The seasons changed.
As the time passed, the latest war with the Rain and Grass grew from a series of escalating skirmishes to a full fledged confrontation.
War brought many changes, as did the weeks themselves. Ichigawa sat outside of Naruto's home, conversing with that ninja's aide. "My wife Sada ran off with a soldier and all of our savings. The bakery is ruined. I tried to hang myself, but Hyuuga Hinata found me, cut me down, and brought me here to work for Master Naruto."
The aide commiserated, and checked his watch. He called for Naruto to come down. His boss was already overdue at a meeting with Jiraiya, and had another session scheduled with battle planners. Having grown into a promising strategist despite a lack of any true genius, his services were required in many settings.
"He'll get there in good time, I wager." Hinata smiled as she walked up. She accepted a kiss on her hand from Ichigawa. "Even if it means blowing holes in any walls that get in his way."
The disgruntled aide nodded his head, looking all the world like a pigeon. "Just as long as it's not one of our walls again!" There was obviously a story behind that, but the aide was determined to stay mum, no matter how often Hinata asked.
A number of musicians arrived, breathless. Hinata won their services in a bet, having caught the head musician out on a point of bad grammar.
"Why… (puff puff) … did you… (puff) … make us run… (puff puff puff) … all of the way here?" One purpling violin player asked.
"To be blunt? You're all too damn fat!" Hinata laughed at the look on their faces. Her words were only half in jest. "That would be Ichigawa's fault, since his pastries were always so good, and the portions so generous."
Ichigawa sighed. He served as a cook for Naruto, who allowed him to make pastries to hand out to artists and musicians. Things might change yet again, since the people he had treated so kindly over the years were eager to repay the favors. If fate smiled upon him, he would be able to reopen the bakery soon.
"You remember what I told you about my Ninja Way?" Hinata looked the baker in the eyes. "I've spoken through channels, and the soldier's wages willbe garnished. That money will mysteriously make its way into your pocket. If he deserts, there will be a price on his head, and that will go to you, too."
"Thank you." Ichigawa brightened considerably.
"Sada may have stolen your savings, but there's more to life than money." Hinata's voice had threatened to crack there, but she held tough. The past few weeks had not been kind to her heart. Naruto and Apate spent a great deal of time together, whenever their separate missions allowed. Kurenai had been seriously wounded, but would recover fully. Both Shino and Kiba were missing, and had been for a few days now. She had asked to lead a team to find them, but her request had been denied.
The musicians began to play. Ichigawa's face looked dreadful. The aide ran inside. Hinata held her tongue, horrified at how bad they sounded. She had never heard this troop before, and understood why.
"Gentlemen, your tone is splendid today! Whatever you had for breakfast, please let me know!" Hinata would be sure to avoid it like the plague. "I am finally ready to assign you your task. There is a woman whose spirit is very low, even though she puts on a strong front. She may deny it, but she loves music more than life itself. Loath to accept charity, she may try to drive you away. She may even resort to lies, saying that you sound terrible." Hinata shook her head.
"Tsk tsk. But, the pride of a woman like that is a powerful thing." The head musician said.
"I ask you to serve her with all your heart. Wherever she goes, follow." Hinata struck a dramatic pose. "Through doors! Up trellises! From courtyard to courtyard if necessary!"
"We will!" The musicians all promised at once.
"Play for all you are worth, and as loudly as you can. Start when you first catch sight of her, and do not cease until the sun goes to bed." Hinata smiled, but not for the reason that the musicians thought.
"This woman's name?" One musician asked.
"Suzuka. The famous actress Suzuka. I have her address for you. She's a ninja, so you may have to work to keep up with her. If you do, consider our bet complete." The musicians left, still huffing and puffing.
"What was that terrible noise?" Naruto strode down his stairs, dressed in a pair of splendid robes. He smiled, seeing Hinata. "Hey, Hinata. Look at these robes. They're a gift from Apate. She says they make me look… uhhh… never mind…."
Hinata kept a smile on her face, but just barely. She knew just what Naruto was going to say. It was easy, as she thought the same thing herself, just looking at him.
