Changed Fates
By Jennifer Darknight
Chapter Six:
A-Anou…A C-Class Mission?!
The moon was high up that night. The stars dotted the dark blue sky, and clouds were nowhere in sight as she laid on her back, looking up at the great beyond before her. The night was always kind to her—lying here on the roof gave her peace from all the ridicule and anger that most people showed her during the day…Her father, Neji, Hanabi…
A smile came to the girl's features, and she stared up towards the stars with sparkling silver eyes. If you looked deep into them, you could see the reflection of the very heavens, and the clear pure heart that she held deep inside shining out for all the world to see…
Thmp.
The girl sat up with a start, looking around. The last she checked, she was alone…
A flash of pink came past the girl's eyes—pink hair. Gentle as the softest sakura petals…
It could only be one person…
"Aa…Sakura-san."
Haruno Sakura smiled, and took a seat next to the girl, and she received an acknowledging nod from the original occupant of this 'special place'. The pink-haired one gave her a cheery smile, much like the other girl had expected—she was always the cheerful one, so why wouldn't it be so now?
"Konbanwa, Hinata-chan."
At sixteen, Sakura was a beauty. Exotic pink hair, supple curves that could make even the most gorgeous model jealous, and soft features that made the most gentle lady look coarse…it was a wonder she didn't have suitors lining up her walls, asking her out on a date. But perhaps Rock Lee scared them all away with his incessant crying out and pumping his fist in the air all the time. That would make any man back away, even with the beauty that Sakura was blessed with.
It was only natural for Hinata to feel a little bit jealous.
"Ne, Hinata-chan…" Sakura tucked some hair behind her ear, and Hinata wondered what it would have been like if she was gifted with such lovely tresses. Maybe she could have had Naruto-kun notice her…
"Ha-hai, Sakura-san?"
A bit of a blush crossed Sakura-san's cheeks, and that estranged Hinata. Why would Sakura-san, the living queen of Konohagakure, be blushing? What would the reasoning be?
"You're Naruto's teammate, right?"
"Th-that's right."
The girl smiled a little bit, tucking some more of her long hair behind her ear. "Well, I'm thinking of buying him something for Saint Valentine's Day. Do you think you could help me come up with something?"
"A…Anou…I don't know if I'd be of any help…And I thought you were giving something to…Sasuke-san?"
Sakura shook her head, looking down a bit towards her lap. "Sasuke-kun doesn't notice me. Every year I buy him something, but he probably throws it away…and well…I've just sort of got used to the idea that he's just a childhood dream that I might as well get over."
"Demo…" Hinata couldn't help but hear herself ask, "Wh-why Naruto-kun?"
Sakura had a gentle expression on her face, with the familiar look in her eyes that one like Hinata understood all too well. Only one in love could see the same thing in another woman's eyes, and it made Hinata's heart go to a dreaded stop, and her blood run cold.
"He's so sweet…he's always been there for me. Even when I chased Sasuke-kun and treated him the way I did, he was good to me, and loved me for who I was. And he just sort of…you know…you probably have someone you love too, don't you?"
"Y-yes…"
"Sasuke-kun, right? All the girls seem to love him best."
"N-no…not Sasuke-kun. He's more of a…brother to me."
Sakura raised an eyebrow, but just let that slip with a "Well, you're teammates, after all. I'm kinda the same way with Kiba, so I can understand."
"I…guess…I can understand why you love Naruto-kun..." It hurt so much to say it. It hurt so much to think it, even! "He's a really good person…I'm sure that whatever you give him, it'll make him happy…unless it's something that has to do with Sasuke-kun. Naruto-kun's always been like that."
"Thanks Hinata-chan."
And with a smile and a hug, Haruno Sakura left Hinata's presence, only making her feel much more insignificant still.
Hinata woke up crying.
The pinkness of her hair, the beauty of her soft green eyes…The love in her voice when she spoke of Naruto-kun. It was all so real…like she had seen and remembered this event before…
But how could that be? She had never experienced such a thing…she couldn't have. She had only just become Naruto-kun's teammate, and Sakura-san looked so much older…much older than she was now. Sixteen to seventeen, at least. So how could she…?
But she felt it. It must have been true…at least to an extent.
