Authors Note: My Notes up here are somehow always the same. Life's stressful, working hard, writing slow... Decided to change things a little bit. I'm going to make something new up here and only add Author Notes if there is actually something really important I want to tell you all.
I plan on giving you some insight into my mind on how or why I created something or how I got some ideas or some more detailed explanations on things. I hope it's intresting for you. I have a few topics already in my mind but am willing to address things you are curious about as well, so feel free to ask.
So without anymore words, here comes the new stuff I thought about:
[Unknown]'s Scouting Report: The Organization
"Huh? What? The boss lady said I have to share my intel and informations? That's some serious issue, but... orders are orders I guess. Okay, fine. What do I have to share? The Organization? Crazy woman, but okay.
Alright, it all started in "Chapter 4: Adventure!". I guess some of you might have realized the Shippuden flashback/filler episode that got used as a base for it, right? The one with the group sending young Naruto into the forest to retrieve a foreign item from the battlefield where he found the kunai in the bird's nest and got attacked by the three females, finally rescued by Iruka and Kakashi. Well, the boss lady couldn't remember from which village these three were, so she simply made them unknown. That way was it also possible for Hinata to find the collar as souvenir. Don't tell her I told you, but she kinda panicked when she couldn't remember and making them unknown was an emergency exit she took.
Anyway, she wasn't planing on doing anything more with them til she reached "Chapter 7: Adventure! #2" because she needed some villains in order to get the kidnapping running. And instead of pulling out any other villains from another filler/flashback/whatever episode - she thought on the one with the tainted chakra shooting the sticky chakra balls glueing Naruto and Sasuke together for example - did she pick up the earlier created unkown forces. That was when the Organization was born. They kinda raised from an emergency invention to a fully developed group containing a few on a whim created OCs that might all be get additional appearences in the future, now that they are existing.
It's kinda funny how things might develop, huh? And the boss lady seems to have taken a liking to one of the characters and actually gave him even more details. But, well, that's all there is to say about the Organization and how they appeared. So, orders for today fulfilled. I just hope I don't need to share anymore in the future..."
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A Tale of Two Sisters – Chapter 12: Hinata's Birthday
Kakashi was racing through the streets of Konoha, jumping on top of a roof from time to time to cross even faster through the village. He was following the trail of a person he thought must be C and which had killed a member of the mysterious organization inside the village. It wasn't hard for him to follow the trail this time.
Last time, when he was out to rescue the kids, was the trail partially covered and traps were placed along it. But this time? It was easy for him. The person didn't even tried to hide any signs on the way it took and it was easy to follow. It was somehow like this person wanted to be found right now.
The most confusing part however was that the trail headed right into the busiest market area of Konoha. If the person was somewhere between all these masses of people... Stopping in his tracks did Kakashi slow down and walked through the crowd, looking for anything familiar or suspicious. It wasn't long before he noticed a pulk of people gathered in one spot at the side of the street and he went there as well to check it out.
However, what he saw once he made it through the crowd was something he wasn't expecting. In front of the wall was a small table with a man sitting behind it on a chair, his back at the wall. On the side of the table was some money laying around and the man was shuffling three cards around, smiling all the time.
"Common guys, try your luck and win some money. It's pretty easy, you know? All you need to do is find the ace and you win. That's a chance to win of 33% and it's hard to find a better way to make quick money!" the man explained while moving the cards around all the time on the table, picking one up from time to time to show the crowd the ace of spades.
One man inside the crowd stepped forward and the person sitting at the table stopped his shuffling right away, giving the man the possibility to choose. The man didn't need long and placed some money on the right side card, grinning.
Picking the card up was the person at the table smiling at the man. "Ah, nice pick, but it wasn't the ace. You picked the little one, one of my favorites." he showed the crowd the queen of hearts the man choosed and took his money, giving all a bright smile. "Who wants to try next? I'll increase your odds. 50% chance to win if you pick the ace now from the remaining two cards. Don't be shy and try!"
A woman stepped forward this time, grinning. "Ah, that's totally easy. It's always the one in the middle." she said and placed her money on the middle card. The person at the table nodded at her choice and smiled again and picked the middle card up, showing it to the crowd.
"Well, this was an intresting idea, but as you can see, it's the servant of the queen and not the ace." the card was indeed the jack of hearts and not the ace of spades. "It was close, but it was no hit." he turned the last card around to show that the ace of spades was the left card. "Who wants to try next?"
The person started to shuffle the cards again when Kakashi decided to step forward and addressed him. "I don't know, but do you maybe play other games as well? Like... I don't know, Black Jack?"
The person at the table looked at Kakashi and smiled brigthly. "Ah, hello there. Is it already that late that I forgot our meeting time? I'm totally sorry. Just let me pack my stuff and we can go." he put the money in his pocket and collected his cards before he addressed the crowd. "Well, you heard it guys, but I've forgotten an appointment. I'm sure you will get another chance at winning some money sooon!"
