of her eye caught her attention. She immediately skidded to a stop and backtracked, searching for the only spot of color in the whole village. Her eyes zeroed in on a lone boy leaning against the wall of a sushi restaurant, and with a predatory smile, she hopped down from building and landed a few meters away from.
"Naruto-kun!" she yelled, waving her arm as she approached him. The boy jolted at the sound of his name, and as soon as he turned those beautiful sky blue eyes upon her, she felt her brain melt and turn into mush.
"Hinata-chan? Hey!" He stepped away from the wall and clasped his hands loosely behind his head, giving her a grin he reserved for his friends. "What are you doing here?" To her complete and utter shock, every thought, plan, and idea she had disappeared as soon as he'd said her name. Her previous determination was now non-existent, and she was futility fighting to keep a blush from spreading over her cheeks and neck.
"A-ano...I was...looking for you!" she breathed, unable to meet his eyes. She wanted nothing more than to hide behind the nearest wall, but her nindo was repeating itself over and over in her head. She refused to give up just yet -- Naruto-kun would be hers. The blond raised his eyebrows as he stared down at her heavily breathing form.
"Looking for me? Why?" This was the hard part. This one moment would define the rest of her life. Either she would tell him how she felt and they'd live happily ever after, or she'd choke and live alone with forty cats in a small, one bedroom apartment. She took a few deep calming breaths before shakily opening her mouth to speak.
"I-I-I wanted...t-t-t-to t-tell you t-that..." she took one more deep breath and clenched her eyes shut, deciding to get it all out in one breath. "I really, really l-"
"Hey Naruto, I got the menu!" Tayuya yelled, emerging from the shop with a large piece of paper in hand. Hinata's eyes opened wide as her arch rival, a girl she didn't even know the name of, called the name of her love so casually. She felt her anger rising with each step the bitch took, and she grimaced with annoyance at the friendly smile plastered on the redhead's face.
"Cool, thanks! By the way, I want you to meet my friend Hinata-chan!" Time seemed to slow to a stop as their eyes met. Light brown eyes stared surprised into angry white ones, and for a moment, neither one of them moved. Tayuya's face gradually began to sink into a frown, and then into a scowl to match Hinata's own. As usual, Naruto was completely oblivious to the tense and heavy atmosphere surrounding them. "I've got an idea! Why don't we let Hinata-chan eat with us? The more the merrier, right?" Tayuya's jaw dropped at the suggestion, and she took an angry step in their direction.
"What? Fuck n-"
"I-I'd love to, Naruto-kun!" Hinata cooed, grabbing his arm in a semi-hug. It was taking every ounce of her willpower not to pass out on the spot (It was the first time she'd ever touched him, after all), but if Naruto-kun's heart was on the line, she'd do anything to win. Although her eyes were threatening to roll into the back of her head, she still managed to shoot her rival a smug glare.
"Great!" He grabbed the menu from Tayuya's frozen hand and held it out in front of him. "You can pick anything you want, I'll pay for it!" The Hyuuga's eyes widened considerably at the proposal, and she vehemently shook her head in disagreement.
"N-no, t-that's alright, you d-don't have to pay for me..." she stuttered, gripping his arm a little tighter. She ignored the low growl coming from the redhead's direction.
"Yeah, Naruto, you don't have to pay for her."
"It's okay, I've got plenty of money! See?" He held up a very fat Gama-chan, grinning foxily as he did so. Hinata eyed the wallet carefully, eventually nodding ever so slightly.
"W-well, if you say so..."
"Great! Tayuya, what do you want?" The redhead jumped slightly when her name was called, but quickly walked over to stand as close to Naruto as humanly possible. Two could play this game. She shot Hinata her own smug glare before leaning over directly next to him, close enough to feel his breath on her cheek. She reveled in the shocked stare she received from her enemy, and deciding to take it up a notch, she casually brushed her hand against his while she ran her finger down the list.
"Hmmm," she practically purred, taking her time, "I don't know, the nigirizushi looks good. What do you think, Hinata-chan? Or is this place too low-class for you?" Hinata narrowed her eyes at the jab. Tayuya wasn't the only one who could make subtle insults. Smiling sweetly, she mirrored Tayuya's pose and put on a thoughtful frown.
