I DON'T OWN NARUTO, IT BELONGS TO MASASHI KISHIMOTO
"Normal speech"
'Characters thinking'
Absent
Chapter 3
She never felt the arrow heads or cutting tools reach her skin.
Instead, a big form loomed over her in an instant. Her eyes stopped producing chakra the moment she leapt away from the fight.
The force that struck her pushed the air out of her lungs. It was so harsh that she felt herself being pushed way over the edge and into the void.
She was now focused on the jagged rocks that were barely seen in the mist from the end of the waterfall.
Fear engulfed her yet again. This could really be it. She doubted that she could survive yet another last-resource dive to the unknown rapids of a river.
Arms pressed harder into her. She felt the form engulfing her, spinning her around so that mere seconds before they reached the bottom, she was looking to the sky.
The roaring noise of the water falling was deafening.
Her nose picked up a familiar scent.
"Why the fuck did he throw himself at her?" Hiko was screaming aimlessly, knowing no one else knew the answer.
Anyone who had had contact with Kuro right before he arrived at the showdown was already dead. They were still looking for more of his victims.
"Ijime is also gone." A gang member said from the corner of the room.
Hiko's anger reached its climax. The green-haired man punched the rock wall besides him, carving neat circles each time he struck.
His men were looking at each other with worried glances.
'What does this mean? How did everything go to shit so fast?' He was panting at his efforts of screaming his lungs out in frustration.
"That woman again…" He whispered to no one. A dull throb was felt behind his eye socket. "That bitch!"
"It's okay, boss. We'll find them." Replied Ren as he walked up to him. "We'll look for their corpses so we can dismember them." This earned a few laughs from his teammates.
"You don't get it, Ren." The leader had his fists clenched into a ball. Ren could see his crazed eye looking back at him. "She's already survived a fall like this. She'll do it again."
"How do you-"
"Everyone!" Hiko called abruptly, ignoring his best friend completely. The thirty or so thugs that remained raised their heads in attention. "I want you to find them and finish them if they are not already dead!"
"What are you waiting for?! Get the fuck out of there!"
"We can't go right now. It's pitch black out there." Ren hurried to say. "Kuro killed San in his way here and Ronin's heart was blown up by the Hyuuga. We don't have any remaining trackers."
"We'll have to wait for the break of light, boss." Kaiyen piped up, supporting the second in command.
Hiko was shaking in anger. Ren opened his mouth again. "Don't worry, boss. I'd bet my life Kuro is already dead. He couldn't use chakra to get himself out of that fall."
"Even if he isn't, it'd be our pleasure to kill him." Another toothless follower said, brandishing his kodachi.
Multiple other men joined in with their own promises of pain and death to the traitor.
Still, Hiko hunched his shoulders and walked away from all of them. Worried glances were sent his way as he retreated to his quarters.
He was furious that the girl had escaped, after thinking her dead for so long. But he was also bitterly scared that his most powerful, yet unstable man had lashed out against all of them.
'It's all this woman's fault.' He repeated like a mantra. Then, a very small voice in his head still tried to make sense of all of this but found it impossible. He didn't even know who Kuro really was and what his motives were. 'But why?'
He sat angrily in his chair and opened a bottle of dark liquid.
In a couple of hours, he and his men would go down to find out everything about them.
Hinata felt the dark, wet atmosphere engulfing her as they descended rapidly into the crashing water. She was expecting the familiar force of the river to hit her body, but a jagged rock cut their fall short. She heard a faint masculine grunt of pain and the grip of his arms tightening around her, followed by her own 'oof' as the harsh force took the air away from her lungs.
Then they followed down the path where other protruding rocks were waiting for them. One of them hit her in the arm, and she could almost swear it broke.
Finally she was submerged forcefully into the raging whirlpool waiting patiently at the end of the waterfall. Her lungs were already badly bruised from the last two rock encounters, and she had hardly taken any air.
In the pressuring darkness underwater, she noticed that she was still alive and had mobility in most of her body. She let her body go with the flow until she could position herself better to swim away from the sucking force.
Hinata emerged with a strangled gasp few meters away from the center of the vortex. She could hardly hear herself breathing due to the ear-splitting sound surrounding her. She breathed hungrily, verifying that her lungs weren't punctured from the terrible hit they took from that elevated rock.
If it wasn't for the person protecting her, she would surely have shattered her ribs and lungs.
That thought made her start to look around, anxiously expecting for some sign of life near her or the waterfall. Her eyes traveled back to the vortex. She channeled the last reserves of chakra she possessed, and it resulted in her eyes stinging unbearably. Her vision acquired a blur of red and she knew she was overusing her Byakuugan. Even so, the two seconds she managed to look through her kekkei genkai were enough, as she saw the black figure twisting helplessly two meters underwater.
She considered the very real possibility of both of them dying in her attempt to save him, but she needed to at least try. That was the kind of person she was. The one Naruto helped create with his incessant energy and will to change the world.
