Hey guys, sorry for being so late. Been kind of busy with moving and everything and trying to get my life together in general. This might be a short chapter, don't know, it really depends on how I feel and where it takes me. Hopefully you all enjoy it either way!
Xxx Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me, but to Masashi Kishimoto xxX
Hinata walks down the hall of her apartment complex towards her younger sister's room, knocking softly on the door since she should already be awake.
"Hanabi-chan, are you almost finished? Breakfast is ready and father and Niisan are waiting on you."
A muffled shuffling of clothes is heard on the other side of the followed by a hum. "Just about done, Neesan! Just touching up my hair!"
"Alright, well hurry up, because I'm not allowed back without you with me." Hinata teases as she relaxes against the wall opposite her sister's door. She chuckles when she hears a groan on the other side of the door followed by some mumbling and footsteps before the door finally opens, revealing her incredibly adorable little sister.
The bluenette's cheeks tint pink and her pale eyes practically sparkled as she takes in Hanabi's appearance. "Aw Hanabi-chan! You look so cute!"
"Onee-san…" Said girl grumbles bashfully, her own cheeks tinging pink with embarrassment.
The youngest Hyūga had her long, glossy brown hair tied in a low ponytail with long strands falling flatteringly over her face. She was wearing a deep red pencil skirt and roasted yellow colored blazer over a white ruffled blouse and dark brown classy heels. In her ears were two gold studs to help accentuate her look. She wore minimal makeup, mainly consisting of orange tinted lip gloss.
Hanabi fidgets with her skirt the longer her sister stares at her, opting to glare back halfheartedly. "W-Will you stop that?! It's embarrassing!"
Hinata waves off her sister's glare with a laugh before pulling her into a loving, yet brief hug. "I'm sorry, Hanabi, but you just look so cute in your new suit that I just can't help it."
"Ugh!" Hanabi moans with crimson cheeks as she brushes off the bluenette and proceeds to stomp down the corridor towards the kitchen, where her sister said breakfast was already served. "Why do you have to be so weird…"
"Meh, it's kinda my thing." Hinata shrugs following her sister down to the kitchen with a cheeky grin.
Once the sisters enter the kitchen area, they are greeted by the sight of their father and cousin already seated at the dining table, their father facing the television in the living room where the news was playing, and their cousin sitting patiently beside him with his arms folded across his chest in waiting.
Upon seeing his two daughters, Hiashi switches his attention to them as they take their seats across from him.
"Glad to see you managed to finally come down, Hanabi. Good morning."
Hanabi flinches nervously as she moves to grab a stack of pancakes, responding to her father with a chuckle. "Haha, sorry father. I-It took longer than expected to get dressed. My apologies."
"No need to apologize. You look lovely, so the extra time must have been worth it." Hiashi responds while digging into his breakfast, a teasing smile on his lips.
The three younger Hyūga all turn to stare at the elder man with wide, astonished identical eyes, all coming to a complete halt in their dining. Their lack of movement managed to gain Hiashi's attention, making him quirk a brow at their odd behavior.
"What?"
Hanabi blinks rapidly before slowly gathering some more sausage onto her plate. "I honestly don't know if that was meant to be a jab at me or not, father." The youngest Hyūga speaks slowly, a smirk forming. "But if it is, since when do you crack jokes on people?"
Neji and Hinata watch, amused, the exchange between father and daughter, nearly laughing at the sight of the ever stoic Hiashi looking almost offended by the fifteen-year-old.
"What? So am I not allowed to poke fun at my daughter, or anyone for that matter? Well pardon me, then, I guess old timers like me aren't permitted to do such a thing."
"I wouldn't say old timers can't do that, but someone like you, father, well… that's a different story." Hanabi counters her father's mock offended attitude, taking a bite of the pancake her sister made.
Hiashi's eyes sharpen towards his youngest in a challenging manner, causing Hinata and Neji to pick up their pace in eating due to the suspense of this playful argument.
"Now what exactly is that supposed to mean, Hanabi?" Hiashi asks with a bite of his egg. "What is 'someone like me'?"
Hanabi takes a bite of toast before twirling it around with a roll of her pale eyes. "Oh you know, the uptight type; Mr. Dry-Sense-Of-Humor?"
Hiashi gapes at the brunette, as do the other two at the table. "I do not have a dry sense of humor!" He then turns towards the cousins, who stiffen at his gaze. "Do I?"
Neji and Hinata nearly choke on their breakfast at the simple question. The two glance at each other before turning to the steely gaze of their elder, which makes Hanabi snicker at what she had just set upon them.
"Um…"
The two young adults gulp as the gaze of Hiashi practically hums in their ears as he waits for their answer. Sparing one more glance at the other, they made the decision to finish their plates as fast as possible and bolt out of the room like their lives depended on it. However, just as they were going set their plan in motion, the deep chuckling of Hiashi sounds off, dissipating all of the makeshift tension in the room.