"G-gee, I'm surprised you even know what nigirizushi is!" When the former Oto-nin stiffened, the blue-haired girl smirked. "Personally, I like ch-chirashizushi the best."
"Oh my, don't you think that's a little too much?" Tayuya sneered, doing her best to sound as innocent as possible. "It's no wonder you try to hide your body under such a large jacket all the time!"
"At l-least it's better than walking outside in short shorts and a t-shirt. A girl should have some m-modesty, after all." The redhead glanced down at her legs and frowned. The bright orange shorts she'd borrowed from Naruto came down to the middle of her thigh; as far as she was concerned, they were normal length. She felt a snarl build in the back of her throat, and with a sickeningly sweet grin, she casually ran her fingers through her long red hair.
"Says the girl who has a chicken's ass for a hairstyle." That did it. Hinata's Byakugan activated on its own, and she quietly leaned back to stare the girl squarely in the face.
"Say that again, please?" The redhead's eyes narrowed into fox-like slits as she bared her teeth.
"I don't believe I stuttered."
"Uh, how about we all just get makizushi?" Naruto cut in, holding his stomach with hunger. He didn't quite understand what the girls were talking about, but he did know that if he didn't eat soon he'd pass out. Both girls glared one more time at each before nodding.
"Whatever," Tayuya said, almost snatching the menu and Gama-chan out of his hand. She slowly walked into the small sushi restaurant, self-consciously pulling at the edges of her shorts along the way. As soon as she was out of sight, Hinata gently tugged on Naruto's arm to get his attention. She was still running off of the adrenaline from her small fight with the redheaded harlot, and knowing how hard it was for her to speak to her crush (Let alone confess), she quickly mustered up all the self-confidence she had in her small body.
"N-Naruto-kun..." He glanced down at her with a slightly concerned frown.
"What is it? Are you okay?" She nodded and gripped the sleeve of his black t-shirt a little tighter.
"Y-yes...I-I-I j-just wanted t-to tell you t-that...I really li-"
"Hey, Naruto, I forgot to ask what kind of condiments you wanted!" Tayuya called, sticking her head out of the door. Hinata felt her heart drop for the second time that day, and she was certain that Kami-sama had some sort of grudge against her. Without missing a beat, Naruto scratched at his chin in thought.
"Whatever they have, I guess." She nodded and slipped back into the shop -- but not before shooting the Hyuuga another withering glare. "So, what did you want to tell me?" he asked, turning back towards the slim girl. Hinata hung her head and sighed.
"Nevermind..." He eyed her strangely for a few seconds, but eventually just shrugged and plastered on that stupid grin of his. As much as she loved him for it, she sometimes wished that he wasn't quite so dense.
Five minutes later, Tayuya emerged with a large paper bag filled to the brim with containers of sushi. She wasted no time in gripping Naruto's free arm, not-so-discreetly sticking her tongue out at Hinata as she did so. As they walked down the street, the villagers looked on in amazement as Naruto, the demon brat, strode confidently down the sidewalk with a beautiful girl on each arm.
What was even more amazing was that one of them was the Hyuuga heiress! Still, the blond paid them no mind as he amiably chatted with the girls, talking about a wide range of subjects including training, jutsus, and (of course) ramen. Both girls took every chance they could to insult the other, and although she hated the girl with a fiery passion, Tayuya couldn't help but feel a tiny inkling of respect for the blue-haired genin. Not many people could go toe to toe with her when it came to name calling.
The closer they got to the residential district, the more uncomfortable Hinata felt. She knew there was something that she was missing, and she stared over at the other two with a critical eye. Suddenly, the bright red spiral in the middle of Tayuya's shirt caught her eye, and she nearly gasped out loud at the discovery. Only one person that she knew of owned a shirt like that, and he was currently standing directly to her right.
"T-that shirt..." she started, staring at it with a mixture of shock and anger. The redhead frowned and looked down at the garment, searching for anything out of the ordinary. When she didn't find anything, she lifted her head to glare heatedly at the shorter girl.
"Yeah? What about it?"
"Is...is that Naruto-kun's?" Misunderstanding the meaning behind the question, Naruto grinned and nodded.
"Yup! She didn't have anything to wear, so I lent her some of my stuff!" To her absolute horror, she realized that her rival was also wearing a pair of orange shorts; and absolutely no one else in the village wore the color orange except for Naruto. Following her line of sight, Tayuya fought the urge to laugh. This was almost too easy.
