Chapter 5: Drifting


"It's freezing here!" Naruto said before he sneezed out loud.

Naruto and Hinata just arrived in the Island were the Shinonome's live. Though cold and snowing, the atmosphere of this small village was warm as the people were friendly and hospitable.

"Bless you." Hinata said to Naruto a little later on.

Naruto looked at her, she was giggling. "Your nose is so red…"

"I really don't like the cold…" Naruto shivered.

"Well it's just that way here, but don't worry sonny, you'll get used to it." An old lady said to them. "Good morning, I'm Azusa Sakuranbo."

"Good morning to you too, Mrs. Sakuranbo." Hinata greeted her back politely as Naruto was walking away from them, exploring again.

"You two must be from Konoha. We came from there, too." An old man said. "I'm her husband, Haruhiko Sakuranbo."

"Will you two be staying in an inn? I heard about this inn in the outskirts of the town and it's perfect for a young couple like you two." Mrs. Sakuranbo told them.

"Young couple!" Hinata exclaimed looking at Naruto who was at the other side of the pier and was looking for Shinonome. "Oh no ma'am we are not a couple. We're just friends you see and we are actually on a mission to find the cure for the Black Mandragora Epidemic."

"Oh that's the reason we went out of Konoha in the first place. You see we have a son who lives here, he's a historian and we're pretty proud of our son. Would you like to date him?" Mr. Sakuranbo asked.

"I'll arrange a wonderful dinner for you! That is if you like to." Mrs. Sakuranbo looked at Naruto. "And you know he's more handsome compared to that friend of yours."

Hinata smiled awkwardly. Not wanting to be rude she said, "I-I'll think about it… Maybe if our mission is over…"

"That'll be great." The couple said. And after that they left.

"Oi Hinata!" Naruto called her and she went to him.

"What is it?" Hinata asked.

"Do you know where Kiyuri lives? I figured that we should just go ahead. I don't think I can last here any longer." Naruto sneezed. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

Then suddenly someone tapped Hinata's back. "I'm here!"

"Kiyuri!" Hinata exclaimed and she hugged her.

Kiyuri hugged her back. "It's been so long! I really miss you!"

Kiyuri looked at Naruto. "Oh yeah Tsunade-sama sent us a message that he's coming with you in this mission…"

"Hey can we get to your house already in case you haven't notice I'm freezing." Naruto stated.

"Yeah and your nose is red as a tomato." Kiyuri said.

"And you haven't grown an inch since I last saw you." Naruto said under his breath.

Kiyuri was conscious about people who insult her because of her height.

"Come on Hinata we'll just leave him here alone, okay?" Kiyuri turned to Hinata.

Hinata just looked at her. She never knew that Kiyuri and Naruto quarreled. Kiyuri walked faster and soon she was running dragging Hinata along with her.

"Hey wait I was just joking!" Naruto yelled.


They arrived an hour later at Kiyuri's house.

"Well here we are." Kiyuri declared. She led them inside and made them sit on the tatami. The house wasn't that large compared to their house in Konoha but it was warm and cozy. Then Kasumi, Kiyuri's sister came in and brought them tea.

The two thanked her.

"You're seeking for my father, right?" Kasumi sat down across them.

Hinata gave her a nod.

"I'm terribly sorry but he's not here. He's in the Snow Country. There was a bombing there and they needed doctors so he volunteered." Kasumi informed them.

"I was going to tell you earlier but Naruto insisted –" Kiyuri was cut off.

"What! But Konoha needs him! Can't you see that a lot of people are infected with this sickness!" Naruto yelled.

"I'm sorry but he didn't get the message right away. It was actually me that got it. He was gone before I can even tell him what was going on in Konoha." Kasumi took a sip from her tea.

"How can you be so calm!" Naruto stood up and nearly spilled his tea.

"Naruto-san." Hinata muttered his name. "Have you tried sending him a message?" She then asked Kasumi.

"Well I did yesterday. I am actually worried because if he received it he would have sent a message or something." Kasumi said.

"And I also did try sending him a message today. You know just to make sure..." Kiyuri tried keeping their spirits up.

"So what are we going to do now?" Naruto, calmer, sits down.

Hinata then sneezed. "Look what you've done Naruto you made her catch your cold!" Kiyuri placed her hand on Hinata's forehead.

"What cold? I was just sneezing a while ago it wasn't a big deal." Naruto defended himself.

"Tsk. Tsk." Kiyuri shook her head a little. "I think you have a fever, Hinata-neesan."

"No I'm okay I don't have a fever. You can't tell it by just touching my forehead." Hinata said.

"Maybe you should better rest." Kasumi told them.

"Yeah it was a little rough traveling through here. And the steamboat we rode… I'm actually finding it hard to believe that we came here without a bone broken in our bodies." Naruto stood up.

"You whine too much." Kiyuri told Naruto.

"Before I do anything else, I think you should better look at this, Kasumi-san." Hinata handed out the book from her mother's kimono box.

"What is it?" Kasumi took the book and some pages fell off. "Oh, I think I should better be careful with this."

"It's pretty old and I've read a couple of pages I understand and it seems that this book is about diseases and cures." Hinata informed her.

Kasumi flipped the pages with such care. She was afraid of ruining the manuscript. She laid it on the table in front of them. "The first year of the third Hokage." Kasumi read. "Rare Illnesses and Epidemics by Hyuuga, Hiroshi."