Her left arm was almost unresponsive, but she forced its movement bearing the pain. He grabbed the man with her left arm and tugged painfully while her right arm and her two strong legs moved slowly away from the invisible force tugging from within. Even with her mastery at holding her breath, her tiredness was gaining in on her and her vision was becoming darker and darker.
Finally, the water stopped pulling down, and Hinata could swim upwards more easily.
She emerged gasping for air again, unlike her unmoving companion, who wasn't making any noise or movement.
She had to swim for at least another three minutes farther away from the waterfall so she could find an appropriate space that led to the riverbank. Panting in exhaustion, the girl pulled the body upwards to firm land. She had less than a second to regard the black-clad man facing to the sky with a crooked mask and proceeded to place her ear on his chest.
The new information confirmed her suspicions. Turning her body quickly to start CPR ministrations, she took off his mask swiftly.
At first, she didn't register the bright contrast of hair against such a dark background. Her mind was set on trying to save his life. But the corner of her eye caught a glance of something adorning his defined jaw. Even in the utter dark of night, she recognized him immediately.
Her breath caught in her chest, and her body froze. She felt her heart ramming dangerously hard against her ribcage. For a few seconds, Hinata could only stare in shock.
Finally, the spell broke lose, her eyes started darting from one part of his face to the other, and she remembered that the man she had been looking for all these years was turning blue.
"Naruto!" Her scream made her throat ache, and her throbbing eyes were starting to swell with grateful and terrified tears.
After a second of panicking, Hinata regained sense of purpose, this time stronger than it was before. Her eyes were leaking with mixed feelings, but she knew exactly what to do.
Holding his jaw on her hand, she opened his mouth and pinched his nose, preparing to give him the kiss of life.
As she approached his face, she could clearly see the dark bags underlying his eyes. She sent a prayer above, hoping for those eyes to open again.
After four initial rescue breaths, Hinata quickly pulled her arms on top of his sternum and started pushing downwards with enough force to massage his diaphragm.
30 compressions in, and there was still no sign of life from the victim. More tears were clouding Hinata's sight, and she was fighting hard her urge to cry out loud while she watched his cold and moveless body.
"No…" Her breathing was ragged, lips and limbs trembling.
"Please, Naruto-kun!" She started screaming now, her chest compressions starting over. She tried to keep her shakes to a minimum. "Not like this…" She pushed downward, panting at the motion. "Not now that I finally found you. Please!"
Naruto's lifeless body moved up and down with her pushes.
Finally, just when she was about to give him another round of mouth-to-mouth, she felt a spasm coming from his chest and moving upwards to his throat, until a splash of water came gushing from his mouth.
His whole body jerked at the involuntary reaction, and Hinata exclaimed in triumph and pushed his body to the side so all the liquid could come out. After three minutes of throwing out the water in his lungs, Hinata rolled him again on his back and watched expectantly for his eyes to open.
"Naruto-kun." She called with a feeble voice. She reached again for his face and noticed that her hand was trembling. Hinata was still panting nervously thanks to their unexpected and deadly encounter.
Even after all the emotions just elapsed, she felt how time slowed down as she traced his face with her fingertips. His stubble brushed gingerly against her fingers. It was the first time she had seen him with any degree of facial hair. It was dirty blond, not quite as bright as his hair. Or so it seemed in the dark.
Her breathing seemed to be in unison with his. His lips were rapidly regaining a little bit of colour. But not enough.
Holding his left cheek in her cold palm, she called for him again. "Wake up, please." But to no avail. She took a calming breath, checked for his pulse again and sat down to cry tears of joy.
"Get up!" Ren called grumpily to a black figure sleeping in the newly vacated quarters of Ijime.
Ponzu looked through half-lidded eyes to his master. He then coughed a few times before lifting himself up. "Hmm?"
"You're going down the fall." The samurai was shucking a walkie-talkie into his hands. "Togata is already waiting for you to go out."
The slim young samurai in disgrace looked at the clock in the hall, visible from his new bed, then to his boss. "There's still two hours to daybreak. What good will it do to look around in the dark?"
Ren clicked his tongue in annoyance. "None." He answered angrily. "But the Boss is pretty fixed on sending someone to look for them before they escape."
The black-haired man scratched his three-day-old beard thoughtfully. "Escape? That's at least a thousand feet fall. None of them could use enough chakra to try to break that fall."
"Hiko apparently doesn't care. So get your ass up and take Togata down there with you. Don't come up until you find their bodies."
Ponzu's face paled.
Hinata, now more in control of her own emotions and surroundings, took advantage of a cloudless patch of sky that lasted long enough for her to find refuge from the elements and potential enemies.
Instead of going down the river, she summoned her Byakuugan yet again, this time blinking in pain almost immediately. But whatever the pain, she pushed past it and her eyes travelled the walls of the mountain long enough to find two possible hideouts that were in the opposite direction from a series of tunnels that climbed down from the enemies' headquarters and landed west from her actual position.
