Hello my lovely readers!
Thank you for waiting, I'm so glad that many of you are being patient with me. Trying to stay on top of my classes is no easy task. College can be very much demanding.
Please enjoy this newest chapter.
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Now onwards my dears!
"I already told you, keep your damn nose out of my fucking business".
"And I'll say it again, why are you stalking my little brother's wife?!"
"Fuck you!"
"The feelings mutual".
Kankuro had a hard look on his tired face. He had been at this for hours with Kazu stuffed away in a small dimly lit room somewhere hidden within a tower, the man was about as stubborn as a mule. Baki had reached his limit with dealing with this, he had summoned Kazu handed him off to Kankuro and told him to do whatever was necessary to get him to talk. The puppet master knew that Kazu was the one giving Hinata grief, all the trails were leading back to him. Now it was just a matter of finding out why.
There was a heavy silence in the room for quite some time. Each man lost in their own thoughts. Kankuro was trying to think; what was the best way to get the truth out? He didn't want to have to resort to violence, but it was like Baki said, do whatever was necessary and if that meant torturing the man then so be it. Kankuro was still lost in thought when Kazu's rough voice pierced the silence.
"Now look here sweetie, I'm gonna say this one more time. I ain't done nothing. I'm a man that does whatever he wants, whenever he wants. So keep your shit to yourself and I'll keep to mine. We gotta a deal or not".
Kankuro bristled "For the love of Kami! Tell me your fucking excuse!". He grabbed the much larger man by his collar "I've had it up to hear with playing tea party, now here's how this is gonna work I'll ask one more time and if I don't get the answer I'm looking for I'm gonna stuff my fist down your throat till your choking on my wrist, do I make myself clear!".
That's when the sound of loud laughter was heard Kankuro gritted his teeth fighting the urge to beat the man black and blue. The laughter continued for a good five minutes till Kazu finally ceased and gave him a cocky smirk "Aww don't be like that little boy. After all I did say I'm a man that does whatever he pleases".
"So you admit it?!"
"I never said that did I? It's not polite to jump to conclusions so quickly". Kazu tapped his forehead "Gotta be smart about things like these. You never know what kinda dirt you'll dig up". SMACK! The sound echoed off the walls as Kankuro's anger got the better of him; he let out a deep growl, droplets of blood ran down his fingers as Kazu now had a brick red handprint on the side of his face with a trail of blood running down the corner of his mouth.
"Don't get cocky with me! Lest you forget who I am. As Gaara's right hand man I demand to know what kind of shit you've been up too. Consider that little gesture a warning. Next time I won't play so nice, so if you don't want that face of yours more torn up then it is then you better start talking before I get really angry".
Kazu slowly turned his face back to give a weak chuckle "Starting to sound like a big boy are you? Very well then, you got me the jig is up. Looks like I won't be holding my end of the deal after all". Kankuro raised an eyebrow "What deal? The hell are you talking about?!" Kazu simply grinned "So here's what you wanna know...".
Hinata subconsciously rubbed a hand over her tummy while watching her daughter play with some blocks. She had been tested a few days ago and the results were now in. She was pregnant with her second child. This good news had lifted her mood greatly. She felt happy that soon another member would be added to the family. She had been wanting to have more children with Gaara and now she got her wish. Her husband had taken the news very well when she told him that she was indeed with child. He had also assured her that by the time, their baby was born the stalker problem would've already been taken care of. That in turn left her feeling more relived; she trusted that her husband and brother-in-law would eventually get what they had been searching for.
She couldn't help but smile to herself as she spread out her arms "Hena come here".
The small girl then abandoned her blocks in favor of snuggling in her mother's embrace. "Mommy good?" Hinata giggled a bit "Yes my dear I'm fine". The red headed girl looked to her mother's still flat stomach "Baby?" she pointed "When baby come?" Hinata ran her fingers through her daughter's hair.
"The baby needs time to grow. When the time is right you're going to be a big sister".
"Mommy still love me?"
"Of course my lovely child. Mommy will always love Hena". Hinata then lightly tickled Hena's sides making her squeal in laughter. The fun however was short lived when Temari came into the room with Shikadai trailing behind her. She didn't exactly have the happiest expression on her face. Her hands were shaking slightly and she was chewing her lower lip.
"Temari-san?"
"Hinata, Kankuro wants to speak with you and Gaara, Shikamaru is also attending. This is something you must hear".
From the tone in her voice, Hinata knew at once that it was serious. "Alright then, please give me a minute". She turned her attention to her daughter.
"Hena, I'm going to talk with Uncle Kankuro. Go and play with your cousin Shikadai". The small girl immediately protested but Hinata wasn't hearing any of it. "I'll be back in a few minutes, now stay here". Handing her squirming daughter to Temari, Hinata walked down to her husband's office. She wasn't sure what this was all about. But it was obvious that Temari was deeply troubled by it due to her nervous body language. But why was Shikamaru going to listen? Since the problem began the Nara had kept out of it. It wasn't his business so why suddenly did he take interest. Reminding herself to focus the bluenette, quickened her pace until she reached Gaara's office. Not bothering to knock she opened the door.
