The sun hid behind one of numerous tall clouds.
Birds moved in lazy circles up above, while butterflies flitted here and there, seemingly with no sense of purpose or rhythm. Dragonflies darted about, hovering for brief moments before zipping from sight. A gentle breeze pushed tall flowers and stringy reeds alike, making them sway gracefully.
It was a wonderful place to just lay on one's back… alone… staring at the sky. There were no decisions… no chores… no irritations… nothing to burden his thoughts. That was what had Shikamaru worried. Days like these didn't come very often. Something bothersome was bound to happen, if his luck held true.
"Maybe for once, I'll get lucky." He held a long frond of grass in his mouth. Looking over to the North he sighed, spotting two large clouds, both larger and darker than the others. If things followed their usual script, those angry looking clouds would drop their store of rain and move on. The rain would be brief, and limited to one area. This area. The one he had chosen.
Suddenly, the ninja sat up. There was someone nearby. It had to be a shinobi. Who? Asuna wouldn't be looking for him today. He had seen Choji earlier, and his friend was going to be training with his father for the day. He frowned and spat out his grass. What if it was a girl? It could be Ino. She might think this would be a 'wonderful romantic moment' as she put it. That would be troublesome. He simply wanted to be alone at times, and Ino never understood that.
The sound grew louder. The person was moving quietly, but not trying to surprise him. Whoever it was, they were probably assessing the situation. "I'm over here. Come on out. Let's get this over with." Waiting and wondering was more annoying than any person might be. The sooner this was over with, the better.
"Ummm… hello…" Hinata stepped out into the wide clear area, standing at the fringe of the wooded sector.
"Hinata?" Shikamaru scowled. He never would have guessed her. Anything this far from ordinary had to be big trouble.
"I was… I wonder… do you have a few minutes to talk…" Hinata walked slowly towards her friend, feeling bad about intruding on the idyllic scene. "It's… well… it's something personal…"
Shikamaru put his hand on his head. It was a girl… a girl he usually didn't have to deal with very often… one who wanted to talk about something 'personal'. "Why me?" He was asking a rhetorical question of the clouds overhead. Hinata thought the question was directed to her.
"Kurenai-sensei mentioned your name," Hinata said. "She said that as a genius, you might be able to help me." Hinata seemed shy and clueless to most people. The first part was true, but not the latter. Not by a long shot. She was very sensitive to the feelings of those around her. But, she was not going to just walk away because Shikamaru was in one of t-h-o-s-e moods.
"Kurenai?" Shikamaru shook his head. "That woman is beyond bothersome." He had heard Asuna complain about his fellow jounin on a number of occasions. He secretly believed that his teacher must have been rejected by her at some point. That was one more thing to worry about with the opposite sex. "Did she say why I should be helpful?" He didn't really want to know. But again, it was best to get things out in the open as quickly as possible.
"Ummm… yes…" Hinata nodded. This would be where things got more difficult. Blackmail went against her nature. Trickery did not come naturally; but, she had learned things by watching Naruto. Regardless, she was determined to see this through. "It would be less troublesome if you helped me."
"W-h-a-t?" Shikamaru definitely did not like the sound of that. Either Hinata knew something about a bad situation that could get worse, or she was promising to make trouble if he blew off her reqeust. The former could be problematic, but was probably within the realm of things that he and the other ninjas had dealt with before. The latter concept was incomprehensible. Hinata? Purposely cause trouble? Was that actually Hinata?
"I… what…" Hinata found herself caught in Shikamaru's Shadow Bind technique, after he had worked Shintenshin no Jutsu. She couldn't move.
"There is a strong possibility that you are not Hyuuga Hinata. If you are not, the use of her form was a poor choice, if you are going to make threats." He frowned. This wasn't a battle, and it might actually be Hinata. What point did it serve to just stand here keeping the person immobile. It essentially kept him busy as well. What a hassle!
"I'm me… I've come to talk about Naruto…" Hinata blurted that out. She should have stayed quiet. If Shikamaru thought that she was desperate, he might be able to hold that over her head.
"Really?" Shikamaru released his jutsu. "Hinata might be the only one wanting to do that." He was well aware of Hinata's feelings for Naruto. It had never been useful to clue anyone else in on his suspicions, however. "I believe I can understand why." The logic of the situation was simple enough, knowing what he did about his two friends. "But, there is a good warning against troublesome things: be careful what you wish for, you might get it."
"What…" Hinata missed that last point.
"Once you actually spend some time with Naruto, you might find that your earlier infatuation fades away." Shikamaru sighed. He almost wished that were true for Ino and Temari. Either for him, or for them.
"It hasn't," Hinata admitted. "That's why I wanted to speak with you."
"You want me to help you make the infatuation go away?" Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Talk with the other girls. They can give you plenty of reasons not to have any romantic notions about Naruto."
"No," Hinata said, shaking her head. "I've been very fortunate in some ways. Almost by miracle, I have been able to spend time alone with Naruto."
