Ishikengo no Kami
Author Notes:
Hello again! Thank you for continuing on to this chapter. I hope you enjoy it as well. Few things first again:
UPDATES:
11/26/05 Made some changes based on additional beta reading from Lotusxleaf. No large changes other than the last sentence, which it seems was being misread by some.
Also, sorry for the delay on chapter 3. Holidays and other complications have slowed it down, but it shouldn't be too much longer.
Disclaimer: I have no rights to the character, setting, story and otherwise that have been taken from the original manga and anime Naruto. I will make no money from this, nor do I intend to cost the holders of the original work's rights any money. I do this not to cause trouble, but to express a great appreciation for a wonderful series. I request that the original creator and those who have the rights to it to not look upon this not as a mean spirited infringement, but as a great compliment and free advertising.
Thanks: I would like to thank Tensai-san and Lotusxleaf-san for beta and proof reading. I would also like to give a big thanks to my friend Joe, whose characters and ideas I am, in part, using. Finally, thanks to Masashi Kishimoto-sensei for creating Naruto in the first place.
Denotation:
"Speech"
'Thought'
-Sound-
Japanese:
Nii – Older brother
Ganbatte – Do your best/Good luck
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Hinata woke slowly, her pale eyes opening to the sight of trees moving past her, bobbing up and down. They were also upside-down. It was not a common sight. Slowly, the fog in her mind started to dissipate as she began to take stock of her situation.
She was being carried.
Looking up, she saw that she was being carried by him!
A moment later, she came to for a second time. This time she managed to speak up. "A-Ano…Na-Naruto-kun…?"
"Huh? Oh, Hinata?" He looked at the girl in his arms, her face beet red and her fingers poking together in front of her. "What's up?"
"I-I…I think I c-can walk now…" Despite all laws of pigmentation, the blush somehow managed to deepen further.
"Ah, ok." He said, stopping to set her on her feet. "It's about time, too."
The girl's smile fell instantly, giving way to a look of horror and embarrassment. 'Oh no! I was too heavy! He had to carry me all this way!'
"I was getting bored. I was hoping you'd wake up so I'd have someone to talk to. That Alucard bastard…"
Inwardly, Hinata breathed a sigh of relief. Then, a few key points about what had been going on just before her collapse came back to her. "A-Ah! You mean th-that guy from before?"
"Yeah, him."
"The g-guy who said…he….was…"
"Attracted to me? Don't remind me! The guy's creepy enough as it is." He sighed. "Wish I knew what this feeling was though…" Hinata turned slightly pink. "I mean, I definitely feel pulled towards him." Rosy. "Like, there's a connection between us." Crimson. "I've never felt like this before."
Even though she normally blended into the background, the look on Hinata's face was enough to grab Naruto's attention. "N-Not like that! It's nothing like that!" The blush didn't quite fade completely as Naruto went ahead irritably with his explanation. "It's just…a feeling that there's something. Like we're connected some how. I don't know how to explain it…." he turned his attention back to the young girl in front of him. "It's like…Have you ever had the feeling you're being watched?"
Hinata considered this a silly question. Who would watch her? But her mind dredged up thoughts of her father. Before giving up on her, he had been watching. Always. Looking for the slightest mistake… "Hai…I do…"
Missing the look on her face and the sound in her voice, Naruto plunged on ahead in his explanation. "It's kinda like that! I can just sorta feel when he's around, even if I can't see him."
Speaking of which…
"If the two of you are done playing kissy-face, start walking. We've got a long way to go, but I'll drag you both there by your ankles if I have to."
With that, Alucard turned from his position two feet away from the genin and started walking off down the road again. "Gah! Doesn't he make any sound when he moves?" -sigh- "Come on Hinata, before… Hinata? Are you feeling alright?"
'K-Kissy-face with Naruto-kun!'
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It is a well known fact that whenever a small group of trained fighters travel long distance through sparsely populated woody areas, they will eventually be attacked by some form of bandit group. It seemed that fate had decided to get things over with early this time.
