I must apologize, again, for vanishing off the face of the earth for so long. It so happens that the end of the year is rolling around and because I'm in IB classes at school end of the year exams are being shoved down my throat. Lol.
For those of you who don't know what IB is, let me tell you it's a hopeless curriculum in which the students die of information overload :p
Anyway, with that and the fact that I have to get another job. (that'd be my number two) and training to get into my adult advanced class in kickboxing so I can start defendo and compete in championships, I'm pretty much dead.
Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead.
So, that is why I haven't posted anything new, and I am muchly sorry. I hope you all forgive me.
Anyway, lol, new chappie, and I actually don't know what the heck I'm gonna write… I hope it makes some sort of sense.
Read and Review!
-ink
Hinata crouched, close enough to the shop window to feel the coldness of the glass nearly touching the end of her nose, but that didn't distract her, not from the fluid movement of the dark creature in front of her, the rippling muscle and elegance with which he moved.
Wide eyed and stunned she breathed out, her breath covering the glass in a fog of warmth, making the little creature within jump backwards in surprise, blinking huge green eyes that glittered as he moved.
"…it's like…" she began, staring at him. "…a kitty version of Sasuke…"
The sentence had a nice enough reaction, laughter bubbled, or perhaps more like exploded from Ino, Sakura and Naruto who were standing behind her, watching her stare in awe at the black kitten bouncing around within the pen, arrogantly ignoring the rest of the kittens within.
He was a small thing, no bigger than her hand, with glossy black fur and large green eyes too big for his face, though they narrowed often in the directions of the others as they tumbled about on top of one another. As if in their secret language they were saying things that annoyed him.
"I can't believe it." Sakura gasped, holding on to Naruto in an attempt to stay standing while laughing hard enough to get tears to roll down her cheeks.
"You're so right, look at that thing, it's so amazingly adorable!" Ino gasped, following Hinata's example and pressing her nose against the glass.
"He's so cute!"
"I want him…" Hinata admitted hesitantly, always the last one to admit wanting something deeply enough to say it. Naruto smirked broadly, rolling his eyes. "Doesn't that just figure."
"You should buy him!" Sakura gasped, jumping up. Naruto finally burst into laughter again. "If anyone walked in on your conversation they'd think you were buying off Sasuke… for something quite different."
Hinata colored rapidly while the other two laughed out loud, concentrating on no trying to laugh too much. "A-a-ano… that's not what I meant at all." She began, stuttering, her face heating up so much it felt like it might melt right off.
Giggling despite herself she pushed herself to her feet, looking longingly at the little kitten now sitting by the window, blinking up at her with a confused expression. Perhaps he thought that she was being strange, standing there looking at him for so long.
"…I'll buy him." She nodded suddenly, blinking back at the cute furball with a weak smile, absent minded in her expression.
Sakura and Ino blinked at each other startled out of their laughter by the concentrated look on her face.
"Hai? You're going to buy him?"
Hinata bumped her fingers together, blushing just a little. "Do you think Sasuke will be angry? I mean… i-it sorta is a new being in t-the house-"
"Aw, come on. Just buy it, he'll have to suck it up." Sakura grumbled, rolling her eyes to the sunny sky above.
"Dattebayo." Naruto grumbled, rolling his own eyes. "This is the first time she goes out on her own in how long? And she comes back with a whole new member to the family-"
"They're not quite a family!" Ino crowed, laughing. "He's gonna have to propose for that."
Shrinking slowly into the corner where the door was to the pet shop, Hinata watched them, so red in the face she might as well have been part of the solid red brick wall.
"Oooooh, my GOD. Can you imagine the size of the stone in her ring? It's going to be MASSIVE. He's got enough money to-" Sakura began, stopping abruptly catching sight of Naruto's quirked eyebrow.
"Er… nevermind."
"Hey!" Ino gasped, looking around in surprise. "Where did Hinata go?"
Gasping he flung down the kunai, bringing up his hands in place to block the solid quick, feeling the impact of Neji's expelled chakra shock against his forearms, sending him skidding backwards into the tree behind him.