So, she started walking East, supporting her long lost love from underneath his arms and dragging his feet across the rocks. He was too tall to handle comfortably. And heavy too.
They stumbled and fell several times, as they tried to cross the river from a narrow path. Hinata's chin fell right on top of an unsuspecting slippery rock. It left a fine scrap with a soon-to-follow bruise. She couldn't be sure if Naruto was also getting hurt with their missteps, but he didn't have a choice. Even so, her injuries were minor compared to the complete feeling of delight at looking every so often at the blond's face hanging right by hers.
Right now, Hinata was trying to escape from the natural rendezvous point the thieves would gather at once the sun rose.
Her left arm was swollen badly at the height of her forearm. She feared a fissure, if not a broken bone. There was a sharp pain as she put pressure every time she took a step on her right thigh. No doubt from one of her sharp rock encounters. She found herself rubbing her eyes more and more, unaware of the blood streak she created down her face, product of her irritated eyes.
God, she was tired. Even with the renewed feeling of hope and having a breathing Naruto on her back, her body was close to a full shut-down.
'Almost there.' She rooted for herself to at least try and get to shelter if they wanted to survive for a whole new day.
Naruto was spasming again. He had been doing it for a while now, but nothing else was coming out of his mouth.
At first Hinata thought that was good, but when she finally reached the middle of her small cave, she noticed that they weren't spasms. He was shaking all over.
"Oh no." She said out loud, finally dismounting him from over her shoulder and placing him on the ground as gentle as she could, but Naruto slipped from her weakened arms and fell heavily, hitting his head in the process. Hinata winced. "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun."
She approached his face again and noticed that his breathing was very shallow. It was no doubt hypothermia, something that would hit her soon if she didn't act fast enough. Luckily, she still had time to treat him, since his body was shivering. She knew he'd enter a very dangerous zone if he stopped doing it.
Racing through all her first aid knowledge, she started taking off his layers. Her throbbing arm made it a slow process, mostly with his pants. She left his boxers for decency's sake. A quick glance to his chest scar made her remember all the times she couldn't help but to stare and remember the hardships he'd gone through to achieve his goals. He hated that scar.
Time was of the essence.
She ripped her eyes away off him and started to take her coat, along with her shirt and pants off. She had to take care of herself too, otherwise they'd both die. When the time to take her bra off came, she mulled it over several times on her head. Fearing he might wake and catch her almost completely naked made her cold cheeks catch warmth again.
Hinata shook her head fiercely, telling herself that it was one of the most dangerous pieces of clothing since it was right on top to her heart and lungs. Biting her lips and unclasping her bra, Hinata started to rub harshly Naruto's chest and neck, trying her best to go around the uncomfortably big collar clasped tightly to his neck.
Naruto's freezing, bluish skin started to show signs of reddening thanks to Hinata's ministrations. Her left arm screamed in agony as she also put it down to work, but Naruto's survival came first.
She worked on that for what seemed hours. Her own body regained some heat at the physical activity. She knew because particles of sweat were starting to streak down her temples. But her eyelids felt heavy as concrete.
She started to slow down and gather her breath. They Hyuuga heiress could literally feel the energy leaving her body.
'He's not trembling that much anymore.' It could either mean he was getting better or getting worse. She placed her ear on the now warm chest of the blond. The steady beat of his heart made her laugh in bliss.
Her body could take no more. She used her last fibers of strength to spread their clothes across the floor. They would take long to dry without sun.
"I'm doing what I can, Naruto-kun." She spoke softly to him, his lips no longer blue. Laying her body on top of his considerable bigger one, Hinata closed her eyes and breathed slowly, feeling that even if she may die in her sleep, this was better than any other alternative.
One last tear ran down her eyes before she lost consciousness.
"Stay with me."
"Are you fucking kidding me?!"
The mercenaries looked back at the screaming blond. None of them dared laugh at her over-the-top reactions, they had been hit hard and lost many men.
"Don't you raise your voice at me, young lady. I'm your employer in case you forgot."
"And I am Hinata's friend, you greedy asshole. We will not wait one more minute in here while our friend is still out there, God knows where!" Ino wasn't intimidated at all at the old man's tone. She couldn't care less about his earnings reaching the starting point. And she was going to speak her mind at his last-minute decision to take a different path to get back to where they came from.
"I thought Konoha shinobi were professionals!" Otama huffed, red-faced. "Your task is your top priority. Casualties are bound to happen!"
A defined and very dangerous vein popped in Ino's forehead.
"She's not a casualty you motherf-"
"Ino c'mon!"
"Hey! Let me down."
"It's okay Ino, we'll go looking for her once we're close enough to where we got separated." Chouji, although speaking in a friendly tone, couldn't lift his lips into a smile. Deep down, he knew Hinata couldn't have survived so many attackers. He only hoped that they didn't get the chance to have their way with her.