"Fortunate?" Shikamaru sighed. Who could understand women? It took more than genius to do that. Any man who said he understood the other sex was lying or deluded. "It's a miracle that you feel that way after spending time with him." Shikamaru liked Naruto. He respected his abilities. While his friend's gung ho attitude and impulsivity wore him out just listening to him, he was glad to have someone else eager to volunteer for things. But, he couldn't imagine anyone wanting to be subjected to that kind of thing for any length of time.
Hinata stood silently. She didn't know what to say to that. It was no surprise that people's opinions were strongly polarized over Naruto, even amongst people who liked him and called him friend. None of them would ever truly understand why she cared about him. Sometimes, she wondered herself.
"So, what is the problem?" Shikamaru sat down, resigned. "And what were you going to do if I refused to help you?"
"Ummm… well… this looks like a very nice place to relax…" Hinata twiddled her fingers a bit. "It would not be so nice… if it was no longer secret…"
"Wait!" Shikamaru held his hand up. His eyes were intense. That point needed to be clarified right away. "How did you find me?"
"Well… you see…" Hinata walked over, lifted up her fellow chuunin's collar, and removed something that he didn't know was there. She held it up. "Shino sent the female bug to you during your chuunin meeting this morning." She reached into her pouch carefully. She held up a male bug.
"Was that your idea?" Shikamaru looked impressed and irritated at the same time.
"Yes," Hinata admitted.
"Being around Naruto is already rubbing off on you." He sighed. "That could be the best thing to happen to you, or the very worst. Probably the worst. Things are much better when they are constant and predictable."
"Ummm…" Hinata thought about Naruto. If she was changing some because of him, she wondered if he might change some because of her. If he did, maybe people wouldn't be so down on him. She really wished that everybody could see him the way that she did. "As I was saying, I think it would be better for this place to remain secret. If… well… Ino were to hear about it…"
Shikamaru shook his head, closed his eyes, and then proceeded to run both temples. "I get a headache just thinking about that. You may have given me nightmares."
Hinata pursed her lips and made a face. "I thought that you and Ino were going out." Why would Shikamaru do that, if he didn't want to be around Ino.
"We are," Shikamaru said. "At first, it was simpler doing that. It was very annoying, always have to tell her 'no'. But…" He sighed, deeper and longer this time. "I enjoy being with her at times. That is not good enough for her. She wishes to schedule our time together. Sometimes down to the minute. Life is not a flower arrangement. It's very bothersome."
"I see." Hinata normally would not say what she planned to mention next. She didn't like ntruding into people's private lives. But, Naruto certainly got results from the direct approach. "That would rob you of times like these. It would also make it difficult to see Temari when she has duties in the Fire Country."
"What did you say?" A wide-eyed Shikamaru was an uncommon thing. "How… who… when…" He forced himself to calm down. Ino didn't know about Temari. The feisty sand shinobi didn't know about Ino. It took clever planning to make certain that their paths didn't cross. "Did that meddlesome Yuuhi woman tell you that, too?"
Hinata nodded. "If… well… if Ino is trouble… I should think that Temari would be even more difficult to deal with." Hinata didn't know the Sand ninja very well. She was a very forceful person, the opposite of herself. She was also taller, more mature in figure, and very dramatic in appearance.
"Yes," Shikamaru said. "She is even more judgmental, if that is possible. She is also more aggressive. But, she finds me interesting, and she is more worldly than Ino." He held his arms up and out, shrugging. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Quirks and habits do not become a problem. There are no overstayed welcomes." He readjusted his top-knot. "She's like a desert sandstorm. It's very exciting, but can wear one down."
"I see," Hinata said. Would Naruto grow fonder of her if they spent a lot of time together? Or, might he start seeing things that displeased him? It might be best to find that out sooner, rather than later. "I suppose it might be trouble, were Ino to find you at this spot, and someone took on this appearance." It was tricky, performing Henge based on a sketchy memory. Hinata transformed into a decent image of Temari, including the unique hair style and the large metal fan.
"Damn." Shikamaru hung his head. He closed his eyes for a moment. "Sneakiness does not fit on a Hyuuga," he said. "I thought that a skinny Choji looked wrong, after he returned injured from using the three tri-colored pills against the Sound ninja Jiroubou. But this…"
After that, Shikamaru reluctantly agreed to offer his advice. As the first order of business, he wanted to hear everything from Hinata. She told him about Hanabi and the fortune cookies. After that, she mentioned all of the things that she had been doing with Naruto.
"For the last few days, I have been helping him prepare for the next chuunin exam. He does not really need help with training, but it will be useful to know what the examiners are judging the participants on." Hinata went into more detail.
"It's a good idea. Strength wise, he might even be ready for jounin. But, he does not have the leadership skills for that yet. He is undoubtedly qualified to be chuunin, but…" Shikamaru swatted at a fly. When it landed, he used the Shadow Bind, and then smacked it. "It is possible that he will not test well in the written exam, or in the arena. Tricks and good fortune are fine while they last. Strategy and a calm head are always useful."
Hinata nodded. "He needs to learn more patience. I need to get stronger. Our training together should help us both." She sighed after that.