"What's wrong, Hinata-chan? You look surprised! Is there something strange about me wearing his clothes?" Her mouth still slightly agape, Hinata slowly shook her head.
"N-no, n-not at all." Inside, she was fuming. This...this...whore who hadn't even been in Konoha for a month was already wearing his clothes! She felt herself burning with righteous anger as she imagined what kinds of impure things the girl had done to her Naruto-kun. Although he didn't seem all that different from usual, she knew something had happened between them; it was evident in the way they interacted with each other. Hinata gripped Naruto's arm tighter. She would protect him from that demoness; no matter what.
They reached his apartment in a matter of minutes. For her part, the Hyuuga heiress was excited. This was the first time she would ever get to see the inside of Naruto's home, and she swore to herself that it wouldn't be the last. They entered the small flat in a straight line, Tayuya leading the pack and Hinata bringing up the rear. The place looked almost brand new without all of the ramen cups, scrolls, and clothing scattered everywhere, and except for a few posters and plants resting on the wall, it sort of seemed like he was moving out soon. Still, Hinata didn't think much of it as she softly tapped her crush on the shoulder.
"A-ano...w-where's your restroom?" she asked, wishing more than anything that she could stop her stuttering. Naruto grinned (He did a lot of that, she noticed) and pointed to the door at his left. She nodded and quickly disappeared into the room, shutting the door quietly behind her.
"Does she really have to be here?" Tayuya asked as soon as he rounded the corner. She was already setting out the individual trays of sushi, and moved to his cupboard to grab some plates. The blond crossed his arms and gave her a small frown.
"Come on, Tayuya, can't you be nice to her? She's one of my precious people." The girl snorted and nearly slammed the utensils down onto the table.
"Is that why you add -chan to their fuckin' names?" she nearly spat, struggling to keep her voice neutral. To be honest, it had been bugging her ever since Ino had dropped by the night before. He raised his eyebrows slightly in confusion. It was obvious, even to him, that she was bitter about something.
"What do you mean by that?" The opening of the bathroom door interrupted her before she could reply, but she still managed to shoot him a small glare before plopping down on the chair to his right. When Hinata appeared around the corner of the hallway, Tayuya gave her a similar frown.
"Well, now that the princess is here, let's eat." The redhead wasted no time in shoving ten of the small rolls onto her plate and digging in. Naruto slowly nodded his agreement, and with a loud 'Itadakimasu!', he quickly began working on finishing the large pile of sushi. Hinata did the same, albeit at a much more subdued pace. The room was quiet except for the occasional rustling of the paper bag, and all three genin wisely kept to themselves while they ate. Suddenly, the Hyuuga heiress glanced up at Naruto and smiled.
"N-Naruto-kun, are you thirsty?" she asked, proud of herself for not stuttering as much.
"A little bit, yeah. I think there's still some juice left in the fridge. I'll go get us some!" He started to stand up, but Hinata quickly placed her hand on his shoulder and stood up herself.
"N-no, let me." With a grace only inherited by royalty, she slid out of her chair and stepped over to the kitchen area of the living room. Tayuya watched her with narrowed eyes, and throwing her chopsticks down, hopped up to follow.
"I'll help. She can't carry all that shit by herself." The blond smiled at her attempt to be friendly and gave her a subtle thumbs up (Seriously, who did that anymore?) to say thanks. If only he knew what she was planning to do. She walked up next to the shorter girl and harshly jabbed her in the ribs, completely catching her off guard. Luckily, the cups were still resting on the counter top and were able to avoid an untimely demise.
"Listen, you little cunt," Tayuya whispered, keeping her voice low, "I don't know what the fuck you're planning in that duck shaped head of yours, but it ain't gonna work. Watch your step, bitch." She snatched the cups off of the counter and sashayed back to the table, leaving a bewildered and angry Hinata behind. Literally ripping the apple juice from the freezebox, she casually waltzed over to the table with a smile.
"H-here, N-Naruto-kun, let me pour you a drink." He smiled gratefully and held out his cup, not slowing down for a millisecond as he shoveled pounds of raw fish down his throat. She then moved to his right and started to pour the redhead a cup. Unfortunately, the liquid missed its mark by a ridiculously wide margin, and nearly a whole cup's worth of juice was poured squarely into Tayuya's lap.