Ino struggled into his grip, hitting him with her elbow and finally making him drop her into the ground. "We are not going to get even close enough if we go down the river route! We need to go back there and look for her, she might still be alive!"
"And face all those enemies, Ino?" Chouji was trying to get some sense into her. "Even if we went in, we couldn't help her if we got captured or killed! Our best shot is waiting for reinforcements back at Hoshiko town and raid those bastards!" They were causing a scene but that was the least of their worries. He had to restraint Ino physically from going back to the forest for the eight time now. He might be acting as a coward, but he felt the need to protect his girlfriend from suffering Hinata's same fate.
"She would go back there in the blink of an eye if it were us in her position!" Ino had been arguing with strained tears in the corner of her eyes for a while now. Her pointing finger, although menacing, was trembling slightly out of fear and impotence.
"Even if she did, all those enemies out there-"
"She'd make it work, Chouji, and you know it!" Her voice wanted to crack, but Ino was trying so hard to convince him.
The plump man looked down at the Yamanaka's streaming tears with despair. "We are not as strong as her, dear."
Ino shook her head. She wanted to believe badly that she still had a shot of being alive, but eight hours had past now, and she was dreading the possibility of finding her body lying somewhere among the trees.
"I don't care. I'm going looking for her once we get close enough." She finalized, her spirit feeling exhausted at the journey that awaited them.
Otama was announcing their leave.
"So?" Hiko exclaimed once he saw his two men returning all wet and miserable.
"What did you expect?!" Ponzu exclaimed with a furious frown at his boss. "We couldn't see shit out there and we went down the river like four fucking times!"
"Not even one fucking body?!" The one-eyed man was standing slowly from his seat, feeling murderous.
Ren came running anxiously at the loud and angry exchange. He wanted to get there before his growingly deranged boss would dwindle their numbers even more.
Once he got to the common hall, he saw Ponzu clutching at his throat, trying to contain the blood that was pouring out with the remaining life force within him.
The green-haired samurai could only retain Hiko from launching himself at Togata.
Hinata was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the cave, giving her back to the still form of Naruto laying exactly where she had left him last night. Even in her unconscious lapsus she could still feel that someone was near. Her only instinct was to get up and stand guard.
Her eyes were squinting painfully at her Byakuugan running through her veins. They were stinging with what seemed like a million needles. Even so, she couldn't stop channeling chakra. It was the only way to keep an eye on the fifteen or so presences roaming not so far from them, near the river.
'If they get here… I can't protect him.' She knew very well her chakra was on the verge of extinguishing, even after a couple hours of sleep. 'I exhausted everything I had. I shouldn't even be using my last remains.'
Helplessness tugged hard at her stomach. It had been a miracle both of them were still alive after almost drowning and freezing, but it all meant nothing if she couldn't protect him now.
She convinced herself that it was better to save whatever chakra she could use for a last emergency juuken for whoever stepped through that entrance. 'If they come alone and I kill them within just one hit, they won't alert the rest… But then more would come looking for the dead…'
Hinata's mind was racing at the different but definitively grim probabilities. One thing was certain. They couldn't escape while the sun was up. She'd have to successfully keep hidden for more than ten hours to even try and risk it outside. Doom was all over her mind.
She was so distracted in her scenarios that she almost missed a weak groan coming from the person behind her.
Hinata turned around slowly, very slowly. Maybe they'd die, but at least she could speak with Naruto one last time.
His eyes were blinking restlessly, trying to find some sense in his surroundings, his pain and his low temperature. Hinata's heart skipped several beats, thinking that Naruto's eyes setting up on her were finally going to reveal the reality to him.
They were alive. And they were finally together.
The Uzumaki was still rolling and unrolling his eyes, trying to adapt to reality. The dark blur that hovered over him was making him feel dizzy. The person was very close to him. But also, very familiar.
His mind tried to focus, only to receive a shocking wave of fear traveling all over his navel. "Are you here…" A strained voice with definitive hints of anguish came out of his dry mouth. "just to disappear again?"
His words confused Hinata greatly. Whatever reaction she'd expected him to have for their long-awaited reunion didn't resemble this at all.
"N-No." Her voice broke immediately, unbelieving she was addressing him once more. Hanging unto the tone of his voice, almost fearing she'd forgotten it from the lack of prolonged contact with him. "I found you and I'm not leaving you again."
Naruto's concentrating sight was slowly revealing someone much too real. More real than he'd ever thought he could create in his mind.
His head turned over to the gorgeous figure upon him. "I'm dead, aren't I?" He said with what appeared to be a strained laugh.
The girl was confused to say the least. "You're not dead. I'm not dead. I never was." She was still producing tears through their conversation.
The blond was slowly getting more frustrated at what the mirage was telling him. "Don't. It's too cruel." His eyes were blinking more frantically. He was obviously trying not to believe the words that were too good to be true, but his eyes were taking in the form of the woman in front of him, knowing they'd never dreamt someone as real like her before.