Hinata looked out the window and sighed to herself. The sun was just rising, and a gentle light came through the opened window onto her bed, where she sat up and looked towards the horizon. Her heart felt heavy, her body felt tired, and something was weighing down her soul like a lead weight. She couldn't pinpoint it…but it was something. Something that wrenched her inner being everytime it came to mind.
Haruno Sakura.
Hinata was a fool to not remember her
She was, after all…the one Naruto-kun loved.
Loved…
A stinging pain was felt in her heart, and she keeled over and started to cry once again…until there were no tears left…and then she cried some more.
"Naruto-kun…"
The mission was over less than an hour after it had begun. Team Seven had been assigned to find a lost cat in the forest outside Konoha. Apparently the Fire Country Daimyo's wife, Shijimi-sama, had went out with the little kitty and it had run away. The poor heartbroken woman was desperate to find it, and it was, fortunately, not too hard to find. It was hiding in a nearby bush from their starting point, and after a chase through the woods (it was faster than both Sasuke-san and Naruto-kun, which surprised her), they grabbed the kitty (thanks to Naruto-kun's Kage Bunshin no Jutsu—a technique he threw out since the situation was bad enough to call for it) and they were heading towards home.
Naruto-kun was the one holding the cat, who was scratching him like no tomorrow, and was standing in the back-middle of the line. Hinata stood to his left, and Sasuke-san to his right. Kakashi-sensei stood at the front of the line.
"AUGH! DAMMIT!!! Stop scratchin' me!"
Sasuke-san snorted, throwing Naruto-kun a death glare, as per usual. It was expected.
Hinata looked down towards the ground, and concentrated on her sandals. The ground crunched softly under her feet. For some strange reason, she couldn't get that dream from last night out of her mind. Sakura, her, Naruto-kun…the starry night…it was strange to say that it felt real. She hadn't felt such sadness before in her heart, except the time when she thought she would never see Naruto-kun again by being forced back to the Academy. But now…
Don't give it another thought, Hinata. It's just a dream!
Bu-but…
No buts! Her mind retorted, you're a Kunoichi now, and besides! You're standing with Naruto-kun now, not Sakura-san!
Tha-that's true…But…
"ITAI!!!!"
Hinata jerked her head up again with surprise at the sound of Naruto-kun's voice. She turned towards him with slight panic building in her heart, but then it receded slightly. Tora-chan (the cat) was giving Naruto-kun a hard time, but nothing that was too serious. Although she was worried about the poor blond being used as a scratchpost. Hinata looked on and fell in step with him, rather than with Sasuke-san a few paces forward.
"A-Anou…Naruto-kun…"
He looked over the cat's orange, fluffy body a moment to look at her…
…Only to get batted with its paws.
"Hai, Hinata-chaaaoooowwwwww!!!!!!!"
You can do this!
The redness spread to her cheeks again, and she cursed her racing heart. Naruto-kun probably heard her!
"Anou…would you like…some help?"
Naruto-kun blinked in surprise for a second, but then shook his head with a sunny smile, despite the scratches.
"Na, I'm fine! Don't worry, Hinata-chan!"
"Ho-hontou ni?"
"He's fine," Sasuke-san said over his shoulder, falling slightly in step with the other two genin. "This is all the Dobe knows how to do."
A flash of orange whizzed by Hinata, and a loud meow was heard as Tora-chan was thrown towards Sasuke-san's head. The Uchiha spun around and caught it, his raven hair whipping around him as his body moved. He held the cat by the scuff of its neck, holding the animal up for both Naruto-kun and herself to see. Hinata was just relieved that the kitty was unhurt—if Naruto-kun had thrown the kitty too far, he might have cost them the mission…and besides that, it was wrong to hurt a kitty!
"I'll take it from here," said Sasuke-san, flashing a superior grin in Naruto-kun's direction. Naruto-kun looked like he was ready to kill the Uchiha, and Hinata looked between them, watching the animosity grow…if she was a different person, it might have been entertaining to watch. But in all honesty, it was making her rather nervous to watch them glare at each other like that.
"I…um…"
Hinata started to say something, but then closed her mouth. She could see some buildings over the thicket of trees, and a relieved sigh came from her lips. She put her hands to her chest, and smiled a bit, although nobody seemed to notice it too much.
She was almost back. At least they'd get Tora-chan back to his owner.
"Kusottare!!!"
