Hinari
Chapter 26
Sakura Hanamoto
Hinari opened her eyes to a not so blinding light filtering in through her window. She looked carefully and saw that the sky was overcast. 'Looks like rain.' She though. Hinari attempted to sit up but found that six large lumps of fur prevented her from doing so. "Hey guys, wake up already." She nudged the nearest one. When curled up, the six siblings looked exactly the same, size was the only difference.
"Five more minutes," One of them muttered. Hinari tried not to laugh. She gave each of them a soft shake and they all opened their eyes blearily.
"Time to wake up and seize the day." She said.
"Hinari, we don't wake up this early during the winter." Akagane muttered.
"My house, my rules." Hinari responded. She pushed Yumeka off of her feet and got up and stretched. Hinari wandered into the bathroom and showered. She came out with a towel wrapped around her body and another around her hair. Hinari dug through her dresser and closet to find something to wear. She was about to remove the towel but paused when she noticed all six foxes watching her intently. "Do you mind?" She asked.
"Sorry." Akagane wandered off through the small apartment and settled down in the kitchen with his siblings. Hinari finished dressing and dried her hair off and moved into the kitchen to eat.
"You guys want something to eat?" She asked them.
"No, we'll get our own." Kai responded. Hinari opened the door and they slipped out one by one, she watched them through the window as they made their way out of the village. Hinari looked through her refrigerator for food. With a sigh she closed the door.
"Nothing, I'll just get some ramen." Hinari put her sandals on and headed out. She plodded down the street headed towards Ichiraku. 'Haven't had any in quite sometime.' She thought as she approached the small stand. She stepped over the threshold to find four other costumers already there.
"Good morning Hinari-chan." Ayame greeted her with a smile. Hinari sat down at one of the stools.
"Good morning Ayame-san." Hinari responded.
"Haven't seen you here in a while, so what'll it be?" Ayame asked.
"Shrimp please." Hinari said.
"Coming right up." Ayame continued making ramen for one of the other costumers, a tall man in his forties with silver hair and a mask covered most of his face. He also wore a bandana around his forehead and over one eye. Ayame set the bowl down in front of him. "Here you go Kakashi-san." Ayame instantly began work on Hinari's bowl.
"Thanks." Hinari heard the man named Kakashi mutter. Hinair wondered how he planned on eating with that mask on. Kakashi was reaching up to pull the mask on when he stopped. He turned to Hinari. "Do you mind?" He asked in a dull tone.
"Oh, sorry." Hinari looked away in embarrassment. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the mask be pulled down and the ramen disappeared in an incredible rate. Before she knew it, he was done eating.
"That was good." He murmured. He left some money on the counter, stood and walked away. The other three costumers were people Hinari didn't recognize. But she could hear them talking.
"You think Sasuke's around today?" One asked. There were two men, one considerably larger than the other, and a woman with an interesting hair-cut.
"Why wouldn't he be? I hear that he rarely leaves the village anymore." The larger man said.
"I heard his oldest graduated last June." The woman added. "But why'd he pick that Sakura over me?" She wined. Both men laughed at her.
"Simple, she doesn't cling." The smaller man said.
"Shut up, Suigetsu!" She woman punched him in the arm.
"Here you go Hinari-chan." Hinari's attention was pulled away from the three adults when her ramen was set in front of her.
"Thanks." Hinari immediately set about eating her breakfast in large gulps. When she was done, she paid for it and left, the three adults still arguing amongst themselves. Hinari wandered around for a little bit until she ran into Takuro.
"Morning Hinari, how are you this morning?" He asked.
"I'm fine, a little bored." Hinari responded. "You look like you didn't get much sleep." She commented.
"That would be because I didn't." He told her. "But I'll be fine. Good thing we aren't on duty until Tsubaki gets back."
"Yeah, but it's so boring without a mission to complete."
"Got that right."
"Hey looks, it's Takuro!" Takuro and Hinari looked to see the three adults that had been at Ichiraku.