The crowd was disappearing into all directions while the person followed Kakashi into the nearest side alley that they could speak without anyone hearing by random. Once they reached around the middle of the alley did Kakashi speak up. "Okay, what are you doing here in Konoha, C? I thought you wanted to go into hiding and now did you show up and even killed someone within the village? You can't imagine how badly T&I wants to get you in order to get informations about your organization."
"Oh, I know that quite well, Copycat. I'm having a pretty effective scouting and spy-network within this whole fire country. But right now is Konoha the safest place for me to hide. Plus I'm able to make some money to live and it seems like you even got a weapon shop within the village that might be able to provide me with my special equipment. Do you know how hard it is to find one for that?" C answered, leaning against a wall.
Kakashi eyed C carefully. "And you thought it would be a good idea to kill someone? At day that is. Using a method that is leaving marks all over the place and make your victim scream out loud that half the village could hear?"
C simply shrugged. "That was a tracker and I needed to get rid of him. They are searching for me because I failed to fulfill my orders and with that am branded as traitor. My live was over the moment I lost to you, Copycat. And here I am, still alive. Oh, besides, the tracker was surveying the little one and that was something I couldn't tolerate. That and the fact that he found something out about me by getting in contact with the little one as well."
Kakashi shook his head. "You are crazy, aren't you? And to top it are you sitting in the market district, tricking the villagers and earning some money as if nothing happened..."
"What can I say? You took your time to follow me. I needed a way to pass the waiting time. And if I'm crazy, what are you? Talking to an enemy just like that without having called for backup? Though I would prefer if the kitten would stop to eavesdrop on us and just show herself. I'm not going to attack or run so there is no need to hide." C said totally calm, still leaning on the wall.
"Is that so?" Cat asked after jumping from the roof into the alley. "Kakashi, will you introduce me to your friend or shall I arrest you two on the spot? One for being an intruder and enemy of the village and the other for cooperating with said enemy?"
"Ah, yeah, well, you see, that's C. Hokage-sama is informed that I let him go three months ago and he trusted my judgement. So, everything is fine and under control here, Cat." Kakashi said, giving Cat an eye smile.
"I wouldn't call a dead enemy shinobi in our village 'everything is under control', but who am I to judge a situation?" Cat said sarcastic. "Especially if the one responsible is standing right in front of me, talking to another shinobi from our village like nothing had happened. Or do you think differently, Spooky?"
"Spooky?" C questioned before starting to laugh. "Now that's a good one, Kitten. But I can see it, his white hair in the dark alley. Matching." he grinned and addressed Cat. "Anyway, I'm here and willing to cooperate and give you the informations you want to know about the organization. Though I would like to ask for a few things in return, if possible."
"That's... how can you even think about asking for favors? We have more than enough reasons to treat you like the criminal you are." Cat replied, eyeing C waryly.
"Because his actions were forgiven already." Kakashi replied on that question calmly. "He made peace with his victims from our village, meaning the kids. And I let him live and go. He isn't a bad person."
"That's... he... you..." Cat stuttered, shaking her head. "Fine, whatever. Bring him to T&I for interrogation. If you two aren't there in 30 minutes will I forget everything and chase you down. Got that?" she asked quietly.
"Got it, Cat. I'll bring him there in time. Guess Anko will be happy to get some distraction from the paperwork. There wasn't much work for her lately." Kakashi stated, getting a nod from Cat who disappeared in the direction of the Torture & Interrogation division to inform them of the upcoming work.
"Ah, Anko is on duty? Guess it must be my lucky day then." C smiled, getting a confused look from Kakashi. "Nevermind. Well, I'm prepared for what will come. Shall we?" he asked before walking out of the alley without even waiting for a reply.
Kakashi followed him, wondering why he knew where the T&I division was located. 'You really are a strange one, C. I hope it wasn't a mistake to let you live, though I can hardly imagine that. But why are you here? I'm intrested...' Kakashi thought to himself.
T&I, 30 minutes later
They arrived right on time and C was brought into an interrogation room right away with Kakashi walking towards the observer room. Both Cat and the Hokage were there already to watch and get the informations first hand. "Too bad you made it..." Cat said quietly when Kakashi entered the room, getting a smile in return.
"Were you hoping to actually get to chase him because of my natural lateness?" he asked, angering the woman.
"Natural lateness? You are just lazy, Spooky!" she shot back. "Anyway, Anko should be here any moment. I'm intrested in what he has to say."
The Hokage nodded. "I am as well. Especially his informations about the organization do intrest me. With the incident today was it our third encounter already with them and we still know nothing about them." The other two agreed on that and they watched when the door to the interrogation room opened and Anko entered. They weren't prepared for what happened next, though.
