-She liked alcohol. She had since she was 11. A lot of nins avoided such things because they felt it hindered their performance, but who knew how long she'd be alive to have a performance. So she drank when she felt like it, just like her lover smoked well over two packs a day. Now, any drinker knows getting drunk in itself is a gamble to see if you have a hang over in the morning. Kurenai today, lost that battle . Head in a trashcan, the jounin grimaced at the smell of smoke that was filling the room . Her vomiting must have woke him. A hand gently rubbed her back as a second round of acidic liquid fled from her mouth and entered the plastic garbage can.
"Sorry did I wake you up?" She turned to Asuma questioningly while wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. So lady like.
"I don't mind waking up so early if its next to you." The man winked to his furtive girlfriend with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.
"Stop it. I hate when your all sweet," she replied in a scratchy voice both from exhaustion and excess vomiting, "especially this early."
"How ya doin there?" he asked pointing to the trash can on the floor.
"My head is pounding, so could you talk just a little quieter. UGH…How much did I drink last night?"
"Ha! How much do you remember?" Asuma questioned raising his eyebrows at the woman beside him.
"Umm…I left the bar… mad, and came back here. Then you showed up, and well, I can tell how the night ended." she joked peeking under the covers at him and smiling.
"Damn, cause I could re-enact that part for you," her colleague commented removing the cigarette from his mouth leaning over to kiss her.
"No. my head hurts to much." she quickly covered his incoming face with her palm. "And I'm sure I taste like vomit." His only response was a chuckle as he returned to his cigarette.
"You were a bit of a mess last night."
"How so?"
"Well, you were upset at fist because, well, none of us were really to approving of you taking in the Hyuga kid…and then you started crying."
"YEA RIGHT! Crying?" Kurenai winced at the loud sound of her own voice causing the pounding of her head to intensify.
"Oh you cried. You started going on about how you were turning into an old hag, and in a little more than a year you'd be thirty."
"I did not cry."
"You certainly did." Asuma did his best job to imitate his lovers voice, "Thirty, that's half way to sixty, and that's when the tears started-"
"Shut up." she turned over a little irritated. He chuckled a little as a comfortable silence filled the room.
"Hey seriously. Do you want children cause, after last night, it seems like its something really important to you."
"I ," the ebony haired women paused with the many thoughts running through her mind. YES! She wanted children someday, and YES, she was getting …old in her eyes, but she had only three years ago even become a jounin. With her ever advancing career, and dangerous lifestyle, how would she have time for a kid. Hinata was already half way grown , and a mature preteen if ever there was one, but to have a little baby of her own… she didn't know. She wanted one but she didn't how that could happen logically, and besides, " need a husband to have a baby." Kurenai grumbled disdainfully causing Asuma to sweat drop and nearly fall out the bed.
"UH-," before he could think of something witty to change the subject, a loud banging was heard causing Asuma to jump and Kurenai to wince at the loud noise.
"Who the hell?" she stated, opening one eye to glance at the red blazing light of the alarm clock by her bed.
"I'll see," Asuma said throwing back the covers to reveal his bare ass. He didn't intend to open her door in all his naked glory ,after all their relationship was a secret albeit not a well kept one but a secret none the less. He was just going to take a peek, and see if she should bother answering it.
Kurenai only grumbled covering her face with a pillow to block out the noise, but as she heard Asuma open the door to bedroom, it stuck her, 'HINATA,' and with speed that caused her head ache to intensify by three folds, she sat up sharply and with a whispering scream called out "NOO!"
Asuma looked at her questioningly as another loud set of bangs were heard at the door. In desperation the female jounin quickly threw on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts absentmindedly left on the floor by her bed. Approaching her partner she snatched the cigarette from his mouth and put it out in a near by wine glass. He only looked at her as though she were suddenly crazy. Meeting his gaze she returned it with one of her own, then stomped her foot. "What are you doing?" she whisper/yelled, "Put your pants on, and go out the window!" She then speedily pushed him back into her bedroom and slammed the door shut. Running towards her front door she smoothed her hair in the small mirror hanging on the wall, took a deep breath, almost vomiting again, then threw the door opened to be greeted by long black hair and white eyes that were hard, annoyed, and quite agitated.
"About time."
"Ne Neji?" The elder Hyuga stood there with a two suitcases in his hand then pushed past the elder jounin into her house, his meek cousin behind him. "G-Good morning…sensei. Sorry to come s-so early, but Nissan said he wanted to walk me to make sure I got here safe an-and since he has-
"Oh its," - she stopped herself, clearing her throat to get rid of the scratchy element in it. "Its fine Hinata. Come right in."
Unlike her cousin Hinata had actually waited to be invited in before just entering.
"Smells like smoke." Neji deadpanned then scrunched his face in disgust. Looking around the apartment he shook his head before asking, " Where shall I put these?"
"Oh Hinata room will be right here across from mine." she stated, leading the two down a short hallway, then opening a door allowing Neji to enter. He loudly dropped the suitcases onto the hard wood floor causing Kurenai to wince sharply. He then turned back around handing her a letter.
"From Hiashi-sama." he strutted past her, then him and his cousin exchanged a quick, somewhat awkward hug, "be good and I will come check up on you from time to time."
"Bye Nissan, and thank you." She bowed to her cousin. He, in turn, bowed to Kurenai curtly and left, slamming the door in the process. As Neji began on his journey to meet his team, he could only shake his head as he noticed a certain half dressed jounin hopping out of the back window of Kurenai's apartment into the streets of Konoha.