"You know these guys?" Hinari asked him.
"Somewhat, old friends of Dad's." He responded. The smaller man with the freaky teeth ruffled Takuro's hair.
"Jeez, you look more and more like your dad every time I see you Takuro." He commented. "At least you don't act like him at least."
"What are you guys doing here, Suigetsu-san?" Takuro asked.
"Just came by to visit, after all, we can go where we want anyway." The larger man said. "Where is your dad anyway?" He asked.
"He should be in his office at the police force headquarters." Takuro responded.
"Sasuke-kun is busy, as usual." The woman said, with a hint of contempt in her voice.
"What's wrong with Karin-san?" Takuro asked.
"She's still bitter that your father married Sakura instead of her." Suigetsu told him. Takuro raised an eyebrow. It was then that the three noticed Hinari.
"That your girlfriend?" The large man asked.
"Juugo-san!" Takuro flushed at the question.
"What? It's just a question." Juugo laughed at him. "Besides, it's not an embarrassing question. Is she?" Hinari was indeed embarrassed by the question.
"No." Takuro replied.
"What's your name?" Juugo asked Hinari.
"U-Uzumaki Hinari." She answered. Juugo's size was intimidating.
"Uzumaki? You mean like, Rokudaime Hokage Uzumaki?" Suigetsu asked.
"Yes, he was my father."
"Don't look much like him, except for the eyes." Karin commented, pushing her glasses up.
"Uh, weren't you guys going to see my Dad?" Takuro asked.
"Oh, right, see you around Takuro." Suigetsu began to walk off, and the other two followed.
"They're a little weird." Hinari muttered.
"Yeah, definitely." Silence prevailed between them for a moment. "So," Takuro trailed off, failing to find something to talk about. 'Is there anything you want to do?" He asked her. Hinari shrugged.
"Not really, didn't really think about it." Hinari responded.
"This sucks, day just started and we're already bored." Takuro sighed and scratched the back of his head.
"Takuro, Hinari!" They turned to see Iruka running up to them.
"The Hokage wishes to see both of you." He told them.
"Now?" Hinari asked.
"Yes, now." He told her. The two glanced at each other and followed Iruka up to the Hokage's office.
XxXxXxX
"Are you sure we're allowed to go on a mission by ourselves?" Hinari asked the Hokage.
"It's a low C-rank; there shouldn't be any difficulties with it." He responded.
"Why isn't Hikaru-sensei coming with us?" Takuro asked.
"There is a rumor flying through the villages that needs investigating, it concerns Konoha greatly, Hikaru is out helping with the investigations." Konohamaru told them. "You head out today at noon." He said. Hinari and Takuro nodded and left.
"Well, at least we won't be bored." Takuro said.
"Yeah, I guess. See you later." Hinari said as she headed back to her apartment to prepare for their mission. 'Great, a mission, just me and Takuro, alone. Why?' She thought in despair.
"You're not happy?"
'Am I supposed to be?'
"Well, since he is the object of your affections, I would think you would be."
'I'm not like those creepy fangirls, in case you haven't noticed. Which brings up a good question.'
"What would that be?"
'Why have I not seen very many lately?'
"Maybe they figure that they can't get near him, what with you and Tsubaki chasing them off in annoyance."
'That's a good point. But Tsubaki isn't around, they'd be all over him, not that I'd let them get away with that.'
"Uh-huh, well, carry on with your packing." Hinari packed what she felt would be necessary and headed out towards the West Gate.
'We're headed north, great, cold weather, and its winter to boot!' Hinari was not happy about this. Hinari pushed her sleeves down so that they came down to her wrists and stuffed her hands in her pockets. She was ready for the weather that may come, including an olive drab cloak stuffed into her backpack, as well as a scarf. By the time she reached the gate, I light snow was falling. 'And here I thought it was going to rain.' She thought dismally. It hardly snowed in Konoha to start with, but it made her even more miserable when it did. It only snowed every few years, the last time it had, she was five and it had been Hell on Earth for her.