"That's my grandfather's name on my mother's side." Hinata said.

"It's really old." Kasumi remarked. "I'll try to write notes about this."

"Okay."


"I've always been used to cold climates. I was born here after all." Kiyuri was walking in a slow pace with Hinata by her side.

"I think you've said that before." Hinata said. Instead of taking a rest she decided to went out with her friend, Kiyuri.

"Of course I did." Kiyuri looked at the dead tree at the back of their house. They were walking at the backyard as the snow was falling.

Hinata sat on a tree stump. "I'm worried."

Kiyuri stood beside her. "Maybe we should go walk in the forest, sure it's cold but it's better than waiting here."

Hinata agreed.

Kiyuri's house was located near the forest. At the further end of their backyard was the beginning of the forest.

"At night it's really scary here. There aren't any lanterns to guide your way. It just gives me the creeps just thinking of walking here at night. But by day… It's different, I like it here." Kiyuri started talking. "Are you still nervous?"

"Yes. I don't know I don't want to leave home even for a few days. But a lot of people would benefit if we could find the cure." Hinata rubbed her hands together to create warmth. "Maybe we could go to Snow Country and find your father."

"Well we can't."

"Why not?" Hinata asked.

"The bombing made Snow Country on the look out for potential criminals. It was said that they don't let anyone in and won't let anyone out for maybe a few days, they think outsiders did this. My father, he's a renowned doctor in the Snow Country so he was summoned by the Feudal Lord and gave him tons of work."

"Oh…" Hinata sighed.

"For now all we could do is wait here and do what we can to help. Has the Hokage sent others to look for the cure?"

"Well yes. Some of her staff searched the archives of the library. Some like us went to other villages to seek help." Hinata informed her. "Apparently this epidemic is more than what it seems."

They walked for some more and were mostly silent.

Hinata wanted to ask her a lot of things. You see Kiyuri and Hinata have been friends for quite some time. Hinata figured that Kiyuri might have known something about the questions that are confusing her from time to time.

"Ne, do you still like him?" Kiyuri started another conversation now with a different subject from the previous one.

Hinata looked at her, puzzled, "Still like who?"

"Oh I get it. You forgot about him and moved on. Good for you 'cause to tell you honestly that guy's a dobe." Forgot is a funny word. And Kiyuri never knew what it might mean to someone like Hinata.

"You sound like someone but I don't remember who –Oh yes the raven-haired one! He says that all the time to someone." Hinata said.

"You look and sound a little… bleh…. Something's not right."

"What do you mean?" Hinata tilted her head.

"First of all you don't stutter anymore."

"But isn't that a good thing now that I don't." Hinata retorted.

"And you keep calling me Kiyuri."

"But that's your name."

"But you never call me that, you always call me Yuri or Yu. You never call me by whole name."

"I don't?"

"And you don't even blush when near Naruto anymore!"

"Blush? Why would I blush? I don't blush near him." What Hinata said wasn't entirely true.

"Oh maybe it's because it's been so long, you know. And maybe you don't like Naruto anymore. And you've change and such and such. Plus you've been in a coma."

"I'm confused…"

"Me, too." Kiyuri sat on the ground, full of snow.

"Hey don't sit there." Hinata told her.

"But I like to."

"You're weird." Remarked Hinata.

Kiyuri sighed and said, "We're all weird."

Silence.

"Maybe the real Hinata's taken away by aliens."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's like I don't know you anymore…."

"Well you're not alone on that…" Hinata joined her.

They both sighed.

"I like Naruto!" Hinata asked her.

"Is that a question?" Kiyuri stood up and looked up at her. "You like him a lot; I think you even loved him."

Hinata giggled nervously. She doesn't remember anything like that. Naruto was okay, he was actually nice to her. But he couldn't see herself loving him or maybe she could…?

"Come on let's go back to my house." Kiyuri said walking back to her house.

"I think I still want to stay here…"

"Stay here?"

Hinata gave her a nod.

"Okay then." Kiyuri walked further from her. Then stopped, remembering to warn her "Don't go too far, you might get lost."

"Don't worry I won't." Hinata reassured her.

"And umm Yuri-chan."

Kiyuri stopped in her tracks. "What is it?"

"Oh umm nothing." Hinata then told her to go ahead.

And as she looked at the small girl that is Kiyuri, she can't help but think that they've grown apart. Like her other friends, they've drifted away from each other. Hinata can't help but feel alone and empty in the whiteness. She felt like the snow wanted to swallow her into a world of cold numbness.

Hinata continued to walk farther and deeper into the seemingly dead forest.


A/N: Disclaimer: Usual disclaimers apply.

Kiyuri Shinonome (OC) is a kunoichi from Konoha but was born in the Snow Country. She is Hinata's closest friend in this story. Not much will be said about her in this story, as she is a secondary character. I'll try to make a fanfiction where she can be one of the main characters. And she can be possibly paired with Kiba but I've said more than I should have.

Anyway she's a year younger than Naruto and two years younger than Neji and Ten Ten.

She has a sister named Kasumi. Kasumi is a well-trained medic-nin.

Her father as said before is a doctor/ medic-nin. And has a high standing in Snow Country, both as a ninja, a healer and an elite.

The Hyuugas and the Shinonomes. These families have camaraderie and highly respect each other.

All Shinonomes are OCs.

List of other OC's will be available at the end of the story. (That is if I wouldn't be lazy enough not to do that.)

Special thanks for those who have reviewed.