Her eyes were more mesmerizing than he'd remember them to be. And she was way more beautiful. His insulting memories of her were nothing compared to the illusion staring right back at him.
She felt so real. Even he could take in her scent now.
His eyes suddenly snapped open, and his face was just plain incredulity. "No way." He whispered as he stood up, forgetting that every movement hurt.
"Don't, Naruto-kun, you are way too hurt!" Her tone feared for his wellbeing. Preoccupation in his face slowly gave way to shock. His eyes were slowly being conquered by swelled tears.
"You still call me that." He choked out, realization overcoming him. His breathing was getting faster, tears roaming freely down his cheeks and behind his ears. He looked in disbelief as his fingers took a strand of hair and felt the silky sensation. He was hypnotized by the feeling. An actual feeling. A fat tear fell near his mouth and he looked back up to her kind eyes, and he noticed that she was crying too, containing her sobs while trying not to close her eyes on him. Blinking was a sin, she wanted to absorb all of him.
It only took for his hand to reach her cheek, for Naruto finally to recall everything that happened.
His arms suddenly turned on her cold frame and pulled her down towards him harshly. The heiress arm was screaming in pain and she was sure every part of Naruto's body was in agony. But hearing her name coming from his voice right next to her ear made her react in a very known way.
"Hinata!" Naruto sobbed shamelessly in her ear, no doubt hurting her eardrums. Hinata was simply bawling her eyes out at the strength of his embrace, not even worrying if the assassins were to hear them. She was pulling him towards her with everything she had.
He was saying something in her ear, but either her haired muffled it up or her cries didn't let her understand very well. She pulled a bit apart, giving Naruto a chance to look at her shining eyes. His face was of pure shock and hidden delight, his mouth opened to ask her everything he wanted to know but sounds from the outside world were getting near.
They both turned to the cave in a flash. Hinata's feelings clearing up way for despair. Naruto read her reaction and acted fast.
He placed his fingers in a cross and started summoning chakra. The alien device weighting on his neck started to react giving way to a sizzling sensation in his neck that started to spread all over his chest.
Hinata noticed how he wanted to start screaming and panicked. That was the only thing enemies needed to pinpoint their location.
Somehow, Naruto kept his screams inside his mouth, only muffling and squirming around but still maintaining his hand signs. He grunted heavily as he was still trying to pump chakra out of the collar's control. Hinata could smell burnt skin right in front of her. And Naruto didn't stop trying.
Finally, two clones appeared kneeling on the cave.
Hinata could hardly believe his good judgment having awaken with a concussion and who knows what else. The clones were of him and her, wearing the clothes each of them was wearing yesterday. They exchanged a knowing look with their creator and turned on their heels towards the exit.
The Hyuuga heard just how the clones started running towards the opposite direction the sounds were coming from.
Immediately after, reactions from the people outside started to take shape.
"Look! They are alive!"
"I can't fucking believe it!" a gruff voice was heard. "Boss! Ren! They're here!"
A swarm of voices started to add to the first ones, and then they were drowned by the sound of multiple footsteps falling into a run, passing very close to where they were hiding but none stopped.
Hinata's shock dissipated for a second, only to turn her impressed eyes at the man panting heavily and clutching at the offending collar.
She had grown to forget just how impressive he was. His muscles were more defined than she remembered. He looked strong as a bull. But she was taking care of him, Hinata remembered, and it was her turn.
"Let's go, Naruto-kun." She claimed, taking him from under his arm and hoisting him up, almost destabilizing herself in the process.
As he was getting pulled upwards, Naruto felt clothes slipping down from his body. His reflexes managed to catch the fabric before it went all the way down.
Hinata carried him out of the cave and into the opposite direction the enemies had taken.
It was very hard running with Naruto in tow. He was in no shape to move. 'And yet those shadow clones…'
"Wait Hinata." That name again, it sounded so weird to pronounce out loud. And yet exquisite. "I can't take it." He let out gasps of pain as she moved him. "Hurts even to breath."
The young woman turned to him with worry in her eyes. "But we can't stop, Naruto-kun. It's our only opportunity to escape."
"Escape?" That word made him turn his head down at her, revealing a hidden wound in his head that had started to bleed again.
Hinata witnessed, almost in slow motion, how Naruto's mouth morphed into a smile. Her breath hitched. It was the first one in more than two years. She could stare at it forever.
But instead, she stared at Naruto moving both his hands to his neck and grabbing hold of the device.
"No! You might get hurt again!"
"I've been hurting this whole time, Hin." Her nickname escaped his lips without his knowledge. It made his smile grow into a grin. Feeling like a child talking to her again, Naruto let a liberating laugh rang out into the forest.
Hinata had not been prepared to listen to him laugh again and felt her legs weakening.
Naruto grinned confidently. "Believe me, this is nothing. I'm feeling pumped."