Clenching his jaw forcefully he dodged a following punch, the impact of that on the bark behind him sending splinters everywhere. With a grunt he shoved forward, throwing an elbow into the place where Neji's face should have been, spinning around to face him as another series of attacks came, flickering out of sight just long enough to confuse him, a rain of shuriken flung down, making Neji flicker out of sigh as well, urging his body to move faster.
Behind them, sitting quite worriedly on a nearby tree branch was Tenten, flinging her hands up to cover her eyes repeatedly as the two top shinobi of her age group sparred. Making another 'eep' noise she covered her eyes, peeking between her fingers to stare at the dangerous blows being exchanged.
Beside her sat Lee, looking on in wide eyed surprise.
"Ne, ne!" He cried, shaking his head. "Neji-kun and Sasuke-san are a mighty sight to behold! A true show of the power of youth!"
"They're going to die young too if someone doesn't stop them!" Tenten gasped in return, shoving herself to her feet slowly, only to be dragged down by the green-clad young man beside her. "Trust them, Tenten-chan. They are not so out of control as to hurt each other- and…" he gave her a happy grin and a thumbs up, the nice guy pose. "Hinata-chan is on their minds, they wouldn't do anything to one another, if only for her sake."
Clenching her jaw Tenten sighed, lowering herself back down hesitantly. "…yeah." She admitted, looking glum as she leaned her chin on her hands gloomily. "I just wish they didn't have to make it so scary."
A cry erupted from the ninja flickering in and out of sight below, Sasuke caught Neji's solid kick in his bare hands, flinching at the pain drilling down his arm.
Shit!
"Is that all you've got?" he grunted instead, throwing the shinobi forcefully away. Fluid like water, Neji spun in the air, landing in a graceful crouch a few feet away, his eyes lined heavily by the thick veins of his Byakugan.
"Bring it out, Uchiha."
Glowing red met glimmering lavender as chakra rolled in waves around them, making their hair dance.
Tenten shifted on the tree branch, looking ready to jump down. "Ne… Lee-kun… do you think they're still okay…"
Lee looked painfully impassive.
"Eh…" he began, dully.
"Oh no!" Tenten gasped suddenly, watching the two shinobi shove their feet into the ground, running towards each other at a speed her eyes could hardly follow.
Blood pumping hard in both their ears, breath caught in their throat, chakra rolling down to their fingers and- kitten?
Sasuke started, followed closely by Neji's widening gaze as a black kitten appeared in the middle of their path. He blinked innocent green eyes, hair beginning to rise up on end. "Meow?"
"Matte!"
Gasping both geniuses shoved their heels into the moss of the forest ground, straining to stop as Hinata appeared out of nowhere, ink dark hair flying around her as she scooped up the kitten in her arms and held it.
With a high pitched BANG a tree shattered behind Sasuke, ripped to shreds by Neji's chakra, followed by the complete desecration of another tree behind Neji himself.
Splinters rained down on them all as everyone stood there, wide eyed, panting, and completely frozen in place.
Finally, heart returning slowly but surely to it's normal rhythm Sasuke opened his mouth, gaping at Hinata sitting on the moss with a sigh of relief, kitten in her lap purring quite loudly.
"Hinata!" Neji and Sasuke chorused, and followed by a twin glare at one another. "I could have killed you!" Neji shouted. "What were you doing?!" Sasuke followed, rubbing his face roughly to rid himself of the tingling sensation running all over his body at the realization of what could have happened.
"Ano…" Hinata blinked up at them, ignoring the kitten climbing into her shirt haphazardly. "Gomen… I-I… well, he… he got away and I-"
At the mention of 'him' both young men turned to look down at the kitten's little rear paws vanishing into Hinata's dark shirt, a mew sounding from within the material as the little creature shifted in the warmth and poked it's head back out, quite content.
"Nani…?" Sasuke began slowly, trying not to twitch.
Neji sighed, slapping a hand to his forehead, unable to find anything to say at all.
"…a-ano…he- well I…" Hinata blushed furiously, well aware of where 'both' their eyes were looking. Slowly she wrapped her arms around herself and the cat. "…eh… he… well, I saw him, and I-"
"She bought a kitten, is that so hard to understand?" Tenten grumbled, jumping down from the tree.
Looking more infuriated than usual she stormed over to Neji who blinked at her and then started as she walked into his personal space, jabbing a finger into his chest. "What was that all about! You could have killed someone!"