"Hinari!" Takuro was already waiting, his shorts switched for a pair of pants, and athletic tape wrapped around his arms completely.
"Let's just get going already." Hinari muttered. Takuro realized that she wasn't in the best of moods and decided to leave her alone. The two headed out in silence, and boredom. They didn't see the point of a C-rank mission where they had to actually leave the country.
XxXxXxX
By sundown, there was a good layer of snow on the ground and Hinari had been muttering a string curses for the past hour. Apart from the crunch of their shoes on the snow, Hinari's soft voice was the only thing that broke the silence.
"Hinari," Takuro said softly.
"What!" She snapped. Takuro winced from the volume of her voice.
"Its getting dark, maybe we should just stop here for the night." He suggested.
"Oh, okay." Hinari removed her backpack. "Sorry for snapping at you."
"Its okay, no need to apologize." Takuro gave her a smile as they began to set up a small camp. Hinari managed to clear enough snow to get a fire going while Takuro set up a tent. "We'll be better off in the same tent, we won't freeze that much that way." He explained to her. Hinari nodded and drew a kunai. Without much trouble, she threw it and speared a rabbit. Akagane and Umi appeared soon, the other four not far behind.
"Thanks for chasing it out for us guys." Hinari said and she skinned and cleaned the rabbit.
XxXxXxX
Hinari rolled over onto her side, she could faintly see Takuro's outline as he slept just a couple of feet away from her. Luckily for her, he didn't snore too much. She rolled onto her back and closed her eyes. Hinari snuggled farther into her sleeping bag to stay warm and eventually fell asleep.
XxXxXxX
Takuro awoke to feel something resting on his chest. He lifted his head up to see that it was an arm, attached to a shoulder that belonged to Hinari. At some point during the night, she rolled over, closer to him and had curled up against him. He picked her arm up and got up, leaving her to continue sleeping for a little while longer. He got the fire going again and he shivered, it had snowed even more the night before so that his feet sank into it even farther than the day before. Once the fire was going strong, he went back into the tent and woke Hinari up.
"Hey, wake up, come on." He shook her gently. Hinari simply rolled onto her stomach and murmured something he couldn't quite hear. Takuro couldn't figure out how to wake her up when Yumeka bounded into the tent and crawled into Hinari's sleeping bag. Hinari began to fidget, as Yumeka moved about inside. Finally Hinari began to laugh and she woke up.
"Y-Yumeka, stop it!" She cried. Yumeka popped out of the sleeping bag.
"It woke you up didn't it?" Yumeka asked.
"Yes, but couldn't you have let Takuro do it."
"If I'd done that, we'd be here all day." Takuro glared at the fox. Yumeka bounded out of the tent and was off into the forest.
"Come on Hinari, we have to get going." He said. Hinari got out of her sleeping bag and stretched. They broke camp, ate quickly, put out the fire and were on the road again in no time.
"So, where are we headed again?" Hinari asked. Takuro shrugged.
"Our debriefing was very vague. It said to head north until we came to a small road-side inn. We were supposed to meet someone there."
"Do we have a name for the inn or the person?" Hinari asked.
"No, Hokage-sama said we'd know it when we saw it, and the person will know to come to us. What a crappy mission." Takuro said. A cold wind blew and they both reached into their packs for their cloaks. Hinari's was a tad too long and practically brushed the ground. She also wrapped the scarf loosely around her neck. "Cold?" Takuro asked.
"I hate the cold." Hinari replied.
"Almost as much as I do."
'At least you have fur!'
"That I do." Kyuubi wasn't doing much to help her, but at lease she was warmer. Hinari rubbed her hands together to keep them warm.
"Here." Takuro handed Hinari some gloves. "I don't need them, but you look like you do." Hinari removed her fingerless gloves and put on the ones Takuro gave her. The fingers were too long, but it wouldn't be a liability to her if she should need the use of her hands. Hinari looked up at Takuro and smiled.