Anko was a gorgeous woman with purplish hair bound in a spiky ponytail. She was wearing a pretty revealing outfit of mesh armor from neck to knee and shorts over it. She was also wearing a lightly brown trenchcoat which she always wore open because in her opinion was there nothing wrong with her outfit or body and covering it would be a waste. The open trenchcoat was simply her style.
However, when she spotted the person sitting in the interrogation room, the person that should bring her some distraction from the boring paperwork, did she stop in her tracks. She eyed C with an angry expression, hissing her words through clenched teeth. "You? You are the one I shall interrogate to get informations? You are a member of this mysterious organization?"
C smiled towards Anko. "It's good to see you again, Anko-chan. Yes, I was a member and I already said that I will tell you all you want to know, so there is no need to get violent. Oh, before I forget, I'm willing to give you back what you lost gambling against me." his smile turned into a slight grin when Anko blushed at these words, the observers clearly confused by what they were seeing and hearing. Anko would never blush.
"Nah, you can keep it. Just remind me to never play cards with you again..." Anko spit out. Kakashi couldn't help but smiling under his mask, knowing that C is a card trickster. But he wondered what he might have won from Anko.
"Oh, I thought we had fun last week in the bar. Anyway, I guess we should start, no? I mean, before someone here might get impatient with us. I'm not worried about Spooky, but Kitten might be a problem. Plus I'm sure your Hokage wants to hear my informations and we won't want to let the old man waiting, right?" he gave a wave in the direction of the observer room, though he wasn't able to see inside.
Anko sat down at the table opposite from C, having calmed down a bit. "You know that she will get you for calling her Kitten, right?" she grinned at C. "Alright, then let's have some fun and start simple. Your name, your origin, your occupation. And don't you dare try to lie to me."
C sighed. "How many times do I have to say that I want to cooperate? My name is C, and before you ask, no, there is nothing more. I've forgotten how I was named a long time ago, but names are not really important at all. And I don't remember where I'm born or something because I was with the Organization for a long time. As for my occupation? I'm a professionell card trickster and spy."
Anko's expression changed to an angry one. "Professionell card trickster? Does this mean you cheated on me to win all our games?" she was ready to kill someone.
"Huh? Not at all. You were so drunk you just weren't able to play good." C stated calmly, ignoring the threat in front of him.
"I... You... Fine. We will talk about that later. Okay, next point. Tell us about this organzation of yours. Name, important members, activities, all the intresting stuff." Anko tried hard to not kill the person in front of her. She knew enough that her work and private life are two seperated things, but that she was interrogating the person who humilated her in private was a hard factor to ignore.
"I already told you the name. It's simply called the Organization. To avoid unnecessary attraction and these things. As for important members..." he thought about it for a second. "Well, it's lead by 'her'. 'She' doesn't have a name as far as I can tell. Everyone is calling her 'her' or 'she'" he shrugged. "Then there is J. A mighty Earth user who tends to make mistakes if working under pressure. I'm sure that the Copycat encountered him already. And lastly me, C. I am, or better, was responsible for all spying stuff and information gathering. My network is quite amazing if I may say so."
He stretched lazyly before he continued. "That's also the reason why they want to see me dead. The moment I lost against the Copycat was the moment I died for the Organization. I'm marked a traitor since that moment and my life is officially over. That I'm still breathing is... quite random I would say. The corpse you found earlier was a tracker searching for me. You might be able to harvest some infiltrating techniques from it's corpse, but probably no informations."
All observer were listening intrested in these informations. It was way more than they were able to find out in three months and by the sound of it did Kakashi beat one of the leading staff. And that person was willingly and openly talking about the Organization. "I guess it was the correct decision to let him live..." Kakashi mumbled to himself.
"As for activities, there are not much, but these are large scale. Did you ever searched for something on the black market? Most of the stuff is distributed by them. That was also the reason why I joined them all these years ago. They were able to supply me with my special equipment." he continued to explain.
Anko interrupted him at that point. "What kind of special equipment are you talking about?"
"My cards of course. I'm sure the Copycat reported his fight with me, no? Well, I can show you." he said while letting a card slide from his sleeve into his hand. He placed it on the table and completed his handsigns quicker than anyone could have reacted. "Card Tricks: Ace of Hearts." Anko was ready to attack when she realized that C was completely calm and not hostile.
A moment later did she realize what he did when he grabbed an apple from the fruit basket standing on the table. "I'm talking about my cards. Each one does have a different effect. From offensive potential over supportive or protective til emergency storage like this one. I'm a specialist fighting with my card decks." he ate the apple, completely ignoring the glare he got from Anko.