…it seemed Tora-chan didn't like Sasuke-san, either.
Oh, dear.
"OH!!!! My widdle snooker-wookums! You're home!! Did you miss Mommy, hmmm?!"
"MreOWWWWW!!!"
…With that frightening of a sight to await you at home, it was no wonder that a person or an animal would run away.
Shijimi-sama was a thick woman, standing about two inches higher than Hinata with a mussed up mass of curly hair that she tried to put up in the typical Imperial Buns (which wasn't working at all for her—it just accentuated her weight, bless the sweet woman's heart), huge lips that wore too much lipstick, and droopy brown eyes which were red and wet from crying. Hinata was taken aback by her overzealous demeanor and shrill voice—she was a sweet woman, but she had heard from Aunt Hanako that she had visited Father plenty of times with her husband, the Daimyo of the Country of Fire. With Father's lack of patience, it was a wonder that he hadn't snapped and killed the Daimyo's wife hundreds of times over.
"Oh, my sweet widdle Kitty-widdy! I'm so glad that I got you back!"
She turned to the three genin and bowed slightly.
…and then she turned away to pay the proper fee.
Whenever one requested a mission, it cost a certain amount for the task to be completed, and the requestor would have to pay money whenever the mission was done. This mission was D-rank, so the pay wasn't too great, but since Team Seven was a Genin Team it didn't get much pay to begin with (not that Hinata minded—it was enough to be with Naruto-kun, Kakashi-sensei, and Sasuke-san everyday). Until you turned Chuunin (or were of legal age—whichever came first), only ten percent of your total earnings went to you, while the other ninety went to your parents. So out of a 300 yen mission, the Hyuga Clan would receive 270 yen, and Hinata would get 30. But even then, depending on the teacher, family, and other factors, the rule was followed strictly, loosely, or not at all. Naruto-kun and Sasuke-san were both orphans, and it wasn't fair to only have Hinata pay the 'parental tithe', so Kakashi-sensei didn't even have her give the idea of paying her parents for her work a second thought.
The Hokage's office was full, though, as always. Hinata had been in it only a few times, but every time it was bustling with life and activity. It was where so many great shinobi got missions, and history was made in this very room. It made the Hyuga a bit self-conscious about standing here.
The Third stood—well, you could never really tell behind that podium of his—before them in all the glory that came with the Title Hokage. He was a frail-looking man—he was wrinkled and old in every sense of the word—but there was something about him that showed his strength straight through. Perhaps it was his eyes, which were never dull, and sparkled with the wisdom and intelligence of an older, more mature man, but perhaps it was his straight posture and regal demeanor. Iruka-sensei sat next to him as well, looking more like he was going to bolt at the slightest moment rather than help the Sandaime-sama with his duties. It was understandable—he was a Chuunin after all, and he was assisting the highest-rank shinobi in the village.
Hinata felt the self-consciousness inside her grow, as Sandaime-sama looked over at her team as they stood before him, waiting for orders. Kakashi-sensei was in the front, of course, as the other Genins didn't really have the right to be standing that close to the Sandaime-sama like that. At least—that was Hinata's opinion. He just seemed so untouchable…so much stronger than herself. He was looking down at a scroll, looking up at the team and then back down to the scroll at random intervals as he started reading off jobs for them to do, since their current mission was completed:
"Team Seven…Wash the neighborhood dogs…go grocery shopping for the Council of Regents…"
Sounds good enough. At least we're not getting any violent jo—
"NO WAY!!! BOOORING!!!! Give us a better mission!!! You know, a more exciting one!!!"
Hinata jumped, and turned to face Naruto-kun, who had an indignant expression and his arms in an "X" motion over his chest. She heard Sasuke-san groan, and Kakashi-sensei sigh. She could feel something warm well up in her heart, and Hinata fought the redness that was threatening to come to her cheeks…
Too late.
She was already blushing…AGAIN.
The Third Hokage merely raised an eyebrow, but Iruka-sensei was quite irate. He stood in his seat, glaring at Naruto-kun who still stood where he was, adamant. He was shining, radiant, like sunlight…
And being rude to the Third Hokage.
He must have a reason…
"You moron!" Iruka-sensei yelled in the normal 'Naruto-scolding' voice that Hinata knew so well from her Academy Days, "Everyone starts with simple jobs!! You have to work your way up through the ranks!!"