"Hahaha! And you kids say that I'm the one with a dry sense of humor."
The cousins release a heavy sigh before joining both Hiashi and Hanabi in their laughing fest before resuming their breakfast. Shortly after, Neji is doing the dishes while Hinata and Hanabi put away the leftovers and Hiashi is gathering his belongings for work. Once the trio are finished, they meet up with Hiashi in the living room, where he is finishing setting everything up in his briefcase.
"Hanabi, do you have everything ready to go? Did you make sure to pack your case last night?" The elder man asks without turning to said girl.
Hanabi nods despite not having his eyes on her. "Mhm. I just have to grab it from my room and then I'll be set to go."
"Good. Today is going to be the start of the next step in your training so pay close attention today, alright?"
"Yes father." Hanabi nods and then proceeds to go grab her briefcase from her bedroom.
As Hiashi waits for his daughter's return, he relaxes into the couch, turning to his eldest, who's attention was focused on the television in front of her where the news was playing. Beside her, Neji, too, watched the news with great interest, enough so that it made him curious as to what was on. He reaches forward and grabs the remote to turn up the volume, his brows furrowing at what is being broadcast.
"...the latest young woman to be reported missing sometime last week. Search parties are being spread out in hopes of locating her. She was reportedly last seen leaving the night shift at her workplace as a security guard for the local children's hospital. The authorities were contacted by the woman's brothers when she did not return home the next day, immediately raising suspicion with the two as they say that it's not like her to not come home without saying a word. The authorities have not released any statements further on the investigation other than that are trying their best to locate her and return her home safely, but with this latest disappearance, the community has become even more frightened that there may be someone targeting young women and men. No bodies have been found as of yet, but that still doesn't rule out the possibility of a serial killer within our community. So for now, we, at Channel 23 News, would like to advise the public to be safe and lock your doors and travel in groups of two or more until the authorities can figure out who or what is behind these strange disappearances. Now in other news…"
Just before the topic changes, the news station flashes one last picture of the most recent missing woman. To Hinata, the woman was stunning, even with her unique choice of hairstyling. The picture they have chosen to show last seemed to be her senior picture from the looks of it. The woman had ivory skin with dirty blonde hair tied in four sections on the back of her head and her bangs parted in the middle. Her almond shaped eyes were a beautiful dark teal color that made the bluenette envious. Right under the picture of the woman flashed her name one last time before the subject changed to the weather.
"...Temari Sabaku no…" Hinata mumbles with worry. "I do hope they find her soon."
"Hn." Neji and her father hum beside her in agreement, earning her gaze on them.
At that moment, Hanabi finally returns with her briefcase in hand, but halts upon noticing the sudden tension in the room. She quirks a trimmed brow and shifts her eyes from person to person.
"Um… Okay. What's with the elephant in the room?"
"Hanabi," Said girl jolts at the sternness in her father's tone. "Neji, Hinata, from now on, I want none of you to walk out of this house alone. You are not to attend anywhere without someone else around you. I do not want anything like this to happen to any one of you, do you understand me?" The Hyūga man commands as he gathers his case and comes to a stand.
"Yes father/uncle." Hinata and Neji nod in response, while Hanabi stands behind them all with an even more perplexed and slightly shaken expression.
"Hold on, just what the heck are you guys going on about? What did I mi-"
"Another girl has gone missing." Interrupts Neji solemnly. Hanabi's eyes widen.
"Wh-What?"
Hiashi turns to his youngest then, his eyes hard yet full of worry. "Do you understand me, Hanabi?"
The shaken brunette gulps nervously, shortly nodding to her father with scrunched eyes. "Yes father."
Hanabi flinches when she suddenly feels a hand grip her shoulder. Turning up she relaxes when she sees her father smile briefly at her before turning to her sister and cousin.
"What do you two have planned for today?"
The two cousins look to each other before looking back at their elder. "Well I was going to go down to the dojo with Lee and Tenten today for some sparring practice." Neji answers with furrowed brows.
"And I was going to stop by Kushina-san's shop for a bit before meeting with Kiba-kun and Shino-kun for lunch." Hinata states with a shrug.
Hiashi turns his attention on his nephew. "What time did you plan on meeting with them?"
"A little later I suppose."
Hiashi hums and brings his attention to his oldest. "And you. What time do you plan on leaving for Kushina's?"
"Oh! Um, I was planning on heading out a little after you and Hanabi-chan left for work. I was planning on taking some pictures along the way."
"I see. Well then Neji, I want you to escort Hinata to the Uzumaki's shop before you head out to meet with your friends. And as for you, Hinata, ask if Shino and Kiba can pick you up from the shop so that you aren't alone. Understood?"
"Yes father/uncle."