"Is he... really toying with Anko and totally relaxed right now?" Kakashi asked in disbelief, watching the scene in front of him with a mixture of awe and shock.
Cat nodded her head slightly. "It seems that way, yes. I wonder where these two have met before though. And I wonder what happened between them as well. I never saw Anko that confused or embarassed."
"But he is giving us all the informations nonetheless. He said he wanted to cooperate and he is doing exactly that, so..." the Hokage pondered, stroking his beard in thought. "I guess it's alright. Nobody is harmed at all."
Anko was taking an apple as well and took a bite. "Okay, funny, question answered. Would you please go on with the informations?"
C smiled at her. "Ah, sure. Well, as you might have guessed is there another main income source for the Organization. The work and handling of merchandise. Or to put it more frankly, slave training and trading. Promising ones might be trained and raised to work and fight for us. Others are trained and sold. The kids from your village back then might have been treated differently, but with the Copycat on our trail did she decide to sell them as quickly as possible. Well... the result is known I guess."
Anko nodded her head in understanding, thinking for a moment. "Can you tell us where their base of operations is located?" she eyed C carefully.
He in return shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't. All I can say is that they moved out of the Fire Country. I don't know where their current base of operations is and the one they used here will be unfindable. J is taking care of getting rid of evidence. As said, he's a mighty Earth user able to completely hide a whole village inside the ground to never be found again."
Taking another apple to eat did he continue. "That's also the answer for the question the Copycat had for me. The reason I'm in Konoha is that it is currently the safest place for me to hide from them since they moved out of this country. And with the tracker gone will it take a long time for them to figure I'm still alive, as long as I'm hiding here."
Anko was silent for some moments, thinking about all these informations. When she finally spoke up did she look towards the observer room. "So with other words are you saying that you want us to take you in, in exchange for your informations? To provide you with safety in exchange for your talents and spy network?"
C shrugged his shoulders. "I could still hide and you never would know that I'm here. The Copycat found me cause I wanted to be found. Yes, I would like to stay here officially. And yes, there is a reason why. I'm sure the Copycat does know it." he grinned towards the observer room.
Kakashi got looks from Cat and the Hokage, scratching the back of his head. "What? I don't know what he is talking about. All I know is... oh... okay, right. He wants to meet the girls, the two Hyuga sisters, again. He must have heard that the older one is having her birthday soon."
"And you think this would be a good idea, Kakashi?" the Hokage asked, thinking about these informations. "Who is telling us that he won't try to trick us or to kidnap the kids again?"
"We can't be sure about that, but... I tell you, he isn't an evil person. And the girls got along with him as well and they made peace back then. I say it's a win-win situation for us if we take him in under certain restrictions of course." Kakashi stated.
"I'll think about it. He may continue his life right now the way he did before but under surveilance. Cat, you will be responsible for that and Kakashi, you are responsible as his contact and for his actions." the Hokage decided, leaving the room and T&I.
"Thanks for the additional work, Spooky..." Cat sighed and joined Kakashi on his way to the interrogation room. They were going to inform Anko and C about the recent decision of the Hokage.
Academy, next morning
Naruto was already waiting for the girls in front of the Academy this morning. There was a new rumour around that he wanted to tell them and it wasn't about them this time. Ino just passed him minutes ago but she seemed not to be herself. When Naruto wanted to talk to her about the new rumour did she simply shrug and moved on, somehow like her mind was totally away with other things.
He didn't knew that she learned about the kidnapping the day before and he certainly didn't knew that Ino was thinking about Hanabi's word for the whole time once she left the storeroom and parting from her. All he knew was that Ino wasn't her usual self this morning.
His mind was still thinking about Ino and he was totally surprised when someone waved a hand in front of his eyes. "Earth to Naruto, you there?" Hanabi asked, slightly giggling when Naruto blinked his eyes in surprise before he focused on her.
"I.. was just thinking about Ino. She is so totally different this morning. Anyway, glad you are here. I need to tell you something. But..." he eyed Hinata. "You won't attack me anymore, right Hinata-chan?"
Hinata had an innocent smile on her face and wasn't answering. Hanabi raised an eyebrow and answered in her place. "She... attacked you? Did I miss something after I left the training field?"
"Well, somehow..." Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "We were at Ichiraku's eating something once I woke up and she attacked me with a bubble made of broth because I tried the advanced move again." Hinata was still smiling innocently while Naruto talked.
"She... did what?" to say Hanabi was surprised would be an understatement.
"Yeah, she attacked me with the good ramen broth. After that did I promise to not try the advanced moves anymore and she was all happy again. But that was totally scary... and she isn't even saying anything now." he shook his head slightly.
Hanabi wasn't sure how she should feel right now. On one side was she kinda happy that her former shy sister became such an open minded girl that would even prank others or in that case aggressive negotiate something. On the other side however was she disappointed in her slave's behavior. "Sis... we are going to talk about that later in private."