"Speaking of Apate…." Naruto motioned for Hinata to follow him to a private spot just around a vine-covered fence. "I never cease to be amazed by her. The letters that she writes me are breath-taking. They are truly remarkable. I find it hard to believe, but I think she may even be more intellectual than you are."
"I… ummm… I see…… those letters must be quite splendid, indeed…" Hinata fought the urge to twiddle her fingers. Her heart was in free fall. She gathered up her strength, and continued putting on a good front.
"Well, I'll let you be the judge of that, Miss Poet." Naruto took out a letter, which he had kept in his robes over his heart at Apate's request. With a grand flourish, he read passages from the correspondence.
Hinata found herself whispering the words before Naruto spoke them, and then stopped when she caught herself.
"Those words truly touch my heart in a way I have never been touched before. I think I am falling deeply in love." Naruto's smile was a dagger in Hinata's breast.
"Ah!" Hinata hadn't been able to find anything else to say. "Well!" She coughed, trying to find her normal voice. "I'm certain that the poetry might seem wonderful to a novice." She began critiquing the work she had secretly done herself.
"Mmmm-mmm-mm-m hmmm-mm-m… it seems to me that a certain ANBU leader is jealous of Apate's talent." Naruto laughed, and then stopped when his aide spoke.
"Sir, there is a carriage approaching." The aide twitched ever so slightly.
"Whose?" Naruto frowned, certain he knew the answer.
"It is that of Yukinime Akazuki." The aide made a face. He didn't bother trying to hide his opinion of the imperious woman.
"I see. Thank you." Naruto turned to Hinata. "We don't want any trouble here. Quick. Over the fence and up the steps. You can stay inside until I see what she wants." He knew that Hinata and Yukihime mixed worse than oil and water.
Feeling like a criminal of sorts, Hinata ran from the scene, heading up into Naruto's abode. Finding an ideal vantage point, she watched and listened, herself unseen and unheard. She realized that she was laying on a cushion. It was Naruto's cushion, she took a deep breath, smelling his scent on it.
"Sir," the aide said. "Your meetings…" Not only did he want to keep his boss on schedule, but he also saw a means by which he could escape yet another encounter with that blasted woman.
"Have been postponed until later," Naruto said, showing the aide a recent communique. "Our visitor is unaware of the meetings, or their delay." His smile had the aide chuckling.
After Yukihime left her carriage, and made it a big deal to sway her hips dramatically on her walk over to Naruto, she stood on her toes to kiss him. Naruto, as he always did, turned his head. The kiss landed on his cheek.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, Yuki?" Naruto grinned. Not because he was glad to see her, but because he had called her by an abbreviated name. She might think it was a term of endearment. But, she had no idea how many people called her that behind her back.
"I have come to say my farewell, kind sir." Yukihime put a tender look on her face, and then fluttered her hands ever so slightly. "I have been put in command of a regiment of soldiers. I will also be directing groups of shinobi, including a number of ANBU squads."
"ANBU, you say?" Naruto's gaze was intense for a moment.
"Yes. We will be leaving later this evening, headed for territory held by the Grass. By good fortune, the alliance with the Sand remains as strong as ever, and we may soon have an agreement with the Hidden Village of Rock. As I understand it, you had something to do with that turn of events." Yukihime leaned up against Naruto, and bumped him subtly with her hip.
Naruto made no move to reciprocate. "I played a role in it that," he admitted. "But, if anything, Tsunade did more to make it happen than I did." He smiled. "The best work may have been done by the Frog Hermit. I think that the Rock came to terms because we promised to bring that old pervert home."
"I see." Yukihime's face changed. "As I hear it, the Legendary Sannin is quite fond of watching naked women." She thrust her chest out some. "You spent a number of years as his apprentice, did you not?" The look she gave Naruto was not subtle. "Perhaps we should continue our discussion…upstairs…."
Hinata froze. She didn't think that Naruto had any feelings for that woman. At least, no feelings of love or admiration. Lust was a different question. She didn't think that he was the type to throw himself on any woman who came his way. But, how could she be sure? If they headed inside, she would have to depart post haste.