"…ano-" he began, surprised by her anger.
"Don't you start! That was a rhetorical question, we're going to train some way that doesn't involve death now, do you hear?" she snapped, grabbing his arm and starting to drag him away, only to stop at the look of puzzled confusion on Sasuke's face.
"And you!" she started, letting go of Neji only long enough to jump into Sasuke's personal space as well, forcing his eyes to widen in utter surprise. He hadn't ever been able to make Tenten mad…
There's a first time for everything.
"You'd better watch it! You could have hurt someone too! Hinata, teach this hot head some manners or I'll- uuuurgh!" she grumbled, shaking her head, storming back to Neji irritably, positively fuming.
Hinata, Sasuke, Neji and Lee just stared at the kunoichi in shock, all eyes wider than usual. "Let's go!" she ordered, grabbing Neji's arm again.
"…bye… Tenten-chan.." Hinata half whispered, her eyes almost as wide as the kitten's own gaze as he stared after the slightly terrifying female.
"Tenten-chan! Wait!" Lee shouted, running after them after an absent minded wave at Sasuke and Hinata.
"…she…was really…"
"Pissed off." Sasuke finished, running a hand through his hair thoughtfully, smirking slightly despite himself. "Only because I put her unofficial boyfriend in slight danger."
"Sasuke!" Hinata gasped, giving him a half hearted look that might have been scolding if she weren't half pouting.
"Ne, he can handle it." Sasuke sighed, smirking back at her, blushing despite himself. "...ano.." he added, watching her look down with a surprised 'eep' at the kitten in her shirt.
"Who's he?"
"Sasu…" Hinata mumbled, so softly he had to strain to hear.
"…Sasu." He stated, sounding slightly startled as he walked over to her, crouching down to look at the black bulge sticking out of the neck of her shirt. "…wait a minute." He began, making the connection the moment the kitten gave him a glare.
"I'm sorry!" Hinata gasped, looking up at him, shoving strands of dark hair out of her way as the wind blew by, making the last of the cherry blossoms dance through it's strands. "I should have asked! But, I saw him and I… well, he.." she stopped, looking down at the kitten burying her nose in his dark fur. Softly she mumbled something, blushing so hard even the kitten felt the heat.
"…nani?" Sasuke blinked slightly, reaching out to touch the cat but stopping at the amount of blushing she was going through.
At his question she darkened a shade, eyes closing sharply as she lifted her face out of the kitten's fur to answer as quickly as possible.
"…he reminded me of you and I didn't know if I could leave it in the pen with the others because he looked so unhappy and I just didn't know if I would have time to come and ask if it was okay or not so I bought him without saying anything and I didn't know what to do so I came here to ask now that I have him but I don't know it's okay if he can stay and I-" she stopped, looking up at him and his wide eyed gaze, turning a whole new shade of crimson at his stare. "…gomen."
For a moment neither of them spoke, listening only to the soft purring sound of the kitten in her arms and the wind whispering through the branches of the trees.
Letting out a soft sigh, followed by a rapid coloring of his cheeks, Uchiha Sasuke shook his head slightly, smirking, reaching out to touch her cheek rather than the cat.
"…you're so damn cute."
"Ne…Neji-kun?" Hinata muttered, petting the napping kitten in her lap. They had caught up soon after the little encounter in the woodland to the other team who had moved from sparring to target practice, at which Tenten was a champion at. The girl flicked a handful of kunai up and down while Hinata and Neji rested, sitting on the roots of the trees lining the outskirts of the site.
Sasuke and Lee were off in the distance, practicing taijutsu.
"Nani?" came the quiet reply as Neji lifted his nose out of a book, glancing at his cousin, eyes softening at the intent expression of care on her face as she stroked the kitten's fur.
"…h-how…how is Hanabi-chan?" she mumbled, cocking her head to the side as she looked up. "…I…haven't dared to ask…"
For a moment there was silence as the cold Hyuuga turned away, looking down at the ground thoughtfully for a way to pull his thoughts together. It had been a few weeks since he had been working together with Sasuke to improve Hinata's training regimen. She had asked nothing about her sister, though it had appeared several times that she had begun to ask something and then caught herself, stopping before the sentence began.