The three men drifted their attention towards her. They had been waiting for Hinata's arrival not wanting to speak until she was present. Quickly closing the door Hinata walked to the middle of the room, mentally preparing herself for whatever was about to be spoken.
"Kankuro-san I was informed by Temari-san that you had news what is it?"
The puppet master avoided her gaze instead choosing to look at the floor. Hinata turned her head towards Shikamaru with a curious look. He simply shrugged and mouthed "I don't know" to her.
Her lavender eyes drifted to her husband she wanted answers to why she was summoned. Gaara simply stretched out his arm inviting her to come closer. When she was in reach Gaara took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. In truth he didn't know yet what Kankuro had found out. But he wished that his brother could've told him first without having to bring his recently pregnant wife into it so soon. Deciding to move things along Gaara was the one that broke the heavy silence.
"Kankuro you interrogated Kazu earlier, now tell us what you heard".
His older brother finally raised his head from staring at the floor and looked to the waiting people before him. He was still trying to wrap his head around what he just heard. But it was time to tell them what had happened. Hoping that this would settle the problem once and for all he decided to cut to the chase.
"Alright...so here's what happened".
~Flashback~
"Tell me now!"
"Calm down pussy I said I would and I will. So here's the catch, I made a deal you see and it goes back some ways to before you were even born".
Kankuro raised an eyebrow "How so?"
"Well back when you were still in your daddy's nut sack I was one of his most trusted guards. Whatever dirty work he wanted done he always picked me to do the deed and I did it without a second thought. Now I had been at this for years so he always knew that he could count on me".
The brunette scowled "What does that have to do with anything! Cut me the lovely-dovey shit and get to the point!".
Kazu simply grinned "Take it easy boy, I'm getting there".
Kankuro tightened his grip on Kazu's collar and he knew that he'd better keep talking. "One day your daddy asked me if I would carry out a secret assassination and naturally I agreed to it. When I asked him who I was supposed to take care of his answer was beyond me".
"Who was it?" Kankuro barely got those words out.
"Some Hyuga bitch that looked like it would pose a threat or something". Kankuro's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before narrowing again. He was getting the feeling that he was just pulling his chain.
"The fuck are you playing at?! Suna has never had a conflict with the Hyuga clan whatsoever. You have no evidence at all to back up those lies. What kind of fool do you take me for?!". Kankuro was very close to ending the man's life just for the heck of it when he started to speak again.
"Ah, but that what you don't know. You see during the third great ninja war, there were a couple of instances where the Hyuga were dispatched to kill some of our own I guess they didn't like how our village was getting so...friendly with theirs. Now call it crazy, but the little bastards were very good at erasing their tracks. And it was always one dead end after another and your daddy eventually got fed up with it. So that where yours truly comes in. I was assigned to take out the head of the Hyuga. I suppose your daddy felt like it would be the best form of revenge for those that had met their end".
"That still doesn't make any sense. If my bastard father planned the whole thing, others would eventually caught on. There's no way it would've worked!".
Kazu laughed lightly "You only half right. But don't assume that you know everything". He suddenly had a serious expression on his face.
"I took the mission thinking that it would be the pinpoint of my life. I was fully prepared to kill that time. I went to Konoha and tracked down the Hyuga leader. I knew that I'd have to end his life quickly before anyone caught me. Naturally I had years of experience on my side so I figured how hard could it be".
Kazu's eyes narrowed "I was wrong though. Wrong as hell, the man found me without blinking an eye. I underestimated the power of the byakugan and I knew my time would come that night. I never felt so afraid of anything. To be killed by a Hyuga of Konoha I'd be putting my village to shame. I truly thought the end had come for me. But the devil man spared my life".
Kankuro blinked "What?"
"I'm here now aren't I? Anyways he told me he'd let me live but only if I did something for him in return later. When I asked him what it was he wanted he simply told me when the time was right he'd find me. For years I went on with those words echoing in my head". Kazu scowled "Just when I thought the old buzzer forgot all about our little deal I get a message saying that he wanted me to kill the shrew".
Suddenly the pieces were starting to come together. "So all this time...".
"Finally getting the picture huh boy? Yeah that's right. I was asked to dispose of the precious Lady Hinata by her own father. Told me he was too old to be dealing with such shit. He wanted someone else to do his dirty work. I hate owing people favors so naturally I went with it. Gotta uphold my end of the deal after all".
Kankuro let out a low growl "And I suppose it was you covered your tracks to all those dead ends, no wonder I was such a hard time finding you. Clever bastard you are".
Kazu shrugged "A man has to do what he can to carry out his mission. I needed to wait for the right time to make my move. There's was no way I was gonna get close enough with that bitch of a Kazekage always hovering over her. So I went with a more simpler approach".
"You seriously thought it would work?!"
