Yay! Here's the next chapter. Hope you like it. R&R plzzzz.
Shippu Jinraikyaku
Chapter Seven
Hanabi studied herself in the mirror and mentally patted herself on the back. She'd manage to assemble an outfit that was cute, sexy, and innocent in fifteen minutes; beating her previous record by a whole hour. She contemplated putting on lipstick but decided against it. If someone spotted her when she was sneaking out, and saw the lipstick, they'd assume things and start more rumors.
Hanabi glanced at the clock; 6:30. She had thirty minutes to sneak out the estate and get to Naruto. She'd shredded the note and burned the pieces. She had no need for it as she'd memorized the directions. With one last look in the mirror, she slid her foot in her shoes and slipped on a black cloak. The cloak was necessary; she'd never make it out of the estate if anyone saw what she was wearing. Grabbing her ninja gear, Hanabi locked her door and jumped out her window.
Hinata made her way down the hall. She had an appointment at seven. The success of her plan to take over the estate depended heavily on the outcome of this meeting. Hinata scowled. If her father hadn't renounced her as heir she wouldn't have to go through all this trouble. That and if Hanabi wasn't born.
Hinata entered the dining room and was shocked to see that the room was empty save for a few servants. Usually her father was seated at the head of the old cedar table, Hanabi next to him on one side, Neji on the other side, and Hinata opposite Hiashi with a few elders scattered between them. But today the table stood lonely.
"Good evening miss Hinata. Will you be having dinner tonight?"
"Oh, good evening Mameha-baa-sama." Hinata said bowing to the cook. "How are you?"
"I'm fine." Mameha replied, taking a seat. "Just old and tired."
"Umm where is everybody?' Hinata asked taking a seat next to her surrogate grandmother. Mameha sighed.
"Well Hiashi is having a secret emergency meeting