Hinata nodded slightly but still didn't speak. She was aware of what she did and right now did she just know that Hanabi was totally in mistress-mode and speaking without being allowed would make the talk worse. So far was Hanabi all nice to her, but she felt that her sister was changing a little as well.
Naruto didn't catch the deeper meaning of that and smiled. "Thanks Hanabi-chan. Anyway, did you hear? There is a new rumour. It's about Kiba this time." he said grinning in Hanabi's direction. "They say he won't be able to come to the Academy for a few days because he was terribly beaten by his mother for something stupid he did."
Hanabi gulped at that information. "That's... bad. This means he will be even more focused on me now. And not in a good way... What to do..." her mind trailed off and she got lost in her thoughts. Naruto was a bit lost by her reaction and looked towards Hinata for support who simply shrugged her shoulders, not knowing either why her sister reacted that way.
"Hanabi? You alright?" Hinata asked worried, placing her hand on Hanabi's shoulder. Still not reacting on that did Hinata pull her into a hug. That sudden and unexpected movement did the trick and brought her back to reality. "Glad you are back with us." Hinata said smiling. "Do you know something about Dogboy?"
Hanabi smiled slightly and got away from the hug. "Yeah, actually I do. He tried to attack me yesterday. I was totally in thought and he would have gotten me by surprise. But before he hit me did someone by whatever kind of luck or bad luck walk in between us at the last second. Dogboy hit a civilian and ran away after that. Guess he got watched and someone told his mom. Scary woman..."
Naruto nodded at that last statement. "Say that again. She totally scared me when we met her for the first time... and if she beats up her own son just like that for, honestly, something that stupid. Wow..."
"I guess all this means we need to train even harder, right?" Hinata asked rhetorically. "Oh, before I forget, we met Spooky yesterday and I told him that you are looking for him for some advice, Hanabi. He will approach you hopefully." she smiled weakly towards her sister.
Hanabi simply nodded and kept moving. Her thoughts were everywhere but at the Academy this day. Why did Kiba hate her that much? Why did her slave show bad behavior? Why did her training didn't work the way it should? Why couldn't she come up with entertainment for the party?
She never realized that they reached the classroom and took their seats. But everyone watching at her right now would see a picture that most likely would never be seen again: the normally happy Hanabi and the usually gossiping Ino sitting next to each other in complete silence and deep in thoughts. Both weren't paying any attention either when Iruka entered and started his class.
Once Academy was over
Ino's mind was absent the whole day and once the last lesson was finished did she leave the classromm without saying anything to anyone. The words Hanabi had for her the day before made her think so much about the future and what she wanted to become that she basivly lost a whole day of her live with all this deep thinking.
It was kind of similiar with Hanabi that day. Once the class finished did she got up from her seat and walked quietly toward the exit, ignoring anyone trying to talk to her, including Hinata and Naruto.
"Hey, Hinata-chan, are we still going to train together? Though it seems like Hanabi-chan isn't coming today. I wonder what's up with her." Naruto spoke to Hinata who gave her leaving sister a look from time to time.
"Sorry Naruto-kun, but I think I should walk Hanabi home and see if I can do something for her. But I wish you good luck with your training. And remember, not the advanced moves as long if you are still struggling with the basics." she smiled at Naruto who felt a shiver run down his spine.
"Don't worry, I won't. That's what I promised and I keep my promises. Well, see you tomorrow." Naruto gave her a wave and dashed out of the classroom, eager to get back to his training with his staff.
Hinata also left the classroom, hurrying to catch up with her sister. "Hey, you okay, Hanabi? What's bothering you?" Hinata asked worried but still got no reply from her sister. "You are scaring me if you don't answer, you know?" she said quietly still etting no reply. So she simply stayed close and followed her sister home.
The whole walk back home was in silence for the two girls and once there did Hanabi aim for her room, still not having said a single word. Hinata was following her quietly, sitting down at her sisters desk while Hanabi sat on her bed. It took another five minutes before Hanabi sighed and finally said something.
"Sis, I'm frustrated. There are some things bothering me lately which is frustrating but stuff like that can happen. But now am I in addition disappointed and that's because of your behavior towards Naruto. I know that you changed your character because of all of us and overcame your shyness which is nice. But it isn't okay to threat Naruto, our friend in such a way. You do understand that, right?" she asked her sister speaking quietly.
Hinata nodded. "Yes, I do. But Naruto-kun was trying these moves over and over again, always hurting himself. I just... couldn't stand that anymore and wanted him to stop with that til he improved." she answered quietly as well.