"Hmmmm." Shikamaru rubbed at his nose and then moved his arms to loosen his back up some. "What's wrong with the training?"
"Nothing, really," Hinata said. "It's not the training… it's everything…" Hinata hung her head. "Or nothing."
"That sounds bothersome" Shikamaru said. Confusion took too much effort to cut through. "What has you so uncertain?"
"We've been doing a lot together. It has been wonderful in some ways. But, he seems distant. If he likes me… ummm… he should…" Hinata didn't really know what Naruto would do if he liked her. But, knowing his personality, he probably should be more vocal and enthusiastic. "But… if… well… if he wasn't interested in me that way… he…" She would think that Naruto wouldn't waste his time being around someone he didn't like. He had plenty of people as friends. He could choose any of them. Her thoughts were tangled in mental knots.
"Have you talked about that?" Shikamaru asked the obvious question. "Or, are you afraid that might break the spell, and you won't get to see him any more."
Hinata nodded. She felt as if she was using up a lifetime of good luck simply by spending that much time with Naruto. "I haven't mention my feelings to him. He gets very strange when we talk about boyfriends and girlfriends. I am not certain he has any confidence in himself, that way."
Shikamaru nodded. He put his hands together, in the way he had during his chuunin match with Temari. Hinata chewed on the ends of her hair for a few moments, before forcing herself to relax and be patient.
"You would be correct in wondering why he would spend time with you, were he not interested in you. I can think of endless reasons, but most would be unlikely, and all would be conjecture. Unless there is some secret of his that we are ignorant of… some kind of scheme that he is working on… we should assume that he may have difficulty letting himself care about someone." Shikamaru paused, looking up at the clouds again. The dark clouds had gone off on a tangent. He would have plenty of time to enjoy his day after Hinata left.
"Because of Sakura?" Hinata asked. "Or, because he had no family to grow up with?"
"Exactly," Shikamaru said. Hinata had a good mind. It wasn't always quick off the mark, but it was steady and dependable. The same was probably true of her heart, despite the situation that she grew up in. That did not mean that the same would be true for Naruto, even though he was one of the staunchest friends that anyone could possibly have. "But, there could be more, some of it following the same logic. He was shunned as a child. He was laughed at in the Academy; but, at least he could get some attention by pulling outrageous stunts. If anyone approved, they liked the tricks, not the trickster."
"So, I should show him that I care about him, but not tell him?" Hinata clasped her hands together. "He needs to learn to trust me, and to have faith in my feelings?" If that was true, it was good that she never told him who she liked. He might have doubted her right away, and never given her another chance. "There is no way to show him that right away?"
"Probably not. Even if the Hokage held a meeting of the entire village and spoke the truth, he might growl and shake his head.' Shikamaru set his jaw, pondering various abstract possibilities. "He may not listen to any particular person. But, if there was some thing that he could come to trust without question…"
"Like fortunes," Hinata blurted out. "I mean… ummm… I don't believe in them…"
"But your sister does," Shikamaru said, having already heard about Hanabi's role in things. "Many people do." That idea actually held some promise. "But, Naruto has a strong tendency towards skepticism in many things. Strangely enough, he tends to have blind faith in others. It is usually one or the other, not something in between. It might prove difficult changing his mind."
"Yes. I cannot convince Hanabi that fortunetellers might be make-believe or a fraud. Neji believes that fortunetellers are probably very good at reading people, as are shinobi that take advanced training." Hinata remembered the night of the Hyuuga celebration. "Hanabi couldn't convince me to even consider that a fortune could affect my destiny."
"Neji was set in his ways at one time. He thought that his destiny was predetermined, and there was nothing he could do about it." Shikamaru said. "He changed, because of Naruto. I suppose there is no harm in trying to change Naruto's view, unless he were to somehow find out you were trying to trick him." He put a finger on his chin for a moment. "Hmmmm. I think a key point will be honor, not honesty. As long as your actions are honorable… and he can see that… there should be little risk."
"I hope so," Hinata said. She didn't want her opportunity to run aground because she failed to act. But, it would be worse to do something stupid, and drive Naruto away. "Do you… ummm… can you think of…"
"It would be a complex process." Shikamaru put his hands together. "First, he would need to believe in the power of fortunetelling. That is a necessity. Without that, nothing else will matter." He furrowed his brow. "Once that is established, the remainder is merely a matter of coordination and cleverness. The clues must lead him to the conclusion you want, whether it be his realizing how you feel, or the fact that he is safe in caring for you."
Hinata nodded, her eyes showing a spark of hope. "The fortuneteller must know the answers ahead of time, and must be willing to give those answers to Naruto." She put her hands part way into her pockets. "It should be more than one source."
"Very good," Shikamaru said. "Getting a similar answer from multiple sources would be beneficial. Also, you cannot afford to have him to get an answer at odds with the one you want him to get. For that reason also, a large number of soothsayers would have to be clued in." He scratched the back of his neck and frowned. "If they are all charlatans of a sort, they might be willing to help, and would want to keep your secret, so you keep theirs. However, if one of the fortunetellers is convinced that her methods really worked, she might warn Naruto of the plot…"
"Yes," Hinata said. "It will also be hard to contact every fortuneteller. Hanabi has mentioned a lot of names."