Now he knew what had been bothering her for so long.
"…I wouldn't know, Hinata." He replied honestly, closing his book and glancing up at her to watch her expression slowly slide from wary to worried. "…what do you mean?"
Neji sighed, eyes glazing over as memories slid across his vision.
The silhouette of Hanabi against the blankess of the opposite wall was disturbing, her panting and gasping body trembled as she pulled herself up, chin up per chin up, the shadow of her instructor standing beside her, snapping in a low voice to move faster, push harder, go longer.
He didn't have to see through walls to know that she was sobbing…
"Her instruction begins at dawn and ends at dusk. I have no time to speak to her, there is an instructor with her almost every moment of the day." He sighed softly, eyes sliding away from Hinata again to stare at the ground.
Half moons formed against Hinata's palm as her nails dug into her flesh, making her flinch, feeling each throbbing wave of pain acutely, satisfying her desire to hurt something.
"…I have been so caught up… in my own affairs." Hinata whispered softly, looking down, the shame settling on her shoulders heavily. "I have forgotten my duty as her sister. Without me there to distract oto-san…" Sighing softly she leaned her head back against the tree trunk behind her, closing her eyes, looking into the darkness swirling with color.
"…I am without any excuse."
"Stop. Hinata, you can do nothing-"
"I haven't even contacted her…" the sound of weakness there was all too clear. At her words there was another silence as thoughts flowed through each of their minds.
Slowly she opened her eyes. "I should go."
"You'll never be allowed within the estate." Neji frowned. "You've been disowned, not unless you want to talk to your father-"
"No, not like that." Hinata smiled sadly. "I'll have to sneak in."
"You want to what?" Sasuke sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in order to release some of the stress that had decided to jump on him at that moment.
Hinata looked confusedly at him from across the kitchen table, her hands wrapped around her tea cup, kitten sitting quite happily on her shoulder, playing with her hair.
"…I need to sneak into the Hyuuga compound tonight." She repeated, cocking her head at him, puzzled by his hesitance. It wouldn't be that hard. With her byakugan she could see any guards from every angle.
Sasuke on the other hand just stared at her, well aware that every byakugan user in the village was stationed at that house to protect the new princess, who was younger than Hinata… and though he hated to admit it, considered more valuable.
He hadn't had to ask Neji to know that.
"Do you realize how impossible that might be?"
"No." Hinata admitted, smiling at him knowingly. "That's why I want to try?"
Sighing heavily the Uchiha turned and gave the kitten on her shoulder a glare as if he were the cause of all the trouble.
"Why?"
At this the Hyuuga heir slouched slightly in her chair, reaching up to pet the kitten on her shoulder, her fingers moving through his soft fur gently, a comfort to her bruised pride.
"…my sister, Sasuke. I need to speak with her. It's only a few months before we face each other in battle- it's been over a year since I last spoke to her." She sighed, pressing her lips together into a thin line as he looked at her silently, an impassiveness he hadn't used with her for months crossing his features at the mention of her sister.
"…she… doesn't want to be part of the battle, I know she doesn't want the title of heir any more than I ever did."
This was followed by a look of confusion from the Uchiha as he prossesed the information, frowning slightly.
"What does she want then?'
Hinata smiled then, the memories of Hanabi's brilliant lavender eyes lighting up at the mention of what she thought was her destiny, like Naruto's fate to be Hokage.
"She wants to be an Anbu captain… Someone to fear, someone the other villages will know not to want on their trail." She sighed, rubbing her forehead slightly as a frown washed away her smile, the kitten sitting on her shoulder cocked his head, as if puzzled by her changing expression.
"She's still so young." Hinata mumbled, feeling a shiver pass through her at the memory of how young she was once too, and what struggles she had faced. "Oto-san must be destroying her with the amount of work required to keep me from the clan…"
"What would talking to her do?" Sasuke studied her over the rim of his coffee cup, studying the way her eyes softened slightly at the mention her sister, an expression she did not use even while speaking of Neji or her best friends. The only other time that had ever happened had been when her lips had formed the word oka-san.
And… he had noted, while blushing furiously, when she said his name.