"Y-you fucking bitch!" she screeched, hopping up from the table to prevent even more of the sticky liquid from touching her skin. "You did that shit on purpose!" Hinata lifted a coy hand to her mouth and gasped, secretly smirking behind her fingers.
"I'm so sorry, Tayuya-chan! I don't know what happened!" Just as the redhead was about to launch a furious fist towards the sneering Hyuuga's face, Naruto appeared with a small dishtowel in hand. He carefully began to maneuver the rag just over her waist, sopping up as much of the apple juice as he could before it could drip onto the floor.
Both girls blushed a deep red as they silently watched him wipe away the liquid, completely oblivious to the fact that he was dangerously close to her most...private place. For the first time in her life, Tayuya was absolutely speechless.
He stood up and admired his handiwork, smiling with satisfaction at her now (mostly) dry waist. Suddenly, the sound of something splashing against the hardwood floor grabbed both of their attentions. Hinata had 'accidentally' poured some of the juice on her chest, and doing her best impression of a damsel in distress, looked up at Naruto with big, innocent eyes.
"N-Naruto-kun, could y-you help me too?" The blond frowned slightly but nodded, turning around to face the furiously blushing Hyuuga princess.
"You really should be more careful, Hinata-chan," he said, wiping the juice off of her jacket. She raised her head and smiled smugly at Tayuya -- who was currently making threatening gestures from behind her teammate's back. Shooting her hand out towards the smaller girl, the redhead snatched the container of apple juice and poured some on her own shirt.
"Naruto, I spilled some more!" Hinata grabbed the juice out of her hands and pretended to accidentally splash some on her pants.
"Me too!" By now, both girls were wrestling for control over the twisted and deformed jug, sending the sticky substance everywhere. They shrieked as juice landed in their hair, mouths, and eyes, but neither of them loosened their grip for a second. Finally, Naruto snatched the unrecognizable piece of plastic from their hands and lifted it above his head with a glare.
"What the hell are you doing?!" he yelled, staring down at both of them with no small amount of anger and confusion. They at least had the decency to look embarrassed, turning their eyes away from his gaze. All three of them were sticky and wet, dripping apple juice on the floor below them. Naruto sighed heavily and tossed the empty container onto the table along with the leftover sushi. "Sorry, Hinata-chan...maybe you should go home."
Tayuya's eyes lit up at his words, and she was quick to throw in her own two cents. She stepped up to the blond's side to smile cockily at her rival, lightly hugging his arm to her chest. She was delighted by the tears that were slowly beginning to build in the corner of her rival's eyes, so she leaned her head against his shoulder as if marking her territory.
"Yeah! Go home to your fuckin' shithole of a castle!" Her smile was stretched widely across her face as she reveled in the familiar high she received from insulting others. Naruto angrily wrenched his arm from her grasp and glared down at her with disappointment.
"Tayuya, stop it!" The redhead looked largely taken aback at his sudden command. She glanced up into his eyes to see him staring heatedly back into her own, and she ashamedly turned her gaze down to her feet. Not because of what she'd said to Hinata; no, as far as she was concerned, that stuck-up bitch of a whore deserved every word.
It was because she'd let him down after he had practically begged for her to be nice to Hinata for just a few hours.
"I'll walk you back, Hinata-chan." He started to take a step towards the smaller girl, but was nearly pulled back by the force of Tayuya's grip. She wasn't stupid; she knew exactly what that Hyuuga was planning. It was exceedingly easy to see in the stares, smiles, and blushes that regularly emanated from Hinata whenever he was around. She'd be damned if she allowed some spoiled rich girl to touch Naruto. Not that she was jealous, of course; she was just looking out for his best interests. They'd be leaving in under twelve hours, and if the blue-haired girl were to tell him how she felt right before they left, there was a chance he wouldn't want to go anymore.
At least, that's what she told herself.
"I'm going too," she mumbled, much to Naruto's surprise.
"What? Why?" Tayuya frowned and gripped his arm tighter, causing him to wince in slight pain. Her strength was somewhat terrifying.
"Since when do I need a reason?!" Their eyes met for a brief two seconds, long enough for a silent understanding to pass between them. He slowly nodded his head and walked towards the door, forcing another small smile onto his face as he approached the confused Hyuuga heir. Something had happened, but she just didn't know what.