"Ah! Nii-chan! Nii-chan!"
"What is it, Ontaro?" The speaker was a heavy set, scarred man. He was wearing a big wooden club at his side. He was, in short, the quintessential 'big dumb bandit who jumps out of the woods and bothers the main characters'.
"There are some travelers coming down the road! They look like easy pickings; it's two children and a man. He's carrying a sword, but he doesn't look so tough." Ontaro looked very much like his older brother, though a tiny bit smaller. That wasn't saying much, however, as both where rather intimidating figures.
"Alright then, time to go to work," the brother said, rubbing his hands together.
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"…so you see, that's why ramen is totally the best food ever! It's like…"
"Hold it right there!"
Naruto stopped in confusion as two rather big men stepped out from the woods. "Huh? Who're you?"
"Heheheh. No questions from you, squirt. Now, if the three of you hand over your valuables we won't have to kill you." He looked around a moment before turning to his companion. "I thought you said there where three."
"Huh? I could have sworn there was a man with them…"
"Wait," the boy stepped forward. "Are you bandits?"
"That's right; we are. Now, be a good boy and…"
"All right! Finally something to do! All this walking has been boring me to death. Hey Hinata, which one do you want?"
"H-Hey you stupid brat! Do you understand the situation you're in!"
"Stupid….brat…." -twitch twitch- "Never mind Hinata, that one's mine!"
"Brat!" The eldest brother charged the blonde boy with his club held high, intending to take him out in a single swing.
The single swing never connected. He might have been a real tough guy as compared to your average traveler, but up against a trained ninja the best he could do was to take a punch straight to the stomach and slump to the ground unconscious. This was, not coincidentally, exactly what happened. "Don't underestimate me."
"Y-You Bastard! You hurt Nii-chan! Ahhh!" the other bandit cried out, raising his club over his head and charging forward. Naruto wheeled around, ready to take on the other attacker, but he never got the chance. A line of blood trickled from the bandit's mouth before he toppled over. Behind him, Hinata relaxed out of her fighting stance.
"Nice one, Hinata!" A smile crept across her face. 'Naruto-kun…'
"Pathetic."
'That bastard!' Naruto whirled around. "And where the hell were you, huh? Not that we needed your help or anything. We took those guys out no problem!"
"Do you always fight head on like that? I thought you were supposed to be a ninja."
-Grrrrr- "At least I don't run and hide like a sissy whenever anyone threatens me!"
Once again, Hinata found herself on the outside of another argument between the two. This looked to be a repeating pattern. 'Naruto-kun…Ganbatte.'
"Besides, where's your head band? Did you even graduate yet?" asked Naruto in sickeningly sarcastic tones.
"Hmph. I never said I was a ninja. I'm more than capable enough without a bunch of silly tricks."
"S-Silly tricks?" This bastard…
"Never mind, fool. Just finish them and be done with it."
Naruto's anger suddenly hit an unexpected bump. "Finish them? What do you mean, 'finish them'?"
"I mean, slit their throats and be done with it."
"What? I'm not killing them!"
"Fine," replied Alucard, stepping towards the unconscious bandits and drawing his sword. "Then I will."
He wouldn't, would he? Could he really kill them like that? Alucard was drawing closer by the second. Naruto had to do something. "Stop it!" He cried, stepping in Alucard's way. "Just what do you think you're doing? You'd actually just kill innocent people like that? What kind of psycho are you?"
"Innocent? A moment ago they were going to kill you for not giving them your money, now you call them innocent?"
"Th-that doesn't mean you should kill them, bastard!"
"I'd say it's a pretty good reason. Scum like this doesn't deserve mercy."
"I won't let you!" Naruto stood his ground, hands balled into fists, as Alucard continued to fix him with a frosty stare.
"And then what will you do when they find some new victims? What if the next group they jump can't defend themselves? What will you say to the families of those they kill tomorrow?" Naruto was taken aback, shock in his eyes. 'wh-what?'