"Thanks."
"Takuro and Hinari sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G."
'Shut up! Stupid fur ball!"
"Fur ball? Fur ball?! Who are you calling a fur ball?!"
'You!' Hinari grumbled. "Stupid fur ball, starting to piss me off." Takuro snickered.
XxXxXxX
They walked along the road, though they could barely see where they were going since a storm had kicked in and there had been no time to find shelter.
"Hinari! Can you see if we're near the inn?" Takuro called to her over the whistling wind. Hinari concentrated and activated her Byakugan. She blinked once or twice to clear her vision properly, several meters ahead there was indeed an inn.
"We're not too far away from one!" Hinari replied. She stretched her hand out to him. "Give me your hand!" Takuro reached for it, and was just able to grab it. Hinari lead the way through the torrent of wind and snow that assaulted them. Soon they made it to the inn and Takuro yanked the door open. They slipped inside and shut the door. Both of them breathed a sigh of relief at the feeling of warmth that struck them. "Made it." Hinari murmured with a grin.
"Phew, good thing you saw this place, we probably would have gone right passed it." Takuro said.
"Hey kids, what were you doing out in that storm?" An old man with a crooked back asked.
"We got caught in the storm, that's all." Takuro responded.
"I'll assume you want to stay here for the night. Two rooms?" He asked.
"One, two beds." Takuro told him. Hinari blinked and said nothing. When the old man walked off Hinari looked at him. "No one will bug us this way." He told her.
"Good point." Hinari took in the smell of something cooking. "Something smells great. Let's get something to eat." She said.
"Okay." They made their way towards the small and shabby dining area. At one end of the room was a huge fireplace crackling warmly. There were a few other people there, eating or drinking, but no one paid them any more than a moment's attention. They sat down close to the fire to warm themselves up.
"Do you think this person we're supposed to meet up with is here?" Takuro asked.
"I don't know, but hopefully he doesn't take his sweet time getting here, if he isn't here already." At that moment, the old man sauntered up and placed two cups of tea before them.
"Compliments from the gentleman in the corner over there." He nodded towards a man sitting in a shadowed corner, a hood pulled over his eyes. "I'll be back in a moment with two bowls of stew for you kids." The man shuffled away.
"You think that's him?" Hinari asked.
"Maybe, if he is, I don't see why he has to beat around the bush. If does intend on communicating, he could just walk up to us."
"It'd be too conspicuous for him to do that. He's probably just trying to be a bit subtle."
"Hmm, that's true." The old man returned with their food and a scroll for them. Hinari stashed away the scroll and they ate heartily. Hinari even risked a second helping. They finished eating and Hinari felt very sleepy at the moment. She gave a slight yawn.
"Let's turn in, shall we?" Takuro nodded and they got up. Both retreated to their room and shut the door. Takuro went about making sure that no one could listen in on their conversation.
"What's in the scroll?" He asked.
"Directions. It says that there's a small village not too far from here, we have to be there by sundown tomorrow." She said.
"I hate this mission." Takuro muttered. "Jeez, can't they just come out and say what they want to say and be done with it?" He flopped down onto one of the beds. Hinari picked up her backpack and pulled out some clothes.
"Turn around, I need to change." She said. Takuro complied with her request. "All right, you can look." She told him once she was finished. Hinari pulled her hair out of its braid and set the decoration aside and curled up into the sheets. "Good night Takuro." She murmured as she fell asleep.
"Good night." Takuro stayed awake for several more hours, keeping an eye out, just in case. He could hear the storm dying down outside, and he was glad for it. At least they didn't have to worry about the storm slowing their progress the next day, unless it came back. Eventually Takuro's weariness got the best of him, he changed and crawled beneath the sheets of his bed and fell asleep as well. He didn't notice a shadow pass by the window, it was too dark to.