"Unbelievable," he muttered heading towards his destination.
Hinata stood by the door fiddling with her fingers. It did smell like smoke a little she thought. She looked around taking in her sensei's apartment. It was nice. Clearly feminine, but definitely not girly. Lots of plants decorated the place, potted in corners, and hanging in windows. Kiba had one told Hinata their sensei was a "tree hugger of sorts". Her sensei stood there in the hall looking a bit green and reading the letter her cousins had handed to her. Bit by bit her face changed from one of annoyance to disgust to anger. Crunching the letter in her hand, Kurenai tossed it with ease into a small waste basket by the door and signaled Hinata to follow her back into what would be her new bedroom. "Ok, this is where you'll be staying"
"Thank you, Sensei"
"It's nothing," she smiled, "Now, you see the living room is right in there," she said pointing to a room they passed on their way towards what would be Hinata bedroom, "And the kitchen is right across from it." She pointed to an archway leading into a linoleum floored room.
'So little.' Hinata couldn't help but think it. She was a modest girl but she had been raised in the lap of luxury. She liked it though. This was more than just chance to get away from her father and sister for a while. This was her chance to live like a normal person.
"And here's the bathroom." Kurenai pointed to a closed door. "Feel free to eat anything you want or use anything you need. Ok." She stroked her students badly growing out hair and smiled again. "Okay I think we should both lay down for a while, and then we can have breakfast… unless your hungry now, you can eat. There's cereal in the kitchen, and um, we'll leave to meet the boys for training at seven, okay." And with that, Kurenai was back in her room…vomiting.
Hinata stood in what was her new doorway and smiled to herself. She felt a little, ok, a lot out of place, but it was exhilarating. Tip toeing back into the hallway Kurenai had first showed her in through, she bent over looking into the small waste basking, and pulled out the letter her father had written, curios as to what it said.
Yuhi Kurenai,
As you know Hinata is struggling to succeed as a proper nin, and even more so a proper Hyuga. In order to ease the tension that has risen among herself me and her sister, I am allowing her to stay with you for a time. 'How like father to make it his idea.' However, when I decide she should return home, I expect her there. For instance a celebration on Neji's ascension to jounin rank is to be held next week at the compound. Hinata is expected to attended the ceremony not only as a new Chunin , but also out of familial obligation. You may attend as well…I suppose.
In staying with you, a supposed seasoned jounin and her sensei, I hope you have more success in teaching my slow bodied daughter than I have…and yet, I doubt you will. Good luck . You'll need it. Hyuga Hiashi.
The thing that surprised Hinata the most, was that, that was a somewhat nice letter from her father.
"Wow," she whispered dropping the letter back into the trashcan, then creeping back to her room to unpack her things. When she finished the sat in the kitchen browsing thorough Kurenai's cereal selection. "Konoha Krunch." she read out loud looking at the bright green box. "Crunchy leaf shaped breakfast treat. Start your day the ninja way. … hmm…" she then looked to the other box in her hand, " Sand Nin cinnamon Swirls." These were the cereals she dreamed of a child but could never eat. Hiashi kept her and Hanabi on a strict diets ideal to their training. She remembered being five years old as her father stood over her holding out two cylinder containers.
"Ok Now do you want the OATMEAL or the WHEAT GERM?."
Kurenai entered the kitchen still looking quite sickly, but laughed as she saw Hinata debating between the two cereal boxes. "I recommend the Konoha Krunch." she smiled at the girl.
Hinata gave another look to the brown box of Sand Nin Cinnamon Swirls, and the cartoon picture of what she guessed was suppose to be Gaara on the front giving the nice guy pose. Setting the Konoha cereal on the table she asked her sensei, "umm is this suppose to be Gaara- sama?
"He is there Kazekage." she shrugged. Opening the fridge the jounin handed her chunin student the milk and proceeded to pour herself a glass of water. Hinata meanwhile was began to eat her cereal making faces as she experienced the different flavors. CRUUUNNCH Kurenai winced still just a little sensitive from her hangover. CRUUUNNNNNNCH CrUNNCcccHH crunch CRUNCH crunch CHRUNCH. Kurenai closed her eyes. She hated listening to Asuma eat in the morning I guess it was no surprise that Hinata's crunching would touch a nerve too. CRUNNCH crunch crunch.
The girl smiled at her sensei then her regular quiet voice announced , "It's so good." Kurenai smiled back. For such a quiet girl she certainly ate cereal loud, but this was going to be fun. Yes. This was going to be fun! Training today however was not she thought as she placed a pair of sunglasses over her eyes to hide their red tinge from her students. She knew they knew when she'd been drinking, but Shino and Hinata always kept quiet about it. Kiba, however, that boy had no bearings, and even his sensei wasn't spared from his humorous and loud teasing. She usual did find it a little funny but today she didn't feel like hearing it. Securing the glasses in place she nodded to Hinata. All right kid. Let's move out!
TADA! Thanx guys for the reviews. Again sorry for my errors and the like, i try to catch them all buy ya know how it goes. Now i think all the initial set up is done and the real fun can begin. I don't really have the story planned out but the gears are turning and I'm thinking of ways to torture poor Kurenai.Suggestions? go crazy. Next chapter i'm thinking she'll be sent off on a mission and whats the one thing you NEVER do with teenagers? Leave them home alone of course...how can we not throw the inevitable party...
R&R porfavor. Thanx all who did. 3