"That is not a difficulty. I would suggest that Naruto will want the best in anything he does. That will narrow the numbers down some, no doubt. If he visited lesser talents, so to speak, a different answer might actually reinforce his belief in the more famous fortunetellers rather than diminish it." Shikamaru sighed. "I hate to mention this suggestion, as you might then expect me to follow through, or be seen as a hypocrite…"
"I won't." Hinata waved her hands. "You have already helped me enough."
"You should enlist our friends," Shikamaru said. "Some will help you because you are their friend. Others will champion a good cause, or have some chord you can strike. Choji, for example, will do work proportional to the amount of food he is destined to receive. Shino will do some things, simply because they are a new experience, or because he gets to be part of a group. Kiba will work very hard, if there is some way that he can show he has done more work than others, or has done a better job of it than others. Sakura, Ino, and Ten Ten would no doubt help if their schedules allow."
"Neji would help me," Hinata said. "What about Lee?"
"L-e-e." Shikamaru shook his head. "He is difficult to predict. Rock Lee could be your best possible helper, or your worst. Should the idea catch fire, he would do ten times as much work as anyone else. But…"
"If he thought that it was unfair to Naruto, he wouldn't help. He would probably…" Hinata swallowed hard.
"He might tell Naruto. Yes, it is a big gamble. Worse, if he is not in it from the beginning, but somehow gets wind of it, he is certain to think there is a reason he wasn't told. That would make him suspicious of something underhanded." Shikamaru cracked his knuckles. "You might ask him to promise to keep things a secret before you give any details. If you do that, and somehow convince him that you are working in Naruto's best interest…"
"Yes," Hinata said. "But, the more people I have helping me…"
"The more that can let something slip. Correct." Shikamaru didn't say 'The more people you have helping you, the fewer reasons I should be one of them'. He thought it, though. "So, all things considered, it seems that you have some thinking to do." He hoped that she was finished. This was much too like the Soap Operas that his mother and her friends watched.
"Thank you for your help," Hinata said. She knew better than to ask her friend for anything more. She had imposed enough as it was. Still, she was a bit disappointed that he didn't make an offer. What kind of thing might Naruto say? "Because you were so kind, I will forget one thing. This place, or Temari. Which do you prefer?"
There was a moment of silence. "You were less trouble when you were more quiet." Shikamaru broke off a long frond of grass, bit down on it, and then lay down on his back, hands behind his head. "I blame Naruto for this."
Hinata smiled. When she left, there was more spring in her step. She had a goal. There was something to work towards now, something discrete and attainable. There was no guarantee of success; but, that was something a ninja needed to accept in much of what he or she did. Shikamaru was right. She had a lot of thinking to do. She needed to figure out a way to get Naruto to trust fortunetellers. Maybe Sakura and the other girls could help her brainstorm over a nice dinner.
Walking back into the heart of the village, she looked over at the various buildings, wondering how difficult it had been to build any one of them. She wondered how much time it had taken to build the village as a whole. Whatever the answers were, she knew that is hadn't all been done in a day. She couldn't expect her efforts to bear fruit in a day, a week, or even a month. And, she couldn't afford to view her life like she saw the city. While the city was still growing in some ways, it had expanded to it's limit. Her relationship with Naruto would be a journey, not a destination. She hoped that the journey would last a long time.
Catching sight of the Library, Hinata knew what she wanted to do next. She had read a number of scrolls and books on summoning, and had asked the librarians to do a further search for her. She wanted to see what else they might have found. While she had yet to tell Naruto that she wanted to learn Kuchiyose no Jutsu, she did ask him to tell her about the various jutsus he had learned. He had told her about his many experiences, and mentioning his summoning of tadpoles, and the life and death situation he had faced when Jiraiya threw him into the great chasm.
"That was a very dangerous method." Hinata wondered why the Frog hermit had taken such an approach. That sounded like some last ditch attempt, with time running out. He also hadn't taught Naruto much about the facts behind summoning. Why had he been in such a rush. Was the Legendary Sannin like Shikamaru, wanting to get things out of his hair as soon as possible? If so, why would he take Naruto on as an apprentice for more than two years? "I still need a contract, or a book showing the precise method to call an animal capable of presenting me with such a thing."
As Hinata made her way in through the front door of the large squat building, she realized how fortunate Naruto had been in that regard. Jiraiya had sliced Naruto's hand and used that blood sacrifice to summon a toad. The toad then gave Naruto a summoning contract that was handed down from prior generations. For Naruto to be able to summon them, he needed to write his name with blood. Then, he had to put blood on each of the fingertips of one hand and place the bloody handprint underneath his name. After that, to perform a summons, he would channel his chakra and use the hand he made the agreement with to call forth a toad. The seals that he used in summoning were boar, dog, hen, monkey, and sheep.