"I couldn't think of wasting such a beautiful evening indoors," Naruto said, taking a deep breath of air. "The scents are so wonderful." He shook his mane of hair, then took a blossom off of a vine, smelling it. "You mentioned ANBU squads. They are needed in the battle? Their talents are needed in Konoha too." Enemy incursions against the Hidden Leaf village had been increasing notably over the past few weeks. It might be a subject he should touch on when he got to his meeting.
"As you will no doubt hear, the battle goes well, but much hinges on the coming campaign. If we can win through, the conflict may end." Yukinime said. "The amount of lives and resources that could be saved makes the risk worthwhile. Besides, one of the units will be the one led by that detestable Hyuuga girl. Konoha would be better off with her and that motley crew gone." She checked to see if anyone was listening.
When she continued, it was in a hushed voice. "In fact, I predict that her group will have a reckoning."
"I see… you are indeeda woman of great passions." Naruto fought hard to keep his anger from showing. "Your grudge against the ANBU leader must be great."
"Yes," Yukihime replied, thinking that Naruto's calm acceptance of her hint meant that he supported her actions. "She is wretched, and rather presumptuous. No wonder she is unattached." The pompous woman smiled, and then laughed a high pitched laugh. "If the rumors are true, she remains a virgin!"
Up in Naruto's home, Hinata reached for her sword by reflex. Closing her eyes, she lay there in growing misery.
Naruto coughed, and then spoke. "I see nothing wrong with that. I find women who throw themselves on men to further themselves to be much more contemptible, don't you?"
"I… well… that is…" Yukihime tensed up, wondering if that had been directed at her. It couldn't have! He was still smiling, and she was a great prize amongst the women of Konoha.
"Now… for the matter of revenge…" Naruto made a big show of rubbing his chin, looking as if he were deep in thought. " I think that the best way to seek revenge on Hyuuga Hinata would be to deny her squad a chance to join the battle." He didn't want to call Yukihime out, or denounce her in front of the military planners, unless he absolutely had no other choice. Her family had too many connections, and now was not the time for any political infighting. "It would cause quite a stir, if you make your decision publicly, saying that you judge her abilities to be lacking."
Yukihime laughed. "You are quite the perfect match for me." She took out a small paper fan. "Your thought is so delicious, just like yourself." Once more she kissed Naruto, winning his chin this time.
"So, you will do that?" Naruto kept his voice even.
"No, I think not." Yukihime made a fancy gesture with her fan. "It might exceed my authority. What's more, I would be gladto see that woman gone, should we all be so fortunate." Yukihime's eyes flashed, remembering past indignities. "Though, I suppose I could petition to keep the entire squad here in reserve. Stationed in Konoha, I would have more time to spend with you."
"I will not be here," Naruto said, a little too quickly. "And, I would think more highly of you, should you do battle personally." He put his hands behind his neck. "Of course, your reputation will never match that of Hyuuga Hinata. If she is on the same battlefield, her actions will eclipse yours like the moon does the sun."
"But, we all know that the sun is brighter and more beautiful," Yukihime hastened to say. "Just the same, perhaps I will see if I can leave her ANBU squad behind. They could sit around ignominiously, spending their time in the local pubs."
When Naruto noted that he must soon head over to a meeting, Yukihime left in grand fashion. Soon thereafter, Hinata headed back outside.
"I'm glad that she's gone," Naruto said when Hinata rejoined him. "I will need to deal with her through Tsnade; but, it won't be easy. I'm thoroughly sick of politics, and I haven't even made Hokage yet."
"She means to see me and my men killed," Hinata said, the disgust plain on her face. "I truly wish that I could return the favor!" She looked up at Naruto's face, eyes catching hints of lipstick. She wished that she could do like Yukinime had, even if Naruto paid no more attention to her kisses than he did to Yukihime's. "Thank you for looking out for us. But, I don't intend to hide behind anyone."
"She is as beautiful as a butterfly, but as treacherous as a wasp." Naruto sighed. "But, I'm tired of thinking about that selfish woman. I expect that Apate will be here soon."
