Chapter #9

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, it all belongs to Masashi Kishimoto

"You don't meet people by accident. There's always a reason. A lesson or a blessing."

-Anonymous

Konohagakure

The village lived up to its name in abundance, forestry surrounded the village, and trees grew beyond buildings, shading them from the sun's blistering rays. Sounds of freely rushing ponds, lakes, made their way to her ears and the streets were muddled by the sounds of laughter and speech.

Konohagakure

Felt

Strange

There was a certain form of lightness, ease that drifted in the winds, the meaty aromas of stalls mingled with the sharp hint of wood and dew.

Hinata followed behind Naruto through the streets. His hand tight on her wrist as he dragged her through the sea of people. Smiles turned his way, loud greetings, eyebrows raised to her, but never once did she feel out of place, unwanted, a freak.

They left behind Itachi, who stayed behind to discuss information with the silver haired man she'd come to know as Kakashi. Naruto called him sensei - explaining that he had been his first teacher and his father's student.

She had been glad to see the dark Uchiha fall behind as he unnerved her. He awakened something in her nerves - caused an electricity to pass through her whenever he grazed her skin. On one occasion, she had caught him staring, not with the ease of a friend but with the perplexing gaze of one decoding. It had to be the eyes, the intensity by which they stared, the way they read her - the eyes of those she had grown to loathe.

Hinata was jolted out of her thought as Naruto slowed at a compound. The gates erected high, strong, powerful and she could hear people, their voices ringing in low concentrated voices - whispers carried by the wind. Juxtaposition to the rambunctious atmosphere of the town.

Naruto knocked on the metal sheet a few times before stepping back, waiting for the gate to open.

Hinata had a tendency to feel nervous and being stranded in a strange town, in the arms of someone she barely knew was rough enough. But it was the eyes,

The eyes of the man who opened the door

The confusion in his brows as he seeked to remember her before disappearing behind the door

Any words that passed in conversation between Naruto and the man fell short of her mind - buzzing sharp with electricity at the revelation

There are more. There are more of her. More of those with her eyes. More.

A younger man appeared out the gate, brown hair brushing his hip in a low ponytail. Konoha ensignia blazing in the sun. He spoke to NAruto with the quiet comfortability of old friends and she took the opportunity to study him. The sharpness in his jaw, the perfection in his posture, the flow of his speech.

Then his eyes met hers, a sharp arc painted his brow, as Naruto introduced them.

Neji Hyuga

So this was the clan she belonged to? This was her family?

Neji studied her from head to toe, his gaze unnerving, strict and suddenly, the dark Uchiha was daylight in comparison to him.

Hinata kept her chin low, years of walking in the hallway, being bullied and suddenly, her clothes were too big. Her posture was too bent, her limbs too small, her face too sunken. And she was out of place. Wiggling her hands from Naruto she took a small step back

her teeth gnawing at the smooth skin of her lips

Another step back

Nervousness eating at her

She wasn't ready -

Her feet started parting and soon she was fleeing, unaware to her surroundings but she could care less. She wasn't ready to meet him. But most importantly, those cold eyes that dissected her worth in one glance.

Naruto's voice calls after her but she doesn't look back.

~.~.~.~

Left

Right

Left

Left again

Splinters of wood flew all around him. Chakra engulfed the training ground. His legs, quick brief, ran up the stems of heavy oak trees, imprinting upon old marks. Somersaulting off the top branch, shooting five shurikens with his left, then his right.

Just as quickly as they were gone, he had ten new ones, running towards the boulder on the ground, pushing off with chakra, spinning in the air and throwing the shurikens, bulls eye on all the marks.

Hinata stared in awe at the dark figure, so fast he left a blurry trail in his wake.

A ninja

She had read about them, heard about them, but until now, had never seen one.

His precision was immaculate. His speed beyond her capability. This was the strength of the hidden villages. Villages like Konoha, capable of raising ninjas and proctoring them to such high levels of excellence.

Enthralled and hypnotized by his weapon dance, she was terrified in her wits when he appeared before her, staring with disapproval.

Stumbling onto her butt, she grimaced at the hard impact, face red from embarrassment, awe and sweat.

"Who are you?" his voice was nothing like Naruto's. The scent of sweat, dirt and plants danced around him, dark eyes piercing her gaze

"Sorry…" she backed away on her butt, fingers gripping for the dirt beneath her to crawl as far from him as she could

His face scrunched in amusement as he watched, a tiny grunt escaping his throat. Colliding into one of the training posts, she began to panic, each sound of his steps echoing in her head. The countdown till she died...

She flinched as he stretched forth his hand and covered her head.

"Tsk." he rolled his eyes, "Get up." offering her a hand, which she shakenly accepted as she leaned on the post, not trusting her limbs to keep her upright.

He stayed quiet, arms crossed as he studied her passively. His eyes were void of contempt but that meant nothing considering they reflected emptiness. But as time built and she was able to calm her heart did she equally examine him,

Black eyes, midnight blue hair, an upturned nose, features of an aristocrat...that's when she saw it...the Uchiha insignia, sticking to his skin, large and proud on his black shirt.

"Uchiha…" the word slipped out her lips in a whisper before she could think think an excuse up, Naruto came barrelled his way through the ground, face flighty and all around disheveled

"Hinata!"

The Uchiha backed away, left hand outreached to halt Naruto from tumbling past them. Splattering and choking out, the blonde slapped his best friend's hand, catching his breath.

"Thanks bastard."

Sasuke turned around, picking up his shuriken knives at a leisurely pace, casually eavesdropping,

"Why'd you leave?"

Naruto's voice, filled with concern, reverberated off the planks floating into the wind

Nothing

"Hinata,"

Sasuke's back stiffened, he had heard that name before. When he was younger, much younger and sneaked into bed with his brother. That name danced its way into Itachi's nightmares without fail.

He'd watch as his model and fearless brother, tossed and turned. His normally schooled facial expressions, scrunching and creasing with worry.

Naruto's sharp breath cut through the air, "Look, we have to go back and apologize to Neji. Hopefully he'll allow you to stay

"No." a stiff croaked sound followed

"Hinata, we have to keep you safe somewhere."

"No." Sasuke watched as she wrapped her arms around herself, shielding her body from Naruto as though he were about to strike.

No longer pretending to not eavesdrop he watched the scene unfold before him. His best friend, oblivious to subtle body language stepped closer, causing the girl to take a foot back, her face hardening,

"You do not dictate my life, Uzumaki." the last word spat with ultimate disgust in her tone but all Sasuke could see in fierceness was fear. Someone full of fear, fear of people, what he could now gather was a strange place to her and before he could stop himself,

"She can stay with us."