"Ahhh… Miss Hyuuga… I'm happy to see you here again. It's so nice when the young people visit out facility." The Head Librarian, Mrs. Monbosho, gestured for Hinata to come over to her. She was a round but attractive woman, with expensive clothes and an old style hairdo. She had an instinctive need to shush people when they spoke too loud in the upstairs reading areas. "It was very nice for you to return your other books promptly. I believe that our Lead Researcher, Mr. Keishu, had placed another book or two in your bin. He was also acting in a very excited manner this afternoon. He had found something in one of the old vaults, and set about cleaning it off. Excuse me…" She brought a lacquered fan she carried down in a short arc, resulting in a loud noise. "S-h-h-h!" A number of high-ranking government officials jumped, and looked guilty.
"Thank you Ma'am," Hinata said politely. "I appreciate your efforts and his."
Walking down a creaky stairway, Hinata made her way into the old books section. There had been little recent literature written on Summoning, as fewer and fewer shinobi were found to be capable of performing the technique on a grand scale. Any number could summon simple creatures or inanimate objects. A good many could create scrolls that would call a person from one point to another, a use that she remembered from the chuuni exams. The two times that her team had successfully brought their scroll through the Forest of Death and into the prearranged finishing point, a summoning scroll had brought Iruka to their location, and he had explained he next step in the exam.
Sure enough, when she removed her bin from a small shelf, there was a book in it. After leafing through it, she sighed. It wasn't of any practical importance. But, it might prove interesting, and someone had gone to the trouble to root it out for her. It would be rude not to read through some of it.
As the yellow parchment was old and fragile, Hinata handled the tome with great care. It was a treatise on various cultures and concepts they had of demons, including the methods they used to bring such creatures into this plane of existence. Much of what she read was myth and legend, a collection of interesting tidbits and misconceptions. But, there were also numerous references to creatures and beings that actually existed.
One chapter dealt with the concept of conjuration, a word based on the Latin for 'swear together'. Depending on the culture or the precise usage, the process could be an invocation; an exorcism; or an act of illusionism. As an invocation, a conjuration is the act of summoning one or more spirits with a pre-determined purpose, by means of a charm. This typically meant that the conjurer would perform some ritual to call upon the spirit. Some conjurations required a previous ritual of purification for body, mind, and soul to attract the spirit, or avoid to the danger the entity could represent.
Special ornaments and amulets were needed for attraction or protection. Magic symbols were usually drawn on the floor, clothing, and altars, with each symbol having a specific purpose. The hour of the day or night and the planetary aspects were considered important, depending on the purpose of the conjuration. A special atmosphere was preferred in the place where the ritual was going to be performed, using specific aromatic resins and herbs, and lighting the place with candles or torches if possible.
"I though that learning a summoning jutsu would be difficult. I'm glad that shinobi do not practice conjuring." Hinata continued to read on, learning that many cultures considered the practice of conjuration to be an inherently evil process, with the practitioners summoning demons or other evil spirits in order to cause harm to people or things; to obtain favors from the creatures; or simply to enter into servitude to such beings. Other cultures did not view the process itself as good or evil, choosing instead to question the motive of the men and women making use of such methods.
Likewise, the whole concept of what a 'demon' actually was varied from country to country, changing greatly over time. Much of it was semantics, as the word was used in many ways, to describe numerous creatures living on various planes. A series of consecutive chapters promised to go into exhaustive details. After some time, the words began swimming before Hinata's eyes and the names became a jumble in her head. It was a good thing that she was just reading for interest now, as she could never have kept all of the facts straight.
In folklore, mythology, and religion, a demon or demoness was often thought to be some form of supernatural being, most often described as a malevolent spirit. Only some could be summoned, and many could not be controlled. The earliest notions of demons lacked evil connotations, making Hinata wonder if something like Kyuubi may have ravaged ancient people, changing their view on things. Knowing what she did of Gama Bunta and Shukaku from her talks with Naruto… and having heard a few things about Enma, Manda, and Katsuyu… Hinata realized that those powerful creatures were much like humans, in that some were mostly good, others were mostly evil, and the rest were a unique mixture of both. Naruto said that Gama Bunta was gruff and grumpy, and spoke with words more commonly used by gangsters and thugs. She smiled, imagining a giant toad doing that. But, the Boss Frog was also a creature of honor, and would fight to help Naruto while he was able.
In some cultures, demons are still feared in popular superstition, largely due to the belief that they could somehow 'possess' humans. Hinata wondered if there were types of spirits or creatures that could actually do that. If she had been ignorant of the various jutsus that ninjas could perform, she might think that some kind of entity had taken control of the shinobi himself, or the person he acted against. The techniques that Ino and her family used were a prime example of something that might have been misinterpreted in the past.
"Where was Persia?" Hinata had not studied much about ancient history in foreign lands. But, knowledge of the exact geographical location of the country wasn't a prerequisite for reading about the beliefs of its people. In Zoroastrianism, including the writing within a sacred text called the Avesta, ahuras were supreme beings, while daevas were thought to be demonic creatures. In other countries… and in the same region at different times…both groups were thought to be demons. There was a rather lengthy discourse on some of the more important demons of ancient Persia, including Az, the demon of greed; Bushasp, the demon of sloth; Druj, the demon of lies; and Spozgar, the demon of thunderstorms. She skipped through most of that. She might have readin more detailhad she found out information on a demon of Ramen or a demon of Squid-on-a-Stick.