"Ready to go?"
"Y-yes..." The trio quickly exited the apartment, and for the second time that day, Konoha's number one most surprising ninja had a beautiful girl on each arm. Granted, they were tugging him back and forth between them, but one usually overlooked such trivial details. They strode through Konoha at a rapid pace, barely talking except for the occasional comment or subtle jeer from one or both of the girls.
As they neared the Hyuuga Estate, Tayuya noticed that Hinata was becoming more and more nervous with every step. It wasn't until they'd scaled the hill that she understood why.
"N-Naruto-kun...she started, turning to face him full on. Rather than confess now with everyone (Tayuya) watching, she'd decided on an alternate course of action. "I-I-I w-was wondering if y-you'd like to go on a picnic with me tomorrow?" When his face dropped, she quickly moved to reassure him. "B-but I understand if you d-don't want to..." Both Naruto and Tayuya stared at her with a mildly surprised expression. Frowning, Naruto tilted his head to stare at her.
"Didn't Neji tell you?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Hinata snapped her head up in surprise. She vaguely remembered her cousin trying to tell her something earlier that afternoon, but she'd brushed him off before he could say anything. Sensing her curiosity (and underlying fear), Tayuya was quick to step in and answer her with a wide, sinister smile.
"Me and Naruto are goin' on a three year training mission tomorrow. Together." The redhead swore she heard the smaller girl's heart break inside of her chest.
Ironically, she actually felt sort of bad for Hinata. She knew what it was like to have her heart broken, as that heartless bastard Misumi had done it numerous times before she'd gotten wise to his games. However, a larger part of her was cynically pleased with this new development. Maybe now, the wench would give up for good.
"O-oh..." Hinata mumbled, swallowing harshly to keep her throat from closing up, "M-m-maybe when you g-get back then?" Tayuya stared at the girl in silent shock, unable to believe that she'd wait so long for him to return. Sure, Naruto was an all around good guy, but to continue stalking him after being told that he was going on a three year journey with another girl? She was stupider than she originally thought! As expected, Naruto grinned and nodded.
"Sure thing, Hinata-chan!" Hinata smiled weakly and bowed, turning towards the large gates of the mansion.
"G-g-good n-night..." Her shoulders shook more and more as she approached the Hyuuga estate, almost as if she were shivering. She walked as best and quickly as she could up the long pathway, struggling to hold in the tears that were now rolling in rivulets down her cheeks. Luckily, none of the guards decided to stop and question her as she sped up the path; apparently, they remembered well what had happened earlier that afternoon.
"Good fuckin' riddance." Tayuya turned on her heel and pulled Naruto's arm, nearly uprooting the boy from where he stood. He sighed loudly and looked down at her with a frown as he allowed himself to be dragged down the hill.
"Tayuya..."
"I know, I know. Be nice cause she's one of your goddamn precious people. Whatever."
----------------
Hyuuga Hinata rushed through the halls of the Hyuuga estate for the second time that day. Tears were already streaming down her face, and she futilely wiped them away with the back of her hands as she ran.
It wasn't fair.
Why wasn't it her that was going on the training mission with Naruto? Why did it have to be that foulmouthed redhead who got to spend everyday with her love? She'd been around much longer than the other girl had, and she'd always admired the blond and his never ending courage and determination. Didn't she deserve to grow stronger alongside him?
She sprinted through the doors that led to the main family's living quarters, ignoring the confused and startled looks from her family members. Quite frankly, she couldn't give less of a fuck what they were thinking at that moment. Her thoughts were focused solely on getting to her room and being alone; just her, her bed, and her economy-sized box of tissues.
After what seemed like hours of running, she finally reached the large ivory door of her bedroom. With a large amount of effort, she threw the heavy piece of wood open. She felt her body growing weaker and weaker as time wore on, and after closing the door behind her, collapsed onto her large, fluffy bed in a fit of sobs.
It was hopeless.
There wasn't a snowball's chance in hell that she could beat Tayuya as she was now. The redhead had three years; three long, fucking years to seduce and corrupt her Naruto-kun. Would she even be able to recognize the cheerful blond by the time he returned? In her mind, she imagined an older, black-haired Naruto with multiple piercings and tattoos all over his body. She couldn't allow that to happen, but what could she do?! They were leaving the next day!