"…I want to know, if either of us should forfeit the match." Hinata swallowed hard, looking up at him rapidly. "She will be a terrible opponent to face if Neji is right… I don't know if I can win against her, but perhaps she will let me, if she wants me to take the title off her hands."
Sasuke frowned, lowering his cup to the table, lips pressed into a thin line. "What about you? Do you want the title?"
Slowly those lavender eyes he loved so much drifted from his face to the marble table where they focused, glaring only slightly at the material as if it were the very essence of all pain she had ever endured.
"…I will take it." She nodded. "If Hanabi does not wish to wield such power."
"You don't want it." He could hear it, the moment she hesitated the way her voice rose and fell as the words left her mouth. The word power did not invite her to smile, but left a bitter taste on her lips. If he had kissed her right then, perhaps he would have tasted it too. Metallic and cold yet warm with hatred. A little like blood.
Hinata shook her head slowly, only one shake from right to left. "No." she smiled weakly, looking up at him through her lashes. "But then again… what right have I to leave my clan to rot the way it is currently doing?"
For a moment they stared at each other, and Sasuke came to the realization that he too had done something that he had always loathed of himself, forced by the sense of pride he had been given from childhood to avenge his clan.
Sickened, all the while, by his own actions to achieve such a goal. It wasn't about want, or even need any more, not for people like them.
It was about fate.
Tsunade's words from nearly half a year ago weren't lost to him either, the memory of her intense blue gaze burned into his mind. "I need her to save the rotting clan that is her family."
"Hn." He grunted softly, lifting his cup of coffee up to his lips again, studying her as she tickled behind one of the kitten's ears, crooning softly, eyes glazed with thoughts concerning their conversation. He didn't have to know her as well as he did to know that she was bothered.
"Fine." He muttered, closing his eyes, knowing somehow he would regret what he was agreeing to. "We'll figure a way to sneak into the compound tonight."
At his words Hinata turned to look at his sharply, eyes widening with mirth at his slightly gloomy expression.
"Ne, Sasuke-kun." She teased softly, leaning her chin on her hand as she cocked her head to the side. "Are you really that nervous about sneaking into my old house?'
The young man almost wrinkled his nose at her, but managed not to, instead he looked at her intensely over the rim of his coffee cup, eyes dramatically accented by the steam rising from it's dark depths.
"Your father is in there." He grunted, allowing himself only half a smirk. "No one is going to blame me for being nervous."
"…I must agree." Hinata laughed suddenly, leaning over the table to kiss his forehead before standing up. "We better get ready then."
"You're telling me."
Without another word the grumbling Uchiha downed the rest of his coffee and followed her and Sasu out the door.
If they were going to sneak into a house full of high ranked byakugan users they had better be ready.
"You're going to do what?' Sakura sighed, rubbing her face tiredly, wondering if perhaps she had heard wrong. Hinata looked back at her, slightly condescending in her stare. "I-it's not so crazy-"
"You've got to be kidding!" Ino shouted, nearly jumping to her feet. "They can all see through 'walls' might I remind you!"
"Shut up!" Sakura grunted, grabbing the blonde by the wrist and giving her a sharp tug back down onto her chair.
The coffee shop owners were shaking their heads behind their counter, having expected some sort of loud explosion from their side of the café the moment the three had arrived and sat down. They knew more about the live of those three kunoichi than anyone they had ever served for. And it was all their fault.
"I know they c-can see through walls." Hinata mumbled, giving Ino a look that might have been arrogant if she hadn't been blushing slightly from all the yelling. "I'm one of them."
"Yes, one versus a handful doesn't seem like the best idea." Sakura pointed out, flicking her on the forehead, only because Hinata refused to move back sharply and look startled.
"Well, that's why I'm asking for your help." Hinata put in slowly, watching their expressions change from outraged to utterly dead with shock.
"Wait, wait." Ino laughed, sounding a little choked. "You're telling us, you want our help in sneaking into a house full of Byakugan users… which kinda loathe us?"
"They d-don't loathe you…" Hinata began slowly, wondering if that was true.
Somehow she had said the wrong thing.
"I can't believe this!" Ino shouted again, standing for the second time in the last ten minutes. Sighing loudly Sakura rolled her eyes to the heavens and grabbed the blonde's wrist again to drag her back down. She would have stood up and given her a loud smack around the face if her legs weren't aching from still trying to heal properly.
