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Asuma was a man of numerable talents. With his dangerously honed ninja skills, he was definitely a man entitled to fear, or at least worthy of the admiration to the fact that he had self preservation.
In other words, Asuma knew when it was safe (and smart) to run instead of fighting.
Standing now in the open doorway of Kurenai's apartment facing down into the dangerously determined face of his fiancés only female student, Asuma was faced with this very choice: fight for Kurenai's time and attention (he was sure that the young lady's expression promised violence) or take his loss and escape with all his chakra intact.
The man wasn't stupid.
"Excuse me Hinata, I was just leaving," cautiously stepping around the Hyuuga woman, Asuma called over his shoulder to the beautiful woman who was watching the ongoing with a poorly concealed smirk, "Kurenai, I'll catch you up later."
Hinata flushed with embarrassment as the older Jouuin swiftly brushed past her in the door. She hadn't meant to interrupt any…alone time, and when she hesitated in the door after he left, Kurenai spoke.
"What's wrong? Didn't you want to discuss something?"
Hovering anxiously, she tried not to fiddle with her fingers out of long habit.
"Um..well, I d-didn't mean to in-interrupt.."
Hinata wasn't even quite sure what she might have brought to an abrupt end. She had not really taken the time to consider what she was doing, or who she was bothering. All she had on her mind was Hanabi.
"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to.." She gestured helplessly.
The older woman's laugh vibrated off the walls and Hinata's ears as she was beckoned into the neatly decorated apartment.
"Don't worry about it, now come sit down and we'll talk."
Settling herself at the small plain looking table, Hinata couldn't help but wonder if this was hot it felt to have a mother, or perhaps an older sister. Someone who doesn't abandon her at the first sign of weakness, and ignored her as a failure. An unconditional bond and love.
A steaming cup of tea being placed in front of her holded hands brought Hinata out of her reverie, and looking up at the makeup enhanced eyes – kindly regarding her from across the tabler- Hinata spoke impulsively.
"Is this what a mother would act like?"
She regretted the words instantly as a sad shadow passed over her sensei's face. It hadn't meant to sound so deprived, but it couldn't be helped; the fact was that she couldn't' remember how it was like to have such a person. Not that she cried over it much, if at all. She didn't have a memory that wasn't distorted with haziness of childhood, nor did she have any photos.
It was tough not having at least a face to cry over, so she didn't cry.
"Has Hiashi said something again?"
Kurenai was one of the handful of people who never put the suffix 'lord' in addressing her father. It took Hinata a few years of maturing before she realized it was more than plain dislike that had her sensei be so disrespectful.
Kurenai simply loathed the man and all her stands for.
In a far corner of her mind, Hinata thought she could understand why.
"No," the other woman's face relaxed "I wanted to talk about something I remembered from…being kidnapped."
Both ignored the ashamed flush that lit her cheeks; though the older doing so in respect to the younger's desire.
"And here I was hoping I'd get to hear some juicy tid bits about our young Aburame."
The flush intensified as Hinata refused to meet Kurenai's laughing eyes. I t wasn't like there was much to say; she wasn't going to disclose what happened at the training ground. She had a hard enough time not remembering the memory of that kiss…
The thought rammed to a halt as she forced it away; no way was she going to think about that as she sat leisurely sipping tea with her sensei. There was a limit to Hinata's mindful rebellion, and thinking of kissing boys was it.
"Uh, no…Kurenai-sensei do you know anything about the Hyuuga clan?"
Suspicion arose when the amused smile slid off the pretty face.
"Anything isn't very specific Hinata."
The clip dissuading tone seemed to only make the failed Hyuuga heiress only more determined.
Frankly she was tired of people not answering her questions.
"Specifically, what did they use to do with people they…didn't want anymore?"
Kurenai's finely arched brows puckered, and Hinata only belatedly realized that the woman probably thought she was referring to herself.
A shiver ran down her neck at the parallel thought of her fate and the man with pus leaking eyes.
Could it have happened to her if she had been born earlier?
"Is this about you or someone else?"
Jet hair fell over her shoulders as she shook her head, both in answer and to rid the slimy feeling that was being imagined about her eyes; making them itch at the nonexistent liquid.
What if?
"No, I'm not bothered by his rejection anymore. It's just that I was thinking about the..Hyuuga…the prisoner."