"She will?" Hinata flinched, hating herself for doing so. "You seem quite popular these days." She wondered how many of the women who sought his favor did so because they cared about him. Most probably did not. Judging by her actions, Apate might truly love him. But, she was only a guest in the village. Her assignment was temporary. Was that reason to hold out hope?
Naruto called over to his aide, telling him to have Apate wait for him under the balcony. Preparing to go back inside, he told his plan to Hinata. "I suppose it's a role reversal of sorts," he laughed. "Tonight, a test, if you like. I'm going to have her improvise on her true feelings for me." Naruto smiled. "of course, she will scold me, saying that she should be the one on the balcony…."
Hinata imagined herself on a balcony, with Naruto down below. There really wasn't any reason to picture that, was there? Her hope was an anchor around her neck, an albatross.
"She's coming, Sir!" The aide went to meet Apate.
"Please don't tell Apate anything of my plot!" Naruto said. "If she knows, her words will be prepared, just like a speech. I want to hear things straight from her heart." There was a strange look in his eyes.
"OK," Hinata said, feeling bad about her lie. When Naruto was gone, and Apate stood alone under the huge balcony, she moved to speak secretly to the Waterfall shinobi. "Apate," Hinata said quietly, one finger on her lips.
"Squad leader?" The other girl wondered why Hinata was there.
Hinata explained Naruto's plan.
"But… if I wasn't the one who wrote any of those letters…" Apate looked worried. "If I speak for myself, I'll ruin everything…"
Almost opening her mouth with an offer to help, Hinata stood by feeling unsympathetic. Life was hard. Everybody had to face that cold facts sometime or another.
The sound of a sliding door could be heard. Then, a light patter of footsteps. "Apate, are you there?" It was Naruto.
"Yes, I am." Apate looked up. She could be seen from above, but a nearby Hinata could not. Why am I to wait down here?" Apate already knew the answer to that.
"Humor me," Naruto said. "I'm trying my hand at drama. And, I want to know how you feel about me, off the top of your heart."
"You know how I feel," Apate said, hoping to avoid this game.
""No, I really don't." Naruto placed one hand on the banister. "I'm a guy. We can't always see things for ourselves. Sometimes we need to be shown… or told quite plainly…"
Hinata muttered under her breath. Wasn't that the truth!
"Oh…well…I…" Apate tried to find the right words. "I…adore you…." She thought furiously, her hand twitching. "I… love you..." She tensed up. "I love you… a lot…."
She stumbled onward, sounding insipid in her own ears. "I love you more than the stars… and twice as much as the moon…" With each following word, she felt her tongue growing thicker.
"Ahhhh-hhh-hh-h…" Naruto frowned, scratching his head. "I should be happy that you feel that way about me. But, it's strange. Your words just don't move me. Not like they moved me before." He shrugged. "It almost seems as if someone else wrote those wonderful letters. Maybe tonight, you're just not feeling like yourself." He rubbed his nose. "I have meetings I should prepare for. We should try this again some other night…" Turning, he made his way back inside.
"But…." Apate stopped, once she heard the closing of the door. She looked up at the house. A light went on in one of the rooms. She turned to Hinata, who quickly hid a grin.
"Please… Squad Leader… Hinata…can you help me." Apate rubbed one foot along the ground. "I can't do this on my own…"
"Well, what woman doesn't want to see young love blossom?" Hinata knew the answer to her own question. "What say we do things my way this time?" She decided to help. She had started something by penning those love notes. In some ways, she felt honor bound to follow through. She had been petty before.
Apate nodded vigorously, and then smiled. "Thank you. If it wasn't for you, I would never have a chance to win his heart fully."
"Here," Hinata scooped up a handful of gravel and poured it into Apate's hand, watching as most of it fell through her fingers before she reacted. "Throw that at his window. Throw it hard.Do it until he opens it and looks out."
"OK…." Apate knew there must be more. "Then I should stay in the open, and you will feed me words from out of sight…"
"Exactly," Hinata replied. "Whatever I whisper, you repeat."
The girl from the Waterfall did as she was instructed. Naruto opened his window, looking somewhat cross at first. When he caught sight of Apate, his face softened.