Hiashi bobs his head in content, turning, then, to his youngest daughter who held a worrisome facial. He places his large hand upon her head, careful not to ruffle her sleek ponytail. "Come now, Hanabi. We must get going or we will be late for your training. Remember, the roads are icy so there will be a lot of traffic in the way."
Hanabi merely hums in reply, waving goodbye to her beloved elder sister and cousin, her thoughts hoping that they will remain safe and off of the news.
"I'll see you later, okay Hanabi-chan?" Hinata waves back with a reassuring smile. "Good luck with your training today."
"Yes. Good luck." Neji adds with a wave of his own as he watches his family head towards the exit.
As Hiashi opens the door, the smaller Hyūga turns back to mutter a soft 'thank you' as one last farewell is given before she and her father are out the door and heading to the lobby.
Kushina pours some scrambled eggs onto the plates of hers, her husband, son, and niece, the youngest two barely managing to keep their eyes open despite the scowl on their faces. As she places the pan back on the stove her husband takes his seat with a steaming cup of coffee in his hand. On the countertop beside the table in the kitchen rest a small television where the news was going on about the weather. Despite Kushina taking her seat, no one touches their food, but rather stares heatedly at it. All four are silent, the only sound coming from the weather man on the TV.
"So another one, huh?" Naruto suddenly states groggily. The other three sigh in response with a bow of their heads.
"You don't think..?"
"No." Kushina interrupts Karin with a shake of her head. "Nagato told us that he's no longer associated that terrible group after what happened to us when he came to the store. I'm sure he has nothing to do with this."
"What about-" Naruto goes to say, but is silenced by his mother's hard stare.
"They on the other hand, I fully believe they are most likely behind it."
"What should we do?" Karin questions as she rubs her eyes.
"Is there even anything we can do?" Naruto shrugs and runs his hand through his messy locks. Karin glares at him briefly before a yawn rips through her.
Minato shakes his head and sips his coffee, turning towards his son and niece. "Look, let's not talk about it anymore. Let's just eat this breakfast that your mother has worked on and get ready to go. Naruto, hurry and finish so that we can get you to practice. We'll stop by the shop, later on, to help your mother and Karin out once we're done. Okay?"
Karin's eyes widen a tad as she opens her mouth to protest. "But Uncle Minato-"
The feisty redhead turns in the direction of the hand resting on her stiff shoulder. "Gotcha dad." Naruto responds, his blue eyes telling his beloved cousin that the conversation was over and done with. "We'll meet you and mom later like he said, so just drop it."
Ruby meets azure as the two stare at each other. Karin's orbs flicker before giving in with a sigh seeing the blonde's seriousness. "Fine. We'll see you later then."
Kushina glances at her family around the table as she takes timid bites of her food. She inhales deeply once they start to finally dig into their meals. Her mind was doing somersaults at the news of the missing woman. She knows nothing about who the actual woman is, but combined with the recent incidents at her shop and their trauma from the past, her worrying has skyrocketed along with her blood pressure.
I just hope nothing bad happens again…
A knock on his door alerts him to his brother's presence, but he remains prone on his bed.
"You alive in there? Breakfast is ready." His brother's voice drones and he grunts in response.
A sigh is heard on the other side of the door. "I know I'm not as good as Temari, but it's better than listening to her yelling at me for not taking care of us in her absence, right?" A halfhearted chuckle follows as a soft thump is heard.
"Look, I'm just gonna leave ya a plate for when you're ready to go, 'kay? Just don't be late for work this time alright?"
He remains silent even as his brother's footsteps disappear down the hall and stairs. He doesn't even move for a good while, not even when he hears his brother call for him to say that he's heading out to work. It's only about twenty minutes after that that he finally sits up in his bed and checks his phone. He has about half an hour to get ready for work, eat his possibly charred breakfast, and make it to work.
"Don't be late for work this time, huh?" He drawls as he places his phone down to run his polished fingers through his unkempt fiery locks. "Fuck it."
With a grunt and hiss, Gaara rises from his bed and exits towards the bathroom for a scalding shower. He needed to rinse off his arm anyway.
After his shower that left his pale skin matching his hair, he changes into a thick black turtleneck sweater, dark jeans, and timbs, and places his piercing back in and checking to see if his arm was fully covered. Once set, he makes his way down to the kitchen and eats most of the food that his brother had so kindly made that went cold. After tossing the rest in the trash, he grabs his auburn winter coat and black beanie, and locks up his home and proceeds to make his way to work. He was very much aware that he would be about ten minutes late, but he didn't really care.
He didn't really care about anything anymore anyway.
I knew where I wanted this chapter to go and what I wanted to put out (sorta), but I'm not so sure if that's what the end result gave me. Either way, I'm sorry for the lateness and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm just going through A LOT right now and I'm just trying to keep it together. If you liked this, or even if you didn't, please review, follow, and/or fave! I'd really appreciate it, and it would probably uplift my mood a bit. Thanks for reading! I hope you have a great day and/or night!