"Honestly, have some control." She grumbled, forcing the seething blonde to settle down and glare at the table, arms crossed, pouting without much shame.
"You don't have to help if you d-don't want to." Hinata replied to Ino's loud grumblings, pressing her lips together into a thin line. "I was only enquiring."
"Of course we'll help." Sakura replied, thumping Ino on the head before she could open her mouth and protest. "Though, it might be better if you had Tenten and Neji to help you with it. Not only is Neji a second Byakugan user, but they both know the compound a lot better than either of us do… and I can hardly move."
"You'd only be stationed outside to let me know if anyone is coming in or not… like my father for instance." Hinata mumbled, stirring her untouched cup of tea in front of her. "I would have asked Neji and Tenten as well, but they were sent out on a mission earlier this morning. It wasn't planned, apparently something went wrong with an earlier team of gennins and they were sent to help." She sighed, rubbing between her brows. "Demo… if you really don't want to-"
"Oh be quiet." Ino sighed suddenly, making both girls turn to look at her confusedly, and slightly irritated. "Of course we're going to help, the least we can do is be with you when you die." She grunted. "So I can say 'I told you so' at the last moment."
"You're so pleasant today." Sakura commented, sighing loudly matching Hinata's own exasperated look.
The kitchen was steaming, heat rushing out of it in big loud poofs of white as it flooded the halls. Sasuke, with Sasu sitting comfortably on his shoulder stared at the image of it, wondering if Hinata was all right inside, because, very much like the cat clinging to his shoulder, he had no intention of going into that furnace.
"Uh… Hinata…" he called, stuffing his hands in his pockets from lack of anything else to do with them. "…are you okay in there?"
"Fine!" Came the quick call, and then the sound of something being stirred as the spoon hit the sides of the pot. "I'm just making something special is all." She called coming out of the fog, undoing her apron as she walked.
"Does it involve steaming, by any chance?' Sasuke asked sarcastically, waving away the clouds of rolling white mist as she walked towards him, petting Sasu as she reached him. "Perhaps." She smiled, turning to him after a moment.
Sasuke almost twitched, glancing at Sasu with slight contempt. 'Am I going to have to be competing for your attention with this guy? Because I will help him get lost if-" he stopped, his lips sudden occupied by something else.
Sasu jumped down from his shoulder and stared at the two clinging humans in front of him. Had he been able to speak he would have scoffed about how rude it was.
Sasuke on the other hand was busy… extremely busy. Panting heavily he pulled back for a moment, head swimming from Hinata's shocking display of physical emotion, her lips still caressing his as she pressed him against the wall, not the other way around.
"…what-" he began and was interrupted again, her body pinning him to the wall, lips crashing with his so forcefully he had to actually fight to get back into the argument they were having for not reason at all, fighting for dominance, her whole body working and being very effective at making his mind concentrate on nothing more than utter pleasure.
For the second time they pulled back for air, her lips trailing down his neck gently, playful nips making him gasp for breath hands tightening around her hips.
"N-not that I'm…. complaining.." he managed to whisper, swallowing hard as she slid her hands up across his back. "…d-demo…why-" Slowly she kissed her way up his neck to his lips again, leaving trails of dancing flame across his skin, aching sensations heightened at the sound of her soft breath against his ear.
"…you're not competing for attention, trust me." It was when her eyes focused on his that he realized just how red she was, but what caught his attention was the slightly dazed hungry look passing over her features, making his insides burn.
"…if you look at me like that any longer I may be tempted to have my way with you." He whispered softly, his lips catching hers suddenly as she giggled, hands sliding to touch his face as his kiss intensified.
"Tsk." She panted, allowing him to switch places, pushing her against the wall instead. "I was only trying to prove a point."
"…can't I prove mine?" And with that he decided this way of preparing for their espionage mission to the Hyuuga compound was probably the best way to go…
(a/n: no, not that wasn't a lemon, for crying out loud, come on, guys, get your heads outta the gutter! ( I know you were thinking it, yes I do.)
"It was rice balls?" Sasuke blinked as she packed the small items into a container, securing each one tightly with her sister's favorite dish of seafood stir fry. "Hai." Hinata nodded, still rosy cheeked from earlier in the day, trying not to remember their own steamy encounter.