Reciting the words that Hinata gave her, Apate spoke, describing her feelings to Naruto, never realizing that it was truly Hinata's feelings that she spoke. But, her speech was halting, as she waited for Hinata's cues and tried to fit the fanciful words to her lips.
"Why are your words so hesitant?" Naruto asked. "Are you speaking from your heart, or are you trying to make up something you think I might want to hear?"
"Pssss-sss-ss-st… Apate…. step under here now…" Hinata took a deep breath, hoping she could pull things off. "I will copy your voice and do the talking." After the other girl did so, she spoke in a voice rich with emotion. Her ANBU training was coming in handy.
A tear forming in each eye, Hinata told Naruto all of the things she had wished to tell him over the years, careful not to say anything that would be out of character for Apate. By Naruto's responses, it seemed that he was touched by the heartfelt words.
"I want a kiss!" Apate blurted out loudly, during a pause. "That would be so romantic. It's what this kind of moment calls for. It will prove we are meant to stay together, forever." Her kisses in the past had merely set the stage for this one.
"But…" Hinata clenched her fists. It should be her kiss. There seemed to be no justice in life! "Go ahead… walk where he can see you… ask for what you want…"
Apate did just that. Naruto told Apate to climb the trellis outside of his window. He wouldn't mind being fashionably late to his meetings.
"Miss Hinata, that horrid woman is returning." Naruto's aide pointed. Yukihime's carriage was heading back down the street.
"What does she want?" Hinata scowled. While she was none too happy about the kissing that must be taking place, she was not about to let Yukihime ruins things for anyone. "He told her that he had some place to go."
"I can ask her to leave," the aide said, looking somewhat pale. If he did that, the woman might see fit to have some ill befall him, despite Naruto's protection.
"No," Hinata said. "Go inside. Find Ichigawa. Bring me his robes, and that silly wide-brimmed hat he sometimes wears. Hurry!" She nodded, an idea taking firm root as the man scampered off. "All the world's a stage…"
Once she had the items she requested, Hinata quickly put them on, and then climbed a tree near Naruto's balcony, just as the clattering of horses' hooves grew their loudest.
Yukihime stepped out of her carriage, and worked to fix her hair. Looking up at the lit window, she smoothed her clothing. She would do whatever it took to spend some romantic time alone with Uzumaki Naruto. Someone had told her that the meetings he spoke of had been pushed back to later.
Just as the other woman passed under her bough, Hinata jumped down, hitting the ground and moaning in a man's voice. "Ah me! I have just fallen from space. How could this have happened?" Staggering, she grabbed hold of Yukihime.
"Get off of me… you… you… dirty crazy fool." Yukihime kicked hard, moving Hinata a few feet away, her face hidden behind the sharply tipped hat.
"Dirty?" Hinata made herself sound incredulous. "I can not be dirty. There is no dirt in space!" Hinata added a touch of insanity to her tone of voice making Yukihime take a step backwards, reflexively. "Lo… but there is dirt on the moon…my home…"
"Leave here… you… you maniac!" Yukihime put her hands up, ready to perform hand seals if necessary. "I will give you but one chance to move away, before I call for the guards." When the wind blew a lock of hair in front of her face, she pushed it away. Changing hers stance, she added "Perhaps I should deal more harshly with you myself." She reached under her pearl-studded coat to bring out a kunai.
"Ohhhh-hhh-hh-h…" Hinata spoke in an excited voice, waving her arms and dancing about in apparent glee. "You have one of my anchors. I am saved. If I hadn't lost that, I never would have drifted off into space. If you it to me, I won't float away again."
"I told you to go away and never approach me again!" Yukihime's voice grew strident. "And I will surely give you this; but, not in a manner you might wish."
"Wish?" Hinata stood with her legs akimbo. "Wish!" She jerked about a bit. "You've come upon the answer. There is intelligent life on this planet after all!" She rubbed her hands together. " If we both wish for me to be gone, I might yet reach the moon again. For, it was my wish on her beautiful face that brought me to our embrace the first time!"
The white-eyed ninja was smiling under her hat, enjoying herself even more than she had with Suzuka. The look on Yukihime's face was priceless. And, this tale would make great telling amongst the troops. Not only that, she would make certain to repeat it to Yukihime some day.