"You may be willing to spare this scum because you think it's somehow righteous, but I won't stand by and risk the lives of innocent people by allowing trash like this to go free."
Alucard advanced again, slowly. Naruto was shaking. He didn't know what to do. He knew that killing was wrong, but…but he couldn't deny Alucard's words. The moment weighed heavily on his mind. Every step was completely silent, but even so they resounded in Naruto's head like the fall of lead. He couldn't think. He couldn't…couldn't…
"I-I agree with Naruto-kun!"
Alucard stopped and turned his icy stare to the side. Naruto looked in disbelief. 'H-Hinata…?'
"Even though what they do is wrong, th-that does not make killing them right." The blue haired girl strode forward, positioning herself next to Naruto. She was shaking, but her eyes were firm. "I-I agree with N-Naruto-kun. I w-will not let you kill them, either."
Naruto could only stare at the girl by his side. How could she still say that? How…
-Humph- Alucard looked them both over, cold disdain in his eyes. It was a moment before he replied. "Fine, do as you like." He said, turning to leave. "But let the suffering their lives shall bring be on both of your heads."
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"This is a good spot. We camp here." Alucard had declared that they would be spending the night off of the road, to avoid detection. He had then led them into the woods without waiting for a reply.
Hinata looked up. He seemed to have found some sort of abandoned temple. Its stone walls where crumbling and covered in ivy. Trees were growing all around it. It had obviously been abandoned for some time. Even so…
"A-Ano….Alucard-san…."
"What is it now."
Hinata gulped. Ever since that incident with the bandits a few hours ago, Naruto had fallen completely silent. This left Hinata as the unofficial spokesperson of the two. There hadn't been much to say, since Alucard didn't seem to care much for talking, but the few times she had spoken up had been minor nightmares.
"I…I don't th-think we sh-should…" That stare! How was she supposed to speak when he kept looking at her like that? Like his eyes were trying to bore a hole to the back of her skull…
"Afraid?"
"Ah!" Startled out of her thoughts, Hinata struggled to get the words out. "I-I-I mean…it's just…it's not the sort of place…"
"Because it's sacred? Stupid superstition. I'll not sleep on the ground just because I'm afraid of some old building. Stay here if you want. I don't really care." With that, he entered the sacred ruins, leaving Hinata alone with Naruto.
Slowly, Naruto removed his pack and began to pull out his supplies. He moved distractedly, like a zombie. Deep inside somewhere, he was lost in his own confused thoughts.
'Naruto-kun…'
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It was getting late. Alucard propped himself up against what had once been an altar of some kind. His positioning was perfect. Nothing could get in without him noticing. Slowly, he closed his eyes. Silence reigned in the sacred room. Slowly, sleep stole over him. It was always now, in the time between conscious and sleep, that his memories were at their hardest to avoid…
A strange feeling awoke him. His eyes snapped open and began to scan the room from where he sat. There didn't seem to be anyone around. It didn't feel at all like the brat. Something was wrong.
That's when he noticed a shadow, creeping over from the wall. He looked to see what was casting it, but all he saw was the ancient stone wall. The shadow began to rise up like a dark cloud, a slithering fog reaching out towards him.
He tried to stand, only to realize his legs had gone numb. Another shadow-cloud had wrapped itself around them, drawing the strength and heat from his body. He tried to draw his sword, but a third shadow gripped his arm and started to slowly spiral up it. That's when the first shadow reached him, just as a fourth appeared. Slowly and struggling silently, Alucard was engulfed in swirling darkness.
'You are ours.'
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The dishes were cleaned and put away. Two sleeping bags were laid out under the stars and the fire was well set to keep them warm through the night. "Well, there we go! A job well done, right Hinata?"
"H-Hai!"
Hinata had asked Naruto if he was ok while they were cooking dinner. He had laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Of course I'm fine! I was just thinking about how I'm going to beat that bastard up, that's all!"