All her dreams of dating, marrying, and eventually having children with the blond were slowly crumbling before her eyes. Where was Kami-sama when she needed him? She'd always been a good, kind person, and she always did everything she could to improve herself. Was this his way of saying that she was worthless? That she would never succeed no matter how hard she tried?
Out of tears and ideas, Hinata slowly drifted into unconsciousness, tossing and turning as she slept. It was going to be a long three years.
----------------
The moon brightly illuminated the darkened city of Konoha, pouring its rays into every dark corner of the village. Naruto and Tayuya slowly walked back home, both deeply immersed in their own thoughts. It had been a rough and trying night, but waltzing along under the full glowing moon and feeling the gentle breeze coming from the West was more than enough to calm them. The girl glanced up at the faraway expression on the blond's normally smiling face. She idly wondered what he was thinking about at that moment, noticing the slight smirk that appeared every few seconds.
Was he thinking about Ino? Hinata? Or maybe, he was thinking about her. The quiet night gave her a sudden bout of confidence, and pulling lightly on the arm clutched to her chest, she cleared her throat to get his attention.
"Ne, Naruto..." she started, nervously cracking her knuckles with her thumbs. "I'm...well, you know...sorry." She breathed with exertion, glad that she'd gotten what she wanted to say out before she lost her nerve. Apologizing was something she rarely did, and even then it was only to Orochimaru for messing something up. He turned his eyes away from the moon to stare curiously into her angular light brown eyes.
"For what?"
"You know! For everything! I... know it's not easy to be around me all the time, and I kind of do a lot of shit that I don't mean. Like yesterday." She darted her eyes up to read his expression, but found the same blank look on his face that he always had. Typical Naruto. "It...wasn't you. I mean, it wasn't because of the...you know. That." She cursed her mind for not being able to form a coherent sentence, and glanced up again to gauge his reaction. She frowned when she realized that he wasn't even looking at her; instead, his eyes were focused on the vividly glowing full moon above them. Her eyes lowered back to the ground as they continued along the dark streets. Neither of them noticed the pair of wide eyes watching them from the alleyway.
Although she refused to admit it to herself, she was a little hurt that he didn't say anything. Even if he declined her pathetic attempt at an apology, it would be better than the disinterested silence he was currently regarding her with.
"Thanks," he started, startling her with his sudden words. Her hair billowed out behind her as she snapped her head up to look at his mischievously grinning face. "Even though I kind of figured that out when you kept on grabbing my arm." Automatically, her eyes dropped to where her chest met his arm. A full blush crept onto her face as she realized that she'd been hugging it ever since they'd left his apartment. She was so caught up in her competition with Hinata that she didn't even realize what she'd been doing! She quickly threw his arm out of her grasp and put on her best angry glare. Unfortunately, in her current flustered state, it looked more like a cute blushing pout. In the back of her mind, she noticed that she missed the warmth provided by his body.
"I-Idiot! I was just doing that because my legs felt tired! Don't get any perverted ideas!" Naruto's grin widened as he casually slung his slightly sticky arm over her shoulders.
"Aw, come on, Tayuya-chan! Does this look like the face of a pervert?" She jabbed him lightly in the ribs and snorted.
"No, it looks more like the face of an idiot." He hung his head in mock pain, sniffling loudly for effect. Unable to help herself, Tayuya quietly began to giggle. "You really are an idiot, you know that?" His demeanor immediately changed into a happy one, and he shrugged exaggeratedly and smiled. If he wasn't a shinobi, he might actually make a pretty good actor.
"Maaaybe, but I make up for it with my ninja skills!" This time, she full on laughed out loud, holding her stomach to keep her innards from spilling out onto the ground. If anyone had been outside to see them, the genin could have easily been mistaken for a young couple in love. Naruto stuck out his lower lip and frowned. "What?!"
"Nothing...nothing..." she chuckled, struggling to fight down her laughter. Fuck, she'd never laughed so much in her life! Sure, she'd laughed evily while decapitating or gutting enemy ninja, but this was a different kind of laughter. This time, she was genuinely filled with joy. If these past three weeks were any indication, she would thoroughly enjoy the next three years together with Naruto.