"I don't like that either, sis. But that's just how Naruto is, you know? And all that doesn't change the fact that I'm responsible for your actions. We went through most of the books together and you know as much as I do. I allowed you many freedoms but now... did you hurt the trust I had in you. And I think I need to correct that in some way... wouldn't you agree?" Hanabi managed to stay calm while talking, something that surprised herself.
Hinata hesitated for a moment before she slowly nodded. "I agree, Mistress..." she answered, letting her head hang in defeat.
Hanabi got up from her bed and walked over to Hinata, signaling her to stand up from the chair. Hinata followed that order and stood up just to suddenly be grabbed by Hanabi who pressed her upper body on the desk. She was struggling against the grip holding her arms together on her back, but failed.
"The easiest would be to give you a nice spanking right now..." Hanabi said quietly, her head close to Hinata's ear. "But I don't feel like using my energy on that sort of thing. You will go and apologize to Naruto for what you have done. And I want you to think about your action and understand why it isn't okay to threaten one of our friends."
Hinata had stopped struggling and listened carefully before she replied. "I understand. I will go and apologize to Naruto-kun. And it won't happen again, Mistress." her voice was shivering slightly. She could feel that her sister was dead serious right now, despite her usual happyness and cheerful character.
"I'm glad to hear that. Because..." her voice became even quieter now. "If you won't do will I need to provide consequences for you. And the first thing to do would be officially inform the old man about us. This way am I safe to do whatever I see fit. Do you understand the meaning of that, slave?"
Hinata paled visibly by that, trying to look over her shoulder at Hanabi. "You... would do that?" she asked, shock written all over her face.
Hanabi put a sweet smile on her lips that sent a shiver down Hinata's spine. "I told you this will happen eventually. All I'm saying is that I will do that earlier then originally planned if you aren't going to behave and apologize to Naruto and promise to not do something like that anymore."
Hinata gulped and closed her eyes. "I understand, mistress. It won't happen again and I will apologize to Naruto-kun for the way I treated him. I wasn't right to threat him physically because of his character."
In an instant was Hanabi away from her sister and her character back to her cheerful self, though still a bit damped by the other things bothering her. "See, that wasn't too hard, right? Good girl." she smiled from ear to ear while Hinata got up from the desk.
"Yes mistress. I'm really sorry for my behavior." letting her head hang in defeat did she again confirm the agreement they just made. "If it's okay will I go to my room now." getting a small nod from Hanabi in return was Hinata leaving her sisters room. She was too distracted to see the person that vanished just a moment ago around the next corner.
'What did just happen there?' a confused Neji thought to himself, hurrying away from his cousins rooms. 'I thought I could ignore what I heard back then, that they were just playing or something. But that sounded serious right now. What is happening between these two? I... don't know what to do...'
Neji just happened to pass Hanabi's room by random when he heard louder voices from the inside and stopped to listen, in case there was something up and maybe some help of any kind needed. But the conversation he then witnessed by eavesdropping on his cousins shocked him to the core. They adressed each other as slave and mistress and talked about making it official. He shook his head and aimed for his own room. Whatever he wanted to do was gone from his mind, his thoughts racing around his two cousins...
Early the next morning
Hinata was woken up by her sister the next morning, around two hours earlier than she would normally get up for the Academy. All Hanabi said to her was that this would be part of her punishment, giving her a piece of paper before wishing a good night and heading back to her own room to get two more hours of sleep.
Still not fully awake did she take the piece of paper and read it:
'Hey sis,
I thought it would be good to remind you of the things I can do if you don't behave, if you shame me, if you do something wrong. I love you, but our relationship has more than just that one level of being siblings. Here are some orders for this morning.
1. take a shower and dress yourself for the day
2. take your Academy stuff and leave the compound without breakfast
3. head over to Naruto's apartment and wait in front til he gets up
4. knock on his door and apology to him. I will ask him about that later
If you want some breakfast do you have to ask him if he is willing to share with you.
Have fun, sis.
Love, Hanabi'
Hinata sighed in defeat and totally regretted what she did to Naruto by now. She knew that she probably was pushing her luck with that action and now was she paying the price for it. In the end should she be lucky that her sister wasn't doing anything worse to her. But she guessed that from now on it might get a bit harder for her.
After getting ready for the day was she on her way to Naruto's apartment just an hour later. It was cold this morning and Hinata was glad that she took her jacket with her. Knowing Naruto was she prepared to wait in front of his door for a good one and an half hour before he finally would get up. Time enough for her to think about why she had to do that and what she did wrong.
It took her ten minutes to reach Naruto's apartment. The streets were completely empty, nobody was out that early. Not even the shopkeepers were on the way to their shops yet. She sat down next to the door and put her arms around her legs, pulling them close to herself. Taking a deep breath did she close her eyes and tried to relax a little, starting to think about things.