Hinata scratched her head. Her thoughts kept going off on tangents. She wondered how many of the demons that were mentioned had once existed, or still existed. Could most of them actually have been machinations, devised to explain various vices, virtues, and natural phenomena? How did they differ from gods, which were often described in a similar manner, including the Greek and Roman gods? She really didn't have any desire to read things in that much detail today, if ever. Maybe there were some things that were best left unlearned. At the very least, there were things that had no practical value for he, as long as there was no way that the shinobi technique of summoning couldn't accidentally pull in something unexpected.
"I wonder if Mr. Keishu will have his discovery ready today?" Hinata pulled at one ear lobe. What had the man excited? Librarians often were giddy to the point of acting tipsy when they simply found a book that no one else knew about. But, he might also have found something that he realized would serve her purpose. She would wait and see if he brought her something more.
She went on to skim a chapter on demons as they were described in the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible. There were two classes, the se'irim and the shedim. The former, translated as 'hairy beings', were supposed to be satyr-like demons, described as dancing in the wilderness, seeming to be very similar to the Arabian jinn. The shedim were described differently in separate legends and folklore. Some stories said they were demons with the legs of a cock, while others said that they had the form of serpents, or were descended from serpents. One legend said that God did not finish their creation due to the fact that he was resting during the Sabbath, and then forgot them completely. Others said that they were storm-demons, probably borrowed from Chaldean mythology that had seven creatures called shedim. That name translated to 'evil demons' and referenced powerful beings with ox-like forms.
"I wonder if that happened to me," Hinata asked with a sigh, thinking about creatures being left unfinished. She was so short. Despite what Kurenai might say, while she might be cute, she certainly wasn't as pretty as the rest of her friends. She used to take comfort in the fact that Naruto was short too, but had such a big heart and growing talents. Now, he stood much taller than she did.
'It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog,' Kiba had told her before, discussing Akamaru. While Hinata definitely didn't think that anyone would go as far as to refer to her as a 'dog' in slang terms, the saying might still hold true for her. Naruto had teased her about her height a number of times already, but had always made certain that she knew he was joking. That was a good sign, wasn't it?
The portion of the book dealing with Rabbinical demonology was very dry. For that reason, Hinata skipped over large portions of it. There were three classes of demons that were scarcely separable one from another that included the shedim; the mazzi?im or 'harmers'; and the ru?in or 'evil spirits'. Besides those, there were lilin or 'night spirits'; the ?elane or 'evening spirits'; the iharire or 'midday spirits;' and the ?afrire or 'morning spirits'; as well as the demons 'that bring famine' and 'cause storms and earthquakes'. They all seemed to be workers of harm. Some types were thought to be the cause of various diseases, including blindness, catalepsy, headaches, epilepsy, and even nightmares.
Hinata rubbed at her temples. She was getting a headache. But, there was no need to propose a demon as its cause. The writing in the book was faint… the text was handwritten… and she had banged herself on the head earlier in the morning, when she walked into a low sign while daydreaming about Naruto. The bump on her head was still sore, and had hardly shrunken in size. She had hoped that spending time with him would have made her less distracted, not more addlepated! In a flight of fancy, she wondered if there was a justu that she could use to summon him, and make him do her bidding. She wouldn't mind getting a headache reading that. Poof! 'Uzumaki Naruto, it is I, Hyuuga Hinata who has summoned you. By this contract, you will be my boyfriend, with all that entails'.
Now she was just being silly. There was a cure for that. She could read more of the book. That would bore the silliness out of her. The next chapter dealt with demons as they were described in Christianity. Early scriptures talked of demons as spirits that inhabited a place or accompanied a person. Later writings were far more complex. One source described how when God created angels, he offered them the same choice he would later offer humanity: follow, or be cast apart from him. Some angels chose not to follow God, instead choosing the path of evil. These were not the fallen angels, but were the pre-human entities known as demons. The fallen angels were a host of angels who later rebelled against God, headed by Lucifer and Satan, who was talked into rebelling by Lucifer. And later yet, there were two hundred fallen angels known as the Grigori, who were led by Semyazza, Azazel and other angelic chiefs. Some of those were thought to be the demons that were conjured by King Solomon and imprisoned in the brass vessels. Also apparently called Goetia demons, they descended to Earth and mated with mortal women, giving rise to a race of giants known as the Nephilim.
There were some notes on the origins of the word Goetia, with Goeteia being an Ancient Greek word for 'magic, witchcraft, jugglery'. The root Goēs means 'sorcerer' or 'quack'.
"Quacks," Hinata said quietly. Naturally, that brought her thoughts back to Fortunetellers. In her opinion, they were just as bad as the people peddling false medicinal cures in the streets of Konoha, except that the latter had to sell secretly from door to door, staying one step ahead of Tsunade's officials. "If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck… it is a duck." She couldn't believe that people were drawn in by the things that soothsayers said and promised. How was she going to talk about fortunetellers with a straight face, convincing Naruto that they were real? No matter what her motives, in the end, that would be lying. Could any good really come from that?