"But, But…" Naruto-kun insisted, "We keep getting really dumb, boring missions!"
Three…two…One.
Kakashi-sensei knocked Naruto-kun on the head, causing the blond boy to hold onto his crown in pain—although not enough pain to REALLY hurt him, thank goodness.
The Third Hokage puffed out of his pipe and let out a sigh, shaking his head at Naruto-kun. It was amazing that he didn't lose his temper at Naruto-kun…her father would have done so to her, had she been that outspoken. But Hokage-sama was very calm…and very condescending, like he was talking to a small child.
"Apparently you don't understand what these missions are about. Every day, our village receives plenty of missions, ranging from babysitting to assassinations. Each request is written down on different lists, and ranked by letter according to difficulty. You three became Genin recently, so D-rank should be…"
Naruto-kun's back was to the Hokage (Why would he do that? Didn't he care about what Hokage-sama had to say?), and he mumbled to himself, instead of listening:
"You know…I had Pork Ramen last night, so I think I'm gonna have some Miso Ramen today."
"Listen to me, Naruto!"
Hinata cringed at the raising of the Hokage's voice. If she wasn't a Genin, she would have hid behind Kakashi-sensei just so she wouldn't see the displeasure in the older man's expression.
Naruto-kun turned to face the Hokage with puffed out cheeks, and a bit of a gleam in his baby blue eyes. Hinata felt her heart jump in her throat, and she had to put her hand to her chest to make sure she didn't die. She blushed and stared at Naruto-kun, poking her fingers together in a vain attempt to curb her anxiety. The blush was attacking her with a vengeance, and it wasn't the good kind, either. The worst thing she could do was lose her composure in front of Sandaime-sama and Iruka-sensei. AND not only that, but Sasuke-san, Kakashi-sensei, and Naruto-kun.
But fat chance of her recovering. Her face was red enough…
And Sasuke-san was noticing it—he was even giving her the raised-eyebrow-what's-going-on look.
Oh, how embarrassing!
"But, but…" Naruto-kun was still crossing his arms and pouting—it was so cute. Even if he WAS back-talking the Third Hokage. "You're always giving lectures like that! Just telling me what I can and can't do!" He sat straighter, and met the older man's eyes with an intensity that just took Hinata's breath away.
"But I'm not the troublemaking brat you still think I am! I'm a shinobi of Konoha, Uzumaki Naruto, who's gonna one day be the future Hokage!!!"
Na-Naruto-kun…
She didn't even try to fight the redness away. It was there to stay. Hinata's heart felt itself jump up and down, warm and cool, and a strange electricity ran through her entire body. He was so strong, so sure of himself…So much like Naruto-kun…
And neither the Third Hokage or Iruka-sensei yelled. They didn't even get angry. Their expressions actually warmed up, and Hinata could see…affection…in their faces? Affection…something she herself wasn't used to, but she herself commonly felt. She watched the two men as the looked at Naruto-kun, and then it seemed like forever passed them by when the Third Hokage spoke again:
"If you want it that much…"
Wh-what?
A smile graced the old man's features. "I'll give you a C-rank mission. The protection of a certain individual."
Pr-protection?! Th-that means…fighting…right?!
Don't worry, Hinata! You'll be fine!
Hinata still couldn't help the iron that was forming in her stomach, and the knots that were forming in her guts. Her body had started to shake, but she managed to keep it from being noticed by Sasuke-san and Naruto-kun. She couldn't chicken out now.
"Yatta!!!" Naruto-kun looked so happy…like a child who had just been given his favorite candy. "Who're we gonna be protecting, huh? The Daimyo?! A princess?!?!"
"Keep calm. I'll introduce you." He looked to the door to the side of the room, and nodded his head. "Could you come in here?"
And then Hinata's breath caught, and she stepped back, staring at the door in wonder of who might come out.
End of Chapter Six! Yes, I know…a bit short, and it's been forever since I've last posted, but I've just had a lot of stuff to do, and it isn't my fault! Please don't kill me! ;-; I should get the next chapter up by the end of Christmas break, so don't worry!
And this chapter was for my wonderful Beta, Ruby Moon-chan! Thanks for helping me out of those ruts when I had writers' block! I appreciate it!
--Jen