His hands started gripping the collar with full force, making veins pop from the surface of his hands. It started to sear his flesh as he pushed chakra into his hands, but his eyes were set.
Painfully yet easily, Naruto's hands crushed the electronic device like it was nothing. Leaving a nasty trail of burnt skin that reached down his neck, face and chest.
Hinata gasped, but Naruto smirked at the chakra returning to his body. He summoned red chakra immediately to look after his numerous wounds. It had been the first time since he lost her. Red chakra was a dead giveaway of his identity.
His shining red eyes looked down at her. Although surprised at their color, she didn't bat an eye. Red or blue, she could feel a tingle down her back as he looked at her so intensely.
One chakra tail was helping him stand up on his own.
The red chakra irradiated a strange comforting warmth. The tall, towering blond enveloped her yet again on his bare arms, this time speaking directly to her ear with a promise she knew to be valid throughout his whole life.
"Everything is going to be okay."
She closed her eyes to enjoy what was happening. Hinata knew she was saved.
He placed a punctuation kiss on her temple and turned around, revealing yet again his crossed fingers.
"I forgot how fun it was to use this jutsu."
While Naruto was busy creating clones of his black-clad self, Hinata admired at the dissipating bruises and swells from his naked back. He was taller now than ever before. She wondered if he noticed if she'd changed too.
She cried again, out of relief. Her cry converted into a faint laugh. She then found herself falling prisoner to a nostalgic feeling. She fainted right then and there.
Naruto was so vigilant of her every move that he placed an arm around her waist before her eyes closed. That's how much she knew her.
The blond laughed freely again.
The marching men and women did not emit any sound this time. They were painfully aware that they were getting close to where they were ambushed, and it was clear that the bandits had the upper hand in numbers and ability.
Chouji was walking with a frown and his eyes darting left and right. His insides were twisting as he watched anxiously for any sign of Hinata or that black-clad monster that for some reason spared their lives.
His eyes twitched to Ino once he felt her tugging at his sleeve.
"Be prepared to sprint down that cliff in the next turn." His girlfriend whispered willfully.
"Ino, we can't! What if the caravan is attacked again?" Chouji hovered over in alarm.
"Hinata is more important." Chouji could see determination printed in her pretty eyes.
"But-"
She turned her eyes to the Akimichi. "At least I want to rescue her body."
It hurt dearly to hear that being said about Hinata.
Chouji swallowed. Then nodded.
With as much stealth as they could muster, they hurried down the slope that led to a river given the loud sound of water.
Ino didn't like the setting. Waterfalls and Hinata were not a good combination.
Chouji shook her out of her reverie. "Did you hear that?"
Ino shook her head.
Chouji pointed west of their position. "I heard someone scream."
The Uzumaki kept walking with the help of his life-force emitting extremities for the first half hour of their slow retreat. Then he could start walking on his own strength again. As soon as he could do that, he switched Hinata's arm over his shoulders to snaking his arm round her back and cradling her knees in his other arm. Making it easier and more comfortable to carry her around with lower chances of making her wounds worse.
He'd notice that he'd been almost completely naked for a while now. He could only guess why, but he trusted Hinata knew it was the best for him.
He started to curve around the rocky mountain's edge, finding small clearings hiding behind the stony ridges of the mountain.
Naruto chose a perfectly placed sharp turn on one of those ridges and climbed a few feet to get to the small clearing with green grass loitering all over. A small bush had grown in the edge of the farthest wall, and it was the perfect place to let Hinata down.
The blond called back his inherited fox power and tested his arms and ribs. He felt way better and more awake.
In the clear of day, he could see Hinata with better light. Beautiful white skin and resting features. They called for him to get as close to her as possible.
There was dried blood staining her cheeks and eyes. He also noticed her wet clothes clinging to her frame, and a nasty swell on her forearm.
'She's broke it.' The blond concluded. And there was no one around that could help her.
The Uzumaki apologized mentally at her. It wasn't fair that he was able to heal himself so quickly while she had to hang on to the pain up until they've gotten to a medic.
He went over to a few sticks littering the shadow under a tree not too far down from where he was.
Taking one last look to his best friend lying on the grass, Naruto headed to take the longest and sturdiest stick and headed back to split Hinata's injury.
He tore some of his pants fabric to tie it tightly around her extremity, and noticing how Hinata did not only donned a shirt but also a light jacket, he was careful to slip the jacket from her arms and hands and finally use it as an arm's sling by tying the sleeves around her neck.
Naruto didn't have any worries that his clones were going to fail maintain those men at bay. So, he sat next to Hinata and spent his time looking down at her and occasionally grazing her face with his fingers.
She had been emitting some grunts every few minutes. Naruto could only guess what she had been dreaming of, but it must be nightmares and the like.
He had half a mind to leave her there with a clone of his and go looking for murder on each and everyone of his previous colleagues. But the more he thought of it, the more he realized that he wouldn't get away from her for all the vengeance in the world.