"It doesn't all have to be lies…" That's right! She could mention the fortune cookies, and the messages they contained. She wouldn't have to mention Hanabi's interpretation of her cookie's fortune. She could leave that as a mystery that her sister was chasing after. Neji's and her father's messages were simple enough and could be viewed as accurate. 'Opportunity is slipping away. Act now or relinquish your dream.' Her own fortune? Well, she could interpret that in any number of ways. Oh! That might work: Kuchiyose no Jutsu, Yes. That would fit in nicely. Maybe reading this dusty old book had been helpful after all.
Hinata certainly had a lot to think about later. She probably wouldn't get much sleep tonight, if she wanted to come up with a solid plan before approaching some of her friends for help. Her heart was racing now. She suddenly felt a bit short of breath. Everything was weighing down on her. This was all new to her. She was not one for tricks and misdirection. She was not a person who got involved in complex schemes, much less one who orchestrated them. She was feeling more worried now than she did before her first chuunin exam. Was she a duck, trying to be an eagle? No, was she a duck, hoping to win the heart of an eagle?
"Calm down. Read more of the book." She read about Pre-Islamic mythology, which didn't discriminate between gods and demons. The jinn were considered divinities of inferior rank, and had many human attributes: they ate, drank, and procreated their kind, sometimes in conjunction with human beings; in which latter case, the offspring shared the natures of both parents. In appearing to men, such demons sometimes assumed the forms of beasts and sometimes those of men; but they always have some animal characteristic, such as a paw in place of a hand. The eccentric movements of the dust-whirlwinds were believed to be visible signs of a battle between two clans of jinn. Generally jinn were peaceable and well disposed toward men; but there were also evil jinn, who contrived to injure men.
Islamic culture went on to divides the evil demons into five species: 'jann', 'jinn', 'shaidans', 'afrits', and 'marids'. Much of the writings that Hinata skimmed over involved the shaidans who often, as enemies of Allah, strove to disturb worshipers. The pronouncing of the 'takbir formula…'Allah akbar', or Allah is very great… was said to be a means of driving them away. To ensure that their children would not sustain injury from such evil spirits, parents sometimes tied the teeth of a fox and cat to a thread and put the necklace around the neck of their son or daughter. Why both a fox and a cat? Was there some benefit from such a pairing?
Hinata couldn't find an answer to that question. There was mention that a horse could be protected from evil influence if a fox's tail or a crimson plume was fastened between its eyes. In classical Arabic and Persian literature, the fox was a symbol of craftiness and deceit. "That would be Naruto," Hinata said, smiling. That smile faded away. Konoha had its own history with a fox. Kyuubi. "Naruto is nothing like that horrible beast!"
Cats were talked about in different fashions, too. There were demons called '?u?rus' that usually assumed the form of cats. But, it also seemed that the cat was highly respected in Islam, because of tales that the Prophet was a cat lover. One story told of a cat that saved Mohammed from being bitten by a deadly snake. In another, when Mohammed was called to prayer, he found his cat Muezza asleep on the sleeve of his robe; he cut off the sleeve rather than disturb his cat.
"Kitten." Hinata sighed, thinking back to her childhood. Her mother loved pets, while her father detested them. Before her mother had died, she had been given a kitten, which she naturally named 'Kitten'. It was one of the few friends that she had, and had run away as a cat, not long before her mother passed away. "Maybe I will get a cat when I move into a place of my own."
She looked at her watch. If the Researcher didn't bring something new soon, she would head on home. It was one of the nights that she liked to prepare dinner in place of the cooks and chefs. Waiting a bit longer, she read about demons in Hinduism and Buddhism. After that, she brought a hand to her mouth when she read the title of the next chapter. It was about Youkai. Her father and some of his retainers would tell her and Hanabi stories at night, just before they went to sleep. Whose bright idea had that been? It was probably her father's! While Hanabi had been ecstatic, Hinata often spent restless or sleepless nights with the covers pulled over her head.
Yōkai were generally viewed to be more powerful than human beings, and because of that, tended to act arrogantly towards mortals. Yōkai also have different values from human beings, and when these conflict, it can lead to animosity. They are generally invulnerable to human attack, but they could be defeated by skilled yōkai exterminators and Buddhist monks with Buddha's blessing. Some stories told of yōkai breeding with human beings to produce han'yō, or 'half-demons'. Most of those tales begin as love stories, but they often end in sadness resulting from the many obstacles faced by yōkai and mortals in such relationships.
"Naruto-kun." Hinata sighed long and deep. She rubbed her tired eyes. He was not a demon, but still presented her with a fair number of obstacles. But, they would all be worth it, if their time together could become a love story, even for a little while.