'Why am I here? Because I attacked Naruto-kun for being stubborn and Hanabi-sama wasn't happy with that. She said I couldn't act that way towards our friends and I know that she is right. It was just frustrating that he always hurts hisself. But this also means that she has no problems with my character. I just shouldn't act that way towards friends, right?'
She was shaking a little. 'It's cold this morning. Glad I took my jacket. I just hope she won't get mad at me for wearing it again. But I should be fine, after all is it becoming colder these days. And just few days left til my birthday. I still don't know where the party will be or who is invited. And I'm still worried about what present she might give me. I have a feeling that it will be something I don't want to receive. Or at least not seen by anyone...'
Opening her eyes again did she take a look at Naruto's apartment. There was still no light inside, meaning that Naruto must be still sleeping. 'I hope he will wake up soon. It would be embarassing being seen sitting in front of his door that early at morning. Please let nobody nearby leave their homes that early... Please Naruto-kun, please get up soon. It's cold...'
Hinata wasn't sure how much time had passed since she sat down, but finally did she hear noises from the inside and a light got on. She stood up and wanted to knock on the door, when she suddenly heard a new noise that sounded like flowing water. 'Right, first thing to do in the morning is taking a shower. So more waiting til he is finished.'
It took another 15 minutes before the light in his living room was switched on and Hinata could finally knock on the door. He must be done with the bathroom and dressed by now. Another minute passed before the door was opened and Naruto, luckily dressed already, had a surprised look on his face.
"Hinata-chan? What are you doing here that early? It's cold..." he shivered when the wind picked up a little. "Come inside. Seriously, why are you out there that early?" asking worriedly while Hinata stepped into his apartment and closed the door behind her.
"I... wanted to apologize to you, Naruto-kun. For the way I treated you at Ichiraku's. It wasn't right for me to do that. It's just... I'm always worried about you when you get reckless, trying these moves that are way too hard for you. I just... wanted you to stop that." she explained to him, still standing in the entrance way.
"And you came all the way over here that early just for that? You could have waited til the Academy. Besides, I'm not mad at you or something. I know that these moves are too hard, but it's the only thing I can practice right now, with no elemental affinity... It's really okay, Hinata-chan. And I'm sorry for worrying you." Naruto smiled at her.
Hinata nodded and wanted to answer, when her stomach started to grumble. Naruto was raising an eyebrow, watching her questionly when she spoke up. "Uhm... I hadn't had breakfast yet. Would you mind if I could get some from you?" she asked quietly, a small blush on her face.
"Sure thing. I was just preparing it, so just wait a little, okay? It's nothing special though." he answered, getting back to his kitchen to finish the food. Hinata sat down at the table to wait for him. She was relieved that she would get something to eat. And that she fulfilled her orders. Hopefully was this all the punishment for now...
Few days later, Hinata's birthday
It was early in the morning and Hinata was still sleeping. Turning around in bed did she nestle deeper into the warm and comfy thing her head was laying on. And the hand stroking her hair felt so good and relaxing that her body didn't want to wake up at all.
It took another 30 minutes before she finally entered the process of waking up, doing so very slowly however. Still more asleep than awake did her mind realize the warm and comfy pillow as well as the stroking. It felt so cozy that the brain was ordering the body to stop the wake up process to enjoy the sensation even more.
Hinata got nestled into the sensation this time a bit more aware of her action. She knew that her body and her mind were right, that it really felt good. Not being able to control her body in this state did a small purr escape her lips. Hearing a slight giggle as answer took her sleepy brain a good minute to realize and another minute before it processed the information completely. Hinata wasn't alone in her room.
That was finally the point on which she tried forcing her mind and body to start up the wake up process again, her body tensing slightly. The giggle could be heard again, the stroking of her hair never stopping. "Relax, everything is fine. You can enjoy yourself more if you want." a quiet but affectionate voice whispered into her ear.
Trying to open her eyes and to focus on the person who spoke did she however relax again, figuring that she could trust the voice. "Now that's a good girl. Just relax and enjoy as long as you want." the voice spoke up again. "After all it's your birthday today and you are allowed to enjoy yourself."
Purring again at these words was she finally relaxing completely within the presence of the other person. She wasn't really aware of it when her lips started mumbling a response all by themselfs. "Thank you, mistress."
There was the giggle again, a third time now. "That's a good girl. My girl." there clearly was happyness within the voice that brought Hinata completely at ease, resulting in her falling back to sleep. Never having stopped the troking did Hanabi talk to herself. "I would have never thought that she would enjoy it that much. Wonder how she will react when she finally starts to realize this situation."
Hanabi was watching her sleeping sister, holding her head still in her lap, continueing to stroke her hair. She thought she would give Hinata a special wake up on her birthday and had two good reasons for that. The first was today being her birthday of course. The second however was it being an appology for the harsh morning she gave her the day Hinata had to apology to Naruto.