"No I didn't. But it was better than not trying anything at all. Course I had to wait for months before till I got my opportunity. It was no easy wait, every time I thought I had the right moment something always interfered".
"Shut up! Now that I know what you've been up too. Don't think that you'll get away with it".
"Can't say I blame you, I was supposed to tell the Hyuga leader my success after I killed her". He chuckled "Well after a little fun with her that is. But things don't always go your way".
Kankuro raised an eyebrow "How do I know you're not lying to me?! You could've just made up that story on the spot".
Kazu's eyes narrowed "I don't lie boy! Never have and never will! Don't believe me take a look at this". Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a folded piece of old paper. "Read it and weep, this outta clear things up a bit". Taking the paper Kankuro quickly unfolded it and began to read. His eyes widening when he came to the end.
"This is..."
"Believe it boy. Every word".
"Damn it all to hell! Hinata's is more danger now than ever!".
"Don't shoot the messenger I'm just doing what was asked of me".
"You bastard!"
"Feelings mutual boy".
~End Flashback~
"I checked over the contents of what the paper said again, and I'm afraid it's all true. Hiashi wanted Kazu to kill Hinata, so he could get back Hanabi he's afraid that if Hinata continues to live she's going to influence Hanabi to turn against him".
Gaara was barely containing his anger. His knuckles had turned white he was clenching his fists so hard. Rage boiled inside of him, what he wouldn't give to kill a certain someone right now. He was temporarily brought out of his thoughts when he heard Shikamaru's voice asking if his wife was alright.
"Hinata you look a bit pale. Do you need some water?"
The bluenette had paled considerably. She was having trouble breathing and her body kept swaying side to side. It looked like at any moment now she would faint. Gaara's suspicions were proven correct because a moment later he was racing out of his chair to catch his wife who was falling towards the floor. Luckily he caught her before she hit the hard ground and he hoisted her up bridal style allowing her head to rest on his shoulder.
"Hey Gaara what are we supposed to do now?"
Shikamaru was at a bit of a loss. What he just heard shocked him to no end. He didn't know much about the Hyuga to begin with. He did tell himself that he would stay out of matters like these as he had a family of his own to take care of. But Hinata had been his friend since childhood. He couldn't just let a friend suffer before his eyes. Shikamaru may not have liked to overdue things but when a friend was in trouble that's when he put all else aside.
Gaara stayed quiet for a few moments. He really needed to be alone right now to sort out his thoughts; that wasn't going to happen for some time.
"Oy! Gaara what should we do?! I told you everything that happened and now it's your call. You can't let this go on any further the outcome will be too great. You know that Hiashi wants to take back Hanabi and it's apparent that he won't stop until he does. Hinata is your wife and she just became pregnant with your second child! Think about what should happen now!".
"Damn it Kankuro I'm trying!". His older brother was forced to take a step back from the tone in Gaara's voice.
The air was heavy with tension and all was silent for a brief while until the red head finally let out a sigh of frustration. "I apologize I didn't mean to snap at you...but I'm so tired of this". Gaara chewed his bottom lip before speaking again.
"All I want is to have a normal life with Hinata. I don't want to have to keep worrying over her. Your right, it is my call now to decide what happens and I'll be damned if I lose the one person that truly loves me".
Shikamaru couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for Gaara. He didn't blame him for feeling this way. Hinata's safety was on the line and with a baby coming things had just gotten a lot worse. But that didn't mean they couldn't try and stop this. The Nara made a silent promise to himself that he'd do whatever was necessary to help his family get through this problem.
"I'll go back to Konoha".
The two brother looked over to him "Come again?" Shikamaru looked at them "I said I'll go back to Konoha. I've been meaning to pay Naruto a visit anyway he'll be wanting to know about this". Kankuro nodded in understanding; knowing Naruto he'd probably be their best source to understand what had been going through Hiashi's head. Besides the blonde Hokage was very reliable, he could have some part in settling this matter once and for all.
Shikamaru chuckled to himself "Temari's gonna throw a fit when she finds out, but she'll understand soon as I tell her".
"Gaara it's still your call to decide what we should do now. I already have Kazu under arrest he's been guarded by several anbu as we speak".
The red head glanced down at his unconscious wife safely in his arms. He refused to lose her or their baby. He would not allow it. He'd think of something, he would make sure that nobody hurt his family.
"Shikamaru make preparations to head to Konoha. Kankuro please send a letter in advance to inform Naruto of his arrival. I want the number of guards surrounding the tower doubled we can't take any more chances". Kankuro placed a hand on his younger brother's shoulder "Gaara...I'm sorry for all of this. It's not your fault and it never was".
The red head looked down at Hinata not having the strength to look his brother in the eye. "Yes...I know that".
Without another word Gaara left his office to tend to his wife, a single tear falling down his eye as his inner voice screamed at him.
Okay finally finished.
I'm sorry that you all had to wait so long. But like I said I always try to do my best whenever I have a spare moment.
The next chapter should come hopefully sooner because my work load won't be as loaded.
So until then please leave me some reviews!
Until next time everyone.