Hinata had no desire to read about Kitsune, Tanuki, Oni, Kappa, Tengu Yuki-onna, or any of the many others that had helped form her earliest nightmares. She especially did not want to read about Yadoukai, supernatural creatures that wandered at night, causing damage to people or kidnapping children. Her kidnapping had been a brief but harrowing experience. Her father had saved her, killing the head ninja of the Lightning Country; but, the political ramifications of the act led to his having to die in order to maintain peace with that nation, which refused to acknowledge the kidnapper's crime. His twin Hizashi… Neji's father… took his place, preventing war, and allowing his brother to live and further the Bloodline.
She was about to read about Youma, a term that had started off meaning 'demon' or 'devil', and had later been applied to the Nine Tails and creatures of that magnitude. She yawned a number of times in succession, and decided to call it a day. "That's enough." She closed the book. Sliding her chair back, she heard the sound of running feet.
"Miss Hyuuga… Miss Hyuuga…" It was Mr. Keishu. He sounded breathless. "Miss Hyuuga, are you still there?"
"I'm over here, Sir." Hinata felt her pulse racing again. What had the elderly gentleman found?
"Oh, very good. These are very valuable. I would not have wanted to leave them sitting in your bin unwatched." Mr. Keishu was a disheveled looking man who was impossibly tall and unbelievably thin. One of his eyes had a nervous tic. He placed a number of large scrolls on the small desk that had room for one at best. One scroll rolled off down the aisle while another struck Hinata's sandaled foot.
Hinata put her hand over her mouth to muffle a quick exclamation of pain. "What have you found?" Hinata looked up into the flushed face of the old gentleman, seeing his eye twitching much more than usual. "Your eye… I mean your efforts are greatly appreciated."
"These few here…" Mr. Keishu dropped another scroll, and pointed to two others. "…They are old summoning scrolls, ones that were carried by shinobi many years ago." he unrolled one. "Unfortunately, they are not completely intact. Some are missing fragments, while the writing is irreparably faded on the largest one."
"This one?" Hinata sked, her hand on the one scroll remaining on her desk.
"Ahhhhh… that one…" The Researcher's eyes lit up. His tic suddenly stopped. "That is something very special." He rubbed his hands together. "That one is very old, but it is perfect! It's another summoning scroll, but slightly different than the others. Those…" he pointed to the other scrolls. "…They are much like the scrolls used by the Frog hermit Jiraiya and others today. They mention the type of creature that one is making a contract with." He tapped the largest scroll. "This one was spiders, I believe. No… no… my mistake… this one was pigs. The one over there was spiders. The third one was for turtles.
"How is this one different, Sir?" Hinata ran her hand over the summoning scroll, feeling an indescribable pleasure at holding something that was so old.
"Hmmmm… that one is a mystery…" Mr. Keishu smiled. "No specific mention is made to the type of animal. Instead, mention is made of names." He shrugged. "I'm afraid the Library has no reference to those names. Some things must stay lost in antiquity, I'm afraid."
"W-W-Would this scroll still work?" Hinata began to tremble a little. Why did she ask that? Yes, it might be nice to have a functioning scroll, but this was a priceless treasure to some. Besides, she was the most conservative of her peers. Even in her dreams, would she try to summon a creature, without knowing what it was? What if it was something like some of the various demons she had just read about?
"Yes…" Mr. Keishu's eyes narrowed. His smile got even wider. "Yes… it just might, Miss Hyuuga…" He coughed a bit. "How I would love to find out."
Hinata swallowed hard. Naruto took chances. That was how he ended up succeeding remarkably well at times. What should she do? Was the man offering to let her make use of the scroll? "Y-Y-You would?" Hinata rubbed her fingers together. She had told Mr. Keishu why she was researching the subjects of scrolls and demons. "B-B-But… if someone used the scroll, she… or he… would need to keep it, since a contract would have been made."
"My own motives are not reason enough to give some young woman… or man… the scroll." Mr. Keishu did not look sad or any less enthusiastic. "However, if the scroll called a creature that could aid in the defense of our village…"
Hinata nodded. She felt her hopes skyrocket. But, reality ran up and down her spine like cold fingers. "If the creature were something that might harm the village…"
"Yes," the elderly man said. "We all take risks in life, some bigger than others. It would not be good to call something like the Kyuubi to our village." His tic returned, as he stood thinking about that great demon, and its current location. "But, if this was carried by one of the Forefathers, I doubt that it would be for something of that nature."
"I see," Hinata said, grasping the desk top firmly enough to whiten her fingers. "You are saying…" She needed to hear the words in concrete terms, not the abstract. That would help force her decision, one way or another.
"You are a fine young woman, from an old and respected Family." Mr. Keishu ran his hand over the scroll on Hinata's desk, as if telling it 'Good Bye'. "You may have this, if you wish." His eyes became very intense. "If it works, it is yours. If it does not, you can return it." His eyes sparkled. "But not too late, or Mrs. Monbosho will give you a whopping fine." He chuckled, and then began wheezing.
Hinata debated her decision. When the image of Naruto came to mind, she bit her lip, straightened her shoulders, and said "I'll take good care of it, Sir."
Now, one thing remained to be seen: could she conjure up the courage… or recklessness… to use it...