"You will have no need for wishes if you are dead!" Yukihime readied her weapon, but then decided to remove her fancy coat first. "If you don't wish that, I will tell you one more time… be on your way… immediately!"
"Ahhhh-hhh-hh-h… poor me." Hinata sounded at wit's end. "Poor helpless me. Poor unjustly threatened me. The blood of the gentry has thinned so very much. Yet another reason I sought a life elsewhere." She stuck out her finger and pointed at the other woman. "If you kill me, you will bear my geas. You will be cursed… you and your family… until my body rests under the soil of my beloved moon!" Hinata had to keep from laughing.
"Stupid… unwashed… son of a whore!" Yukihime's voice could have frozen steel. "I will owe you nothing. I will need to bathe myself again tonight, just having laid eyes on you."
Continuing to spout bizarre and insane things in response to Yukihime's heated replies, Hinata ran this way and that, pretending to fall, stumble, or jerk aside by good fortune, just being missed by the other shinobi's strikes. When Yukihime stopped, and began working hand seals, Hinata threw off her hat and robe.
"You would use that jutsu against a poor unfortunate civilian?" Hinata stood with her hips, mimicking a pose she had seen Lee and Gai use many times. "If I had truly been a lost and sickly man… the kind of person we are sworn to protect… you would have struck me down?" Her voice was rich with contempt. She knew just what top say to hit the sorest spot of all. "It seems that the blood of your family does run thin. But then again, there's a good reason that it's not mentioned in the same breath as Hyuugas, or the remade Uchiha clan." She knew that those words would strike Yukihime deeper than any kunai could.
"Hyuuga Hinata!" Yukihime began to seeth with rage. "You… I…" She noticed the light go out in Naruto's room.
"I wonder if Naruto caught your impressive display," Hinata said, twisting the verbal knife again. "No doubt something like that will win his heart." She spun the hat around on her fingers. "Isn't that why he wants to be Hokage… to step on the little people…"
"That's… it's none of your concern…" Yukihime took a few steps towards Hinata. "What could it possibly matter… the opinion of someone like you… a woman too worthless to ever bed a man…"
"Is there a problem here?" Naruto walked up with Apate, clasping her fingers in his.
"Naturally not," Yukihime said, waving her arm and trying to sound unconcerned. Her eyes narrowed when she saw that the two newcomers were holding hands. "Apate… congratulations…" Her smile could have curdled milk. "I suppose it is always beneficial for the Leaf to encourage…… cultural exchanges…."
Hinata began a barely audible poem about kissing. That had the arrogant shinobi clenching her teeth.
"I'm afraid those kisses will have to last you for a while." Yukihime sounded triumphant, as she walked over and put her coat back on. "You should kiss Naruto one last time, my dear." That statement came out with a chilling effect.
"What do you mean?" Apate asked, bringing a hand to her mouth.
"Your squad..." She turned from Apate to Hinata, grinning a wicked grin. "I should say your squad…" She ignored the look that Naruto was giving her. "You will be heading out immediately, as soon as I can muster the troops." She held up her nails and gave them a quick once over. "I know you will all do the Leaf proud." She smiled. "And the Waterfall too, of course."
"I hope you are not acting out of pride," Naruto said. "The only worse thing would be to act out of spite." He let those words hand in the air. "If I ever found that one of Konoha's ninjas ever cost the life of a comrade that way, I wouldn't rest until justice was done." His look had everyone flinching. Then, like a rainbow after a thunderstorm, his usual smile appeared. "Luckily, I don't know anyone like that."
"I… you… of course not…" Yukihime took out a kerchief and dabbed at her forehead. "Hyuuga Hinata… gather your men."
"I toowill head out to battle, after I am finished with my meetings." Naruto whispered something in Apate's ear, and then gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. After striding off down the road, he stopped, turned, and shouted. "Hinata. Watch after Apate!" After that, he flashed from view.
"I'll do what I can," Hinata shouted in reply. "But, I can't promise anything!"
"And make certain that she still writes!" Naruto called back.
"I can promise that much," Hinata said to herself with a sigh.