He watched her silently, studying the red still tingeing her cheeks, amused beyond reason, asking without a single word what he was thinking.
"It's for Hanabi-chan." She replied, glancing up at him, only to turn another shade of red as his eyes focused on her intently, a smirk playing on his lips.
"S-s-she likes it… a-and I…w-wanted to give it to h-her." She stuttered, pushing down on the container to make it shut properly, shoving a lock of hair behind her ear in a very flustered manner.
"Hn." He replied, fiddling with a shuriken, making it dance across his fingers the way magicians played with coins. His smirk widened as she turned her back to him and undid her apron, revealing the dark outfit she had chosen to slip into the compound.
Black on black on black wasn't exactly what suited Hinata, there had to be some color for it to really seem like her, but he wasn't complaining at all. A high necked Japanese style tunic wrapped around her torso and hips, black leggings to her knees spilled from under, marred by the pouch with her shuriken and kunai attached to her thigh. The mesh shirt under the high neck spilled to cover her arms to her forearms, bandages wrapped around her wrists and down to her hands.
Well aware of him studying her she reached up, tightening her hair into a ponytail. "N-ne.." she began, irritated by her stuttering and the amount of power he suddenly had over her. "H-have you seen Sasu?"
Sasuke shook his head slightly, just one movement, left to right, eyes locked on her face and burning features, ignoring his own blush.
It always annoyed him that she got him to blush so much.
Wasn't I the one making him stutter earlier? Hinata grumbled mentally, finally dropping her hands from her hair to look up at him, pouting. "You're making m-me n-n-nervous."
He looked back at her half innocently. "Am I?"
"Sasuke."
"All right, all right." He smiled, watching her slowly smile back, blushing still. "Ready?"
"Sure…" she nodded, picking up the container and slipping it into the pack wound tightly around her torso for it. The warmth of the container seeped in through her clothes, letting her know just how cold it would be while she slipped into her sister's room.
She had to get there before it was too cold to eat, of course.
"Let's go."
(a/n: he's so bloody evil sometimes…)
Night time was not her favorite time, it was hard to see, for one, and even when she had been young she had always assumed that bad things happened during the night.
And being unable to walk did not help the matter.
Naruto laughed at her grumbling as he walked along, with her quite comfortable on his back. It always amazed him just how light she was.
"I can hardly see, and yet Hinata thinks I will be of some use."
"Well, her father is out of the house right now, ne?"
"Hai…" Sakura allowed, grumbling for no reason. It was a little chilly, as summer was ending soon, and the moon didn't look particularly pleasant, though at that very moment Hinata was disagreeing with her off on the other side of town heading in the same direction.
"You can watch for his arrival." Naruto explained, a little puzzled by her own confusion.
"I was being a little sarcastic, just grumbling for no real reason, ya know." Sakura commented dryly, amused despite herself by the fact that he thought she didn't understand.
"Well, it didn't sound it, dattebayo… women."
"You love me anyway." She grinned, making him smirk, despite his own intention to keep a straight face.
"That'd be correct."
"You're both so sappy it makes me sick." A new voice grumbled as Ino came into step beside them, stretching lazily. "And if I had been an assassin you'd both be dead."
"Right." Sakura grunted, rolling her eyes. "Because we haven't already faced assassins before."
"You two are as great to be around as usual." Naruto sighed, stopping just short of entering the street on which the Hyuuga compound gates were.
"Speaking of assassins." Came a cold tone, making all three jump sharply. With a fluidity that made all three shiver in unison Sasuke and Hinata stepped out of the shadows of the nearby building, Sasuke, as per usual with his hands stuffed in his pockets and Hinata with her fingers up to her lips, blinking at them all.
"You're all late." Sasuke grunted, giving them a look. Ino and Sakura withered slightly, looking nervous.
"You're not carrying Hinata." Naruto grumbled, shooting him a look. "Teme."
"I have before, dobe."
"Ne…." Hinata began, catching everyone's attention quickly. "Shouldn't we maybe get to work?"
"She's right!" Sakura grinned, pumping her fist in the air. "Let's go!"
"Shs!" Ino hissed, bopping her lightly on the head. "And you say I'm loud."