A noise coming from behind the curve of the mountain caught his attention.
His eyes narrowed and his breath stilled.
'They are here. Good.' A small smile spread on Naruto's lips. That way he got to be close to Hinata and kill the bastards.
"Their path leads around this mound." He recognized the voice of Ren. Oh, he was going to enjoy killing him. He was going to have a blast with was about to come. He hated every member of that gang with a passion. They were all pieces of shit that deserved zero mercy.
"You better be right. I left half the gang fighting those nosy mercenaries." Hiko grunted, clearly displeased.
"I still don't understand how they found us."
"First these fuckers escaping, then that…" The green haired man was bristling when a figure captured the side of his eye.
At first, Hiko and his 4 other companions stood stock still, staring at the blond-haired man gazing at them icily. Then they looked to the woman lying near his feet.
Hiko's eyes grew murderous as he looked into what must be Kuro's blue eyes. The newcomers slowly took out their weapons and got in position.
"Kuro you motherfucker." Hiko snarled, taking rapid steps closer to the elevated position of the fugitives. "I'm going to kill you slowly. You and your whore will pay dearly for what you've done to my troupe!"
"Boss, look at his face!" One of his men said, despair gaining on his voice. The dark-haired man was pointing weakly, his finger starting to shake.
"Holy fucking shit." Another of his comrade exclaimed under his breath.
Hiko was at first at a loss, but then he focused closer on his enemy. His eyes were tired but lively, and that sparkling blue color contrasted madly against his yellow hair. And the whiskers…
A sinking feeling filled the green-haired man's navel. A fresh wave of hatred for the Hyuuga filled him over once againG. How could she bring so much bad luck to him?
The Konoha legend started walking towards them calmly. His fists clenched and his face hardening.
"Why?" In his infinite lividness, Kuro could only ask why this was happening to him. "Why is this bitch ruining my life?"
He started to step back. At the same time, his underlings started brandishing their weapons at the high-level threat coming their way. Fearing to fight him up close, they threw all the kunai and knives they had.
Naruto didn't bother to dodge or parry. He was mindful that Hinata was laying right behind him. So, he just caught all the kunai with his bare hands by the edge of the blades.
The despairing enemies could only stare in horror as his hands dismissed the bloody weapons to the floor and kept walking coolly towards them.
"Please…" One of the men started to say as he readied to flee like his leader. Naruto didn't mind his words. He sprinted forward and grabbed both men by their necks. One of them was stabbing at his torso frantically, but the kunai barely made a dent in his skin.
Without a word, the whiskered Konohanin pressed as hard as his fists let him. The contents of their necks crushed easily in his fists.
Hiko saw how the last of person on his team pissed himself as he turned tail. Somehow, Kuro, or rather, Naruto appeared in front of him in the blink of an eye. There was a glowing hand going through his stomach.
Kuro felt his knees weaken as the Uzumaki turned his eyes to him, not sparing a word. His arm was still shining when he ran at him at top speed.
"Ino!" Chouji screamed in excitement.
The Yamanaka beauty had seen it too. "I see her."
They were at the peak of a boulder that looked down on small patches of trees. They saw movement between the forest, and as they approached, glimpsed a dark blue and beige uniform, very similar to the one Hinata had been wearing the night she disappeared.
With her heart pumping in her throat, Ino quickened her pace. But as they skidded down the mountain, she witnessed how a shirtless man was walking towards her.
Chouji acted first. Screaming his family's ancestral technique and puffing up to the size of a medium boulder. He started rolling down violently towards the stranger.
Ino was also prepared to support Chouji if the enemy managed to dodge the projectile rolling down towards him.
As the figure turned to look at the new threat, Ino gasped and lost her footing.
A straining grip stopped the Akimichi from advancing.
"There's no need for that Chouji."
The voice was familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. It did serve to make him stop using his jutsu.
"We've got to tell Tsunade-sama as soon as we cross the gates." Ino was talking excitedly. Hinata could recognize her womanly voice anywhere.
"And Sakura too…" Chouji agreed.
"Oh." Ino giggled nervously. "She's going to be so happy."
"But what do you think the Hokage is going to do with Naruto?"
The sound of his name made her remember the last seconds before she fainted due to her exhaustion. 'He's back.'
"Naruto…" she said softly, trying to get up but as soon as she roused from her lying position, a splitting headache made her lay back down again. She winced.
"Whoa, there." Ino immediately went to her side. "You're still pretty beat up. And you used all your chakra reserves."
"And overused your Byakuugan."
Right. No wonder her crippling headache.
"Here, take two of these. It should help with the pain." Chouji placed two pills on her palm, and as Hinata raised her arm to accept a flask he was offering her, she noticed there was no pain in her arm anymore.
Ino must've healed it.
"Where is him?" The Hyuuga asked, her thoughts not being able to stay off the once missing ninja. She looked around, despairing when he was nowhere to be seen.
