Hinata's blood turned into ice.
"W-what do you mean, Ko? How could she have been kidnapped?"
Hinata had just seen Hanabi half an hour ago.
Ko took a deep, shaky breath. "It – it all happened so fast, I'm not sure what really happened. Some strange masked men broke into the compound and just took her. We tried to pursue them, but they were too fast."
Then the door burst open again and a fourth person came in. It was Sai.
"Hokage-sama," he said. He nodded a polite greeting at Ko, then fixed Naruto, Hinata, and Kakashi-sensei with an intent look. "I was near the forest when I saw Hinata-san's little sister, Hanabi-chan, being carried away by a group of unknown assailants."
Kakashi-sensei took his time to process the information overload. He steepled his gloved fingers together, his eyes a million miles away.
"Hinata...almost kidnapped…Hinata's sister...actually kidnapped...explosion caused by meteorite...moon falling..." he muttered to himself.
Wait, what? Moon falling?
"Kakashi-sensei, may I request a mission to rescue my sister?" Hinata asked.
Naruto glanced at her tightly clenched fists, her knuckles white with intense pressure. He reached out and gently rubbed her hands.
Kakashi-sensei gave her a reassuring, calm eye-smile.
"You took the words right out of my mouth, Hinata. Meet me here at seven in the morning tomorrow. You too, Naruto, Sai."
Hinata and Ko walked back home with an agitated gait. Ko, still not having recovered from the shock of Hanabi's kidnapping, protectively wrapped his arm around Hinata's shoulder. He never did grow out of his old bodyguard role.
"Are you all right, Hinata-sama?" he asked quietly. "I believe that Naruto-kun said that you were almost kidnapped as well?"
"Yes," she said. "Do you think that someone is...targeting our clan?"
It wasn't unheard of. Their white eyes had been the subject of several kidnap attempts over the decades since Konoha's founding, and even during the Warring States Era – the most recent attempt being on Hinata herself by the Kumogakure ninja at a very young age.
But the villages had all united and kekkei genkai thievery was being rooted out. There was no way another village could or would attack Konoha now, with the current peace. And those men were definitely not wearing the standard shinobi uniforms of any village.
Missing-nin? Perhaps black market rogues who had somehow infiltrated Konoha?
Ko squeezed Hinata's shoulder comfortingly.
"I do not know, Hinata-sama. I thought that we would all be safe after the end of the war." He shook his head.
On that foreboding note, they reached the Hyuuga compound. Despite the late hour, all the lights were on. The house was in an uproar.
Six-year-old Hotaru rushed towards them and threw her arms around Hinata. "Nee-sama, are you okay?"
As she removed her shoes and entered the house, Hinata found herself surrounded by every single member of the clan.
"We took a head count of everyone after Hanabi's kidnapping and excepting the ones on missions, you were the only one missing, Hinata," said her grandmother. "Where have you been?"
Hinata was surprised by the concern in her voice as she was engulfed in bear hugs by her young cousins, and to her shock, her aunts, uncles, and quite a few distant relatives as well.
"I, um...I was with my friends. Those masked men tried to kidnap me as well, but I'm fine now. I apologize for worrying everyone," Hinata mumbled.
"Don't be sorry, child," said her grandfather. "I'm just glad that you're safe."
What was going on? Why did everyone seem to...care that she was all right? And not just the usual worry over the Byakugan falling into the wrong hands. She'd never received such a warm reception from her fellow clan members, except for the aftermath of Pain's attack on Konoha and the end of the Fourth Ninja War.
Ko cleared his throat. "Hinata-sama has been assigned a mission from Hokage-sama himself to rescue Hanabi-sama. She will be departing tomorrow."
"Is that so?" her grandmother said briskly. "In that case, everyone, leave Hinata to rest and recover tonight so that she may perform admirably and retrieve Hanabi."
She began to shoo the anxious Hyuuga away, as Ko gently guided her to her room.
"Everyone's gone insane lately, Ko. Except for you." Hinata laughed awkwardly as she shut the door behind her. "Why is everyone so...affectionate?" Naruto might say that they were touchy-feely.
Ko gave her a strange look. "Hinata-sama, they've been affectionate for quite some time."
"No, they haven't," she said. "Since when do we do group hugs?"
"They were worried about you and they were relieved that you're safe, Hinata-sama. It was a spontaneous outpouring of love."
Love?
In the Hyuuga clan, one was respected for one's mastery over the Gentle Fist art at most. One would get a begrudging nod of approval from the clan head for executing a perfect Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm or for the ability to see thirty miles away with the Byakugan. That was all.
It was true that they'd stopped the practice of dividing the clan into a Main Family and Branch Family several years ago, but this level of...tenderness...was just...
Ko noticed her flummoxed expression.
"Hinata-sama, you're a precious person to me and to everyone in this clan," he said gently. "Please don't forget that."
Right before he turned off the lights and closed the door, he whispered, "Good night and good luck, Hinata-sama. You're very strong. I know you'll succeed."
Sleep didn't come for many hours.
Hinata stared at the dark ceiling. For some reason, her mind wandered to that day when Naruto defeated Pain and was embraced and tossed into the air by joyful villagers. The same villagers who had sneered at him and given him looks of barely concealed loathing for years had refused to give up his location to the Six Paths of Pain even under pain of death.
The villagers had changed, at some point.
When did the Hyuuga change?
Her restless, anxious mind meandered to Hanabi's last words to her.
"Isn't it cute?" Hanabi brandished a kunai which she'd attached a doll to.
"Maybe instead of a scarf, you should try wearing something fashionable," she said, giving her big sister a cheery wave.
Was she hurt? Was she scared? Her words to Sakura from last week drifted back to her.
"Oh, well, it's a big responsibility. You always have to look out for your little sister and protect her. And you have to do your best to put up with her teasing and pranks. And she never listens to you when you tell her not to do foolish things..."
She really was a terrible sister, whether to Neji nii-san or to Hanabi. She couldn't protect them when it mattered the most.
Her eyes stung.
Sleep brought no relief to her tortured mind.
Her dreams faded into that day when Pain had impaled Naruto's hands with metal rods.
Then her mind went back to her recurring dream of Neji nii-san leaping in front of her and Naruto, taking the blows meant for her.
Neji shifted into Hanabi, dying on her shoulder with a ghost of a smile.
When Hinata woke up, she found that her pillow was stained with tears.
A/N: Hope you like some Hyuuga clan drama! I really liked writing this chapter.
Thank you for the reviews, ms chocoholic19, Lila08, and starfiction123! Many NH scenes are there to come, especially during the genjutsu bubble trap, which I just finished writing! :)