"Are you stationed, Sakura?" Hinata enquired, back pressed against the wall on the side of the Hyuuga estate, byakugan looking silently through the material to the moving chakra points within.
"Ready." Came the voice on the headphone in her ear, the mic pressed against her cheek with medical tape supplied by the med nin herself.
"Ino?" Sasuke's voice enquired, sounding bored out of his mind.
"Hai. I'm in position. Are there any guards heading my way?"
"Ne, there's one in your direction. He's the one that patrols the west wing." Naruto stated.
Silently Hinata listened, watching each movement with careful calculation, knowing full well where her friends were and where the 'enemy' was. So far there was no reason for any of the Hyuuga within to activate their Byakugan, after all they did not expect an attack of any sort, but she knew from experience that for random reasons they did activate it. She did it herself, once in a while, when she was being careful, just to glance around.
They would be seen without question.
"Take him out, Ino, and keep him in check, if you can. Is your body going to be okay where you are?" Sakura asked, still watching the street from the tree across from the house's main entrance.
"Fine, I'm still outside of the house itself." She mumbled through the mic. Hinata flinched, watching the blonde scamper across the lawn and slide under the porch where the guard was walking, looking left and right, bland Hyuuga eyes scanning around suspiciously.
"Do it now, Ino!" Hinata gasped.
For a moment there was silence and the flickering images of Ino's chakra rolling out of her, knocking into the young man above her could be seen through Hinata's eyes.
Then there was silence again and she watched the young man jump down off the porch onto the lawn, heading directly towards Ino's body.
"…oh no." Hinata began, starting to stand.
"Don't move." Sasuke ordered suddenly, making them all freeze, watching from the other side of the garden, crouched low along the bushes in the corner of the wall.
The young man crouched down beside Ino's still body, fiddling with the mic until a new voice Hinata had never heard slipped through the airwaves to reach her.
"All right, I've got him. This side of the estate is safe to cross unless you've not seen someone." Ino's attitude said, but voice contradicted.
Hinata almost began to laugh nervously at the sound. "…you're a man." She giggled, making everyone snicker over the airwaves. Ino sighed. "Hinata, so help me I'll take over your body-"
"I'm going in." Hinata cut in suddenly, smiling still. With clear agility she started to climb the wall, using the vines that covered it from top to bottom like a latter to get her to the top.
"Let me know if there are any changes."
"Roger." The other's chorused.
It wasn't hard to keep an eye on the other Byakugan users. They all seemed pretty calm, even the young man taken over by Ino. He was a good looking fellow, Hinata didn't want to think about what fun Ino must be having going through his thoughts.
Breathing in and out rhythmically to keep herself in check she slid down the other side of the wall, landing at a crouch on the grassy side of the compound, looking around at the half familiar garden that decorated the one side of the estate. It was less used that the ones in the middle of the rectangular home.
Relocating herself she slipped over to the porch where Ino was, checking the girl's motionless body to make sure she was all right.
"Yo." Came the gruff voice of the young man, looking around slowly to make sure no one was around. "Ne, you'd better get moving. I can't stay this way forever, ya know."
"Hai." Hinata smirked, looking like she might start laughing again.
"Don't you start. Come on, hurry up." Ino grumbled, crouching down, hands twining to give her a boost up to the porch.
Smiling still Hinata ran at her, using the force of their combined speed and energy to throw her up, landing lightly on the porch railing, looking around to make sure there were no other security guards before giving Ino a wave and sliding into the hall quietly, vanishing into the uncomfortably familiar darkness that was her old home…
I'm coming, Hanabi… I'm coming…
Clearly, clearly it was just a chapter to shove the plot along a little. The next one will be detailing Hanabi and Hinata's conversation and it will have the skip leading to their battle.
I only see perhaps another five chapters before the story is over, my dears. Isn't that wonderful.
If it all makes you happy I will let you all know now that there is a sequel in mind HOWEVER.
I am warning you all NOW.
…it is lacking in a lot of fluff and will be rated a hard, solid, shocking M.
and I am urging anyone who is not old enough to read M material not to read it please. There will be quite a bit of violence and…well you can guess.
Please read and review… and be nice, I'm having an off day.
-inky.