Hinata wasn't buying it. He was acting cheerful again, but she was too accustomed to sadness to miss it in his eyes. He was worried about something. He was worried, and trying to hide it.
As the darkness grew, the two ninja's from Konoha settled down into their sleeping bags. Naruto was wearing that silly hat again, Hinata noticed. She liked it; it was funny.
"Goodnight, Hinata."
"G-Goodnight…Naruto-kun."
Time passed. Hinata lay awake. She couldn't stop worrying about Naruto. There probably wasn't anything she could do though. She couldn't cheer him up; She couldn't even talk to him. She couldn't really help him at all…
"Hey, Hinata? Are you awake?"
"…H-Hai, Naruto-kun." So, he wasn't able to sleep either.
"I was wondering…you know, about before…"
"H-Hai?"
"…never mind. It's not important. Good night, Hinata."
The silence stretched on a moment before Hinata couldn't stand it any more. "N-Naruto-kun?"
"Hmmm?"
"I-If it is important…I…I w-want…to h-help. If I can."
"Hinata?"
"P-Please? Tell me?"
"…..Hinata……."
Silence again. Hinata worried that she'd messed up. What if he thought she was a bother? What if he thought she was being pushy? She wasn't sure why she'd said that in the first place. "G-Gomen, Naruto-kun! Y-You don't have to say anything." She buried her face in her pillow. She was so ashamed.
"…….was I right?" The words where so soft she thought she'd imagined them.
"H-Huh? ….Naruto-kun?
"Was I right? I'm not so sure anymore…What he said….What if he's right?" She could hear the desperation in his voice. The volume rose and pace quickened. "What if those guys really do something terrible because I let them go? What if it's all my fault that someone else gets hurt? What if….what if…."
Naruto's voice dropped into silence. He couldn't take it any more. Everything had been so clear before. Beat up the bad guys, save the good guys and no one ever needed to die. He could feel tears welling up inside.
He had been thinking back to the past. Other incidents, like the time he was in the Wave Country. All those ruffians who had been working for Gatou when he encountered them on the bridge had wanted to attack the village and kill the people…but Naruto and the villagers had scared them off. What had they done after that? Had they simply gone home and lived quiet, peaceful lives? That seemed unlikely. What if they'd found another village? One that wouldn't fight back…
Even so, could he really have killed anyone? He didn't have it in him. He didn't want to have it in him. Even so…what if one day he had no choice? What if there was no other option? What if…
"I believe in you, Naruto-kun."
Naruto looked up in shock. Hinata had turned in her sleeping bag to face him. He stared across at her, not knowing what to think. "You followed your heart. You knew it was wrong to kill them and stuck by it."
"Hinata…."
"You shouldn't doubt yourself or your instincts. I learned that by watching you. It's one of the reasons…I admire you, Naruto-kun. I'm glad you didn't let Alucard-san kill them. If you had…you wouldn't have been you." Hinata looked like she was about to cry. "Naruto-kun…please…just keep being yourself. If you do, I-I'm sure you will…do the right thing."
Hinata hid her face. She hadn't been able to contain it. Seeing him so sad like that…it hurt her. It was like that time at the training ground, right before his match with Neji-niisan. Somehow, she'd managed to talk to him then, too.
"Arigato."
"Eh?" Hinata looked back over at Naruto. He was looking up at the sky.
"It looks like I was being uncharacteristically depressed, but…" he rolled over to look at her. "You managed to cheer me up again." He was smiling softly. It wasn't very big, but it was a real smile. They looked so much better on him. Hinata felt her blush rising again. He turned back into a comfortable position and closed his eye.
"Good night, Hinata-chan."
"G-Good night, Naruto-kun."
A faint smile on her lips, the Hyuuga heiress settled back down and closed her eyes. Slowly sleep stole over her….
Suddenly, her eyes snapped back open. 'Wh-what did he just call me!'