Ino smiled down at her. "He went to take a bath at the lake."
"Where are we?" Hinata asked after she drunk five mouthfuls of water.
"Tazawa lake. Just a day and a half away from Konoha now."
This made Hinata tried to sit up again, this time with more success. Although Chouji had helped her up. "I've been asleep for two days already?"
"Yup. We finished our service with Otoma as soon as they got safe to the town and started immediately for Konoha." Ino smiled again. "He carried you all the way."
She didn't have to ask who 'he' was. The thought of being in his arms for so long made her cheeks flush red, much to Ino and Chouji's delight.
"Hinata, I can't believe you found him." Chouji's excitement was palpable.
She gulped down some more water. "He found me."
"I still can't believe he's back." The plump man kept repeating.
In that moment Naruto reached the clearing they were seated at, and his eyes went straight to meet hers.
"You're awake." He breathed out, letting the moist towel drop to the ground near Chouji's stuff.
He made Ino buy a jacket for him so he could hide his hair and better part of his face when they reached Konoha.
Her heart started pounding dangerously. And she felt immediately more lightheaded. But she found it impossible not to return the glowering smile he was giving her.
Without even so much as a side glance to his two other childhood friends, the Uzumaki went to kneel in front of Hinata.
Ino was mesmerized by the look of happiness on Hinata's face. It had been two tortuous years for the heiress, and she had been there to try to cheer her up. Chouji bumped his shoulder against hers to catch her attention. "I think we better go." He whispered to her.
Somewhat upset that she wouldn't be able to be part of it, Ino incorporated to her feet and followed Chouji away from the clearing.
The blond contemplated the heavenly sight of a healthy Hinata. She took a moment to gather her thoughts. It was proving hard.
When she tried to speak, only a croak went out. She found herself crying again, saying his name between gasps.
Alarmed, Naruto went to hug her immediately. He started whispering comforting words in her ear.
"I know, Hin." His voice was strained too. He had been crying himself to sleep as he gazed upon her frame. It was too good to be true. "You can't imagine how much I've missed you." He said next to her ear, enjoying the feeling of her hair near his face.
Her embrace tightened in on him. "I have been looking for you all this time, Naruto-kun." She pulled back to look at his face. His eyes were shining with threatening tears.
"I thought you were dead. They told me…" Naruto trailed off as he lost himself in the endless pool of lavender reflecting off her eyes. He started shaking his head miserably. "I went mad with grief, Hinata. Nothing made sense anymore."
Too emotional for words, the jounin stopped talking and went in again for another hug. This time immersing in Hinata's sea of hair and drenching it silently in tears.
The Hyuuga relished feeling his hair under her fingers. He smelled of fresh shampoo. But his own characteristic smell was also around him. She had forgotten it a long time ago, but it was coming back all at once. She breathed it in and relished in it for a good moment.
After five minutes of comforting each other, Naruto finally got around to looking at her in the eye. "I shouldn't have left." He said hoarsely. "I should have gone to find you."
Hinata placed a delicate on his cheek and made him stop talking. He had shaved and was looking like his old self again. "There's no point on thinking about the past."
Naruto nodded slowly. Thinking that she was more beautiful than he could ever try to remember. She was saying something, but he couldn't stop looking at her lips. He thought of asking her for permission to kiss her. After all, a lifetime had gone between them, and they needed time to reconnect. But by the time he thought of that he was already pressing his lips against hers.
He noticed how she froze at his advance. And that made him recapacitate. Just as he was pulling back, he felt Hinata's hand pull his head down towards her again. She started kissing him back. And it was amazing.
They had only shared one kiss before, when she had drunk too much wine on her birthday, and Naruto had been too nervous to talk about it the next day.
Hinata melted in his embrace and relished the feeling of him sucking on her lower lip, but Naruto suddenly halted his actions.
She fluttered her eyes open and gazed confusedly at him.
"Come with me." He begged, feeling her hot breath on his cheek.
Hinata was at a loss for words. She was still registering their kiss. "Pardon?"
"I'm not ready to go back to Konoha yet." He confessed. His eyes were shifting from her eyes to her mouth. "I want to spend time only with you before everything else comes crashing down."
"Naruto-kun…" She thought of talking him out of it, but the implication of having Naruto for herself without any disturbance from the outside world did sound like something she wanted too. She noticed she somehow ended sitting on top of him sometime during their make out session and blushed bashfully. "Where would we go?"
"My dad owned a property half a day from here." The blond licked his lips, thinking that he hadn't been this close to Hinata before. "Nobody would bother us there."
The implication of being just the two of them together living under the same roof made her heart thump hard against her chest. She knew she would be crazy to deny herself the pleasure of spending time with him. She had waited so long already.
So Hinata nodded her head as she went in after another kiss.
Life is getting in the way of creativity, but I never stop thinking about my fanfics. I hope you liked the chapter.
- Paty