The teacup rattled as she tried to gently set it down. Her mentor's face had gone still at the mention of her kidnapper; a sure sign of her lack of cooperation. Or had it been because she said the name Hyuuga? Now that she thought of it, had she told anyone what happened? The night was hazy in a few spots.
Kurenai's next words proved that Hinata's gut instinct of suspicion was right.
"Don't pry Hinata, curiosity killed or traumatized the cat."
The following silence was thick; both now aware that one was withholding information (and Hinata was one hundred percent positive that Kurenai knew something) and that it wasn't going to be disclosed anytime soon.
It hurt to see the closed finality on the face of the person who basically raised her. A stark reminder that the life they led was full of secrets. In a life of lies, manipulation, and power-plays what response had she expected?
It was painful, but not enough to deter her. Determination and willpower were just a few things Naruto taught her.
Standing up with something that resembled calm; Hinata stepped around the chair to face the door.
"Hinata…."
Pausing with a hand on the doorknob, she looked over her shoulder to smile at the torn expression on Kurenai's face.
"It's okay Kurenai-sensei, I understand," She hesitated before boldly continuing, "but I'm still going to search and find the answers, even if you don't help me."
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Far below the Hokage Tower, water dripped incessantly onto the slippery wet floor in the dank hallway. Dark and dim, the poorly kept door on the right side was almost impossible to see; it being nearly an identical color to the moldy brick wall surrounding it.
Behind the rotted wood, a muffled sound kept tempo with the drip.
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The day had been long, too long for Shino's taste. Not that it wasn't his fault. Walking circles in the town, he had ignored the growing stares of the vendors, and sulked.
He was just as confused as he had been before he had started walking, if not even more. About Hinata, the recent mission, and mostly his own thoughts and feelings.
The question wasn't if he loved her or not; it was if he could handle the drastic change in the amount of emotion that's been seeping out lately.
Hinata was miraculously in his reach, and god only knows that it'd take power beyond all of Konoha's ninja to have him turn away from her now. It was a dangerous tension in his shoulders; waiting for the last push to happen so he could break.
It wouldn't be a threat to him, but to Hinata and any who try to keep him from her. The very realization had him sick to his stomach. A very dark feeling of possession and violence occupied the thought.
Bah!
Entering the oddly quiet house, Shino's steps slowed as he took a quick look around.
"Mom?"
Usually the small woman would burst out of some shadow or crevice to squeeze the life out of him. It was the same for any ninja Aburame; a welcome that they all adored. To know that when they went on a mission there was someone waiting at home to hug and welcome them was all that kept them going sometimes.
He dare not image Hinata in his Mom's place; it was rare for a kunoichi to wait for a shinobi. Wives usually gave up their dangerous life in favor of more domestic pursuits, but he would never do that to her. Hinata had worked too hard for that to happen; all he'd ask would to be the reason for her to return.
That still didn't explain where his mom was, not bothering to take off his sandals Shino briskly headed towards the back door that had an opening to the garden.
Pausing briefly at the opened door, he frowned behind the jacket until he caught a glimpse of wild brown hair by a particularly faded looking tree.
"Mom? What are you doing?"
A hand flop over the hair was all the response he got.
Cutting onto the grass, Shino trained his eyes on the top part of her head; trailing down as he came closer, exposing the rest of her. Finally stopping by her side, he quietly watched as she poked and prodded the trunk; a troubled expression occupying her face.
It wasn't very old, and its youth showed in the slender appearance; being easily dwarfed by the surrounding leafy trees.
" I think it's sick but I can't figure out why."
Misao's face become increasingly worried as she fluttered around the tiny trunk. Shino watched with detachment. It was probably her love of flora that had allowed his mom to ignore his father's kikaichu. Actually, Shibrika once joked that Misao planned to marry an Aburame all along, just so their handy dandy bugs could watched over her plants from other bugs.
"It looks dead."
He hadn't meant to speak aloud, but it wasn't like it was untrue. Without any specific reason, it really bothered him how worried she was over one puny sapling.
"Don't say that Shino! It can recover, it just needs help!"
Perplexed as to how a plant can get help, he glanced down to see a desperate look cross her face as a hand unconsciously touched her stomach. He was surprised to her eyes on him instead of the tree.
"Hm?
Misao felt the confusion in her son and sighed. Really, the love for her family was occasional overwhelming, but sometimes though, she couldn't help but feel astonished at their stupidity. Was this kind of blindness taught at the ninja academy?
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