Giggling again did she focus back on the book laying next to her on the bed. It was the same book about pets that Hinata got from Naruto back when they first met and that Hanabi took from her as punishment for talking back to her before they got into the kidnapping. She was currently re-reading the chapter titled 'Comforting your Pet' while never stopping her actions.
15 minutes later did Hinata finally start to wake up for real, opening her eyes and watching up from the lap her head were laying on into the face of her sister. "Good morning." she yawned, giving a weak smile.
"Morning sis. Happy birthday." Hanabi answered smiling at her sister. "Hope you slept good?"
Hinata nodded slightly. "I did. Your lap feels so comfy and the stroking is so relaxing. It's a nice way to wake up." she was blushing a bit once she realized the words she just spoke, but thought it was okay right away.
"Glad to hear that. I thought I would make it up to you that I sent you out so early without breakfast the last time. And it's your birthday after all. Ready to get up?"
Pulling herself out of Hanabi's lap did Hinata sat up in her bed, stretching her body, when her eyes fell on the opened book next to them. She did realize this one pretty quickly and a quick glance on the opened page let her hang her head in defeat. "I knew that this book would haunt me..." she said quietly. "And that you would tease me with it."
Hanabi grinned at her sister. "But you said yourself that it felt nice to wake up this way. So, nothing wrong with it, right?" she hugged her sister before whispering in her ear. "But I do wonder. Might you be not just a slave at heart but maybe a pet as well?"
That was too much for Hinata and she blushed a crimson red while Hanabi couldn't help but start laughing. This reaction was priceless. Wiping a tear away was Hanabi speaking up. "I'm sorry sis. That wasn't fair of me. It's your birthday after all. I guess I can tell you the plan for today now if you want. Unless you want it all to be a surprise to you?"
Thinking it over for a moment did Hinata shook her head. "I don't want to know all the details, but if you would tell me the major points for today?" she asked her sister, her face still red but she ignored it. Not like she would be able to do something against her own blushing at all.
"Sure, just the major points then." Hanabi repeated. "I guess we are lucky that today is a free day. We got a location to which the guests are invited for 11am. Lunch will be supplied and we will eat around noon. Then is time for you to get your presents and after that is there a bit entertainment til it's over. And for this evening have I planned some time for just the two of us." she finished the list and Hinata nodded.
"I see. So we have a bit of time between breakfast and before the party starts. Alright." Hinata stretched her body again and got out of her bed, aiming for her bathroom. "I'm ready in 30 minutes." and with that did she disappear in her bathroom and Hanabi took the book up, reading a bit to pass the time.
Hyuga Compound, Hiashi's office
The girls already left the house when a knock could be heard at the office door. Hiashi took the scroll down he was currently reading and shifted his focus on the door. "Come in."
The door opened and Neji entered the room, slightly bowing to the head of the clan. "Good morning Hiashi-sama. I'm sorry for interrupting your work." he said politely.
"It's alright. You know that I have always time for my nephew. So, what can I do for you, Neji?" he asked intrested. It was rare for Neji to approach him so he figured it must be something important.
Neji thought about how to phrase it for a moment before he spoke. "Hiashi-sama, I think there is something strange going on with your daughters. I'm not sure how I should handle this information and decided to bring it to your attention."
Hiashi raised an eyebrow at that statement. "What do you mean something strange is going on? You are talking about the heiresses of our clan, so better be careful what you are saying." if this was going to be a joke was it not a funny one already.
Taking a deep breath did Neji start to explain. "I happened to incidently listen into their conversations twice. The first time was on the day the Academy started and I thought they were playing around or something and ignored it. The second time was few days ago and both times were the topic... strange, for the lack of a better word."
Hiashi stayed calm on the outside, but inside was his anger rising slightly. "You do know that listening into other conversations is strictly forbidden within our clan? You are risking a lot by telling me, so better get to the point."
"Yes Hiashi-sama. The first time did they talk about being a slave and accepting that. I really thought they were playing or something. The second time however... was Hanabi-san saying something about making it official and Hinata-san sounded kinda panicked when she apologized quite a lot, calling Hanabi-san 'mistress' over and over again and in return got adressed as slave. I really don't know what to think about that, why I'm telling you." Neji explained.
Hiashi was silent for some moments, processing the things he just heard. He took a deep breath and exhaled, before finally speaking. "You are aware how.. absurd this story sounds? Besides, there didn't seemed to be anything strange about them. The only thing I noticed is how Hinata changed during the last two years but I guess that is something positive. I don't want to hear anymore about that bad joke unless there is proof of it. And now get out. I'm not in the mood for that."
Neji simply nodded and left the room, not knowing if this was a mistake right now or not. But he had to tell someone and the head of the clan, the father of his cousins sounded like a good idea to him...