They settled into a comfortable silence after a couple of minutes, both lost in their own thoughts. Suddenly, Tayua stopped in the middle of the street to slowly look up at an inquisitive Naruto.
"Wait, did you just call me Tayuya-chan?"
----------------
"Danzo-sama! Danzo-sama!" A lone man slowly limped into the main throne room of the ROOTS base, sweating and gasping for breath. His large muscles were covered in a fine sheen of moisture, and his foot was wrapped tightly in a long strip of white gauze. Since he was one of the lowest members of the ROOTS organization, none of the medical ninja wanted to waste their chakra on fixing his foot. He was forced to rush he and his two friends to a regular hospital where they received adequate but time consuming treatment.
The old man sitting in a dark stone chair sighed and boredly spared the civilian warrior a glance. He didn't know why he bothered to recruit such weak and pathetic people.
"What is it?" he barked, already growing impatient with the quivering mound of flesh and bones. The injured man quickly bowed lowly before his leader and began to speak.
"It...it's about the Kyuubi, sir!" Danzo's ears involuntarily perked up at the mention of Konoha's jinchuuriki. The last he'd heard, the boy had been involved in killing an assassin from the Sound village, and had exhibited a substantial amount of the Kyuubi's chakra. He'd tried to push for the boy to be admitted into his organization, claiming that Naruto was a danger to himself and to those around him. To his annoyance, the Hokage had vehemently refused his offer, mentioning something about 'other plans.' He hadn't been able to find anything out about these plans, but perhaps this piece of cannon fodder could provide some insight into what that harlot of a Hokage was thinking.
"The Kyuubi, you say?" he started, a small, calculating smirk appearing on his wrinkled old face. "What about him?"
"He...well, it...it's not really about him..." The old warhawk felt his annoyance meter rising. Honestly, why the hell did he even keep idiots like this around?! "It's about his demon girlfriend!" Ah. That's why.
"Explain." The man nodded and slowly got to his feet.
"Me, Toketsu, and Zabi were walking down the street, minding our own business, when she just attacked us!" He emphasized the point by showing the older man his broken foot. "If I wouldn't have jumped in her way at the last moment, she would've killed them!" The old man frowned and leaned forward with mild interest.
"And how does she relate to the Kyuubi?"
"I just saw them on my way back from the hospital! She was hanging all over him like some kind of brothel girl! I bet the Kyuubi told her to attack us!" Danzo stared at the mumbling man from over his interlaced fingers. Now that he thought about it, he remembered hearing from one of his ANBU spies that there was a redheaded girl at the scene of the assassination. There was a small chance that she was the same girl, and if so...
"Tell me, what does this girl look like?" he asked, his interest piquing for the first time in days. The man blinked, but quickly began to relay everything he knew about the murderous bitch he'd met earlier that day.
"Well..she has red hair...and I think brown eyes. She's kinda small; about the same size as the Kyuubi kid."
"Interesting. She must be a kunoichi, given how easily she brought three fully grown men to their knees." The younger man winced at the not so subtle insult. "Is that all?"
"H-hai, Danzo-sama." At that moment, a single kunai flew threw the air to pierce the crippled man right between the eyes. He fell back with a ground shaking thud, spilling blood and pieces of his forehead onto the ground. A small snort was heard from the direction of the throne.
"Sorry about that. Can't have anyone finding out that I know about the girl just yet." He rested his chin on his upturned palms. "Just what is that troublesome wench up to?" he mumbled, racking his brain for any kind of explanation. She wasn't the type of woman to forcibly breed the Kyuubi for its power, and she certainly wasn't the type to do things without a reason. Just what was she planning? "Come!"
A short, black-haired boy appeared from a dark corner of the room. His large dark eyes were nearly emotionless as he approached his leader, and he knelt to one knee in front of him.
"Yes, Danzo-sama?" he asked, his short dark hair falling in front of his eyes. The older man smiled crookedly and motioned towards the dead man in front of him.
"I recently received some interesting information from a now deceased source. I want you to find any information you can on every redheaded girl in Konoha. I expect a report by Sunday afternoon. Are we clear?" The boy nodded minutely, standing to face his superiour head on.
"Yes, Danzo-sama." With that, he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Danzo's crooked smile widened as plans began to formulate in his battle worn mind.
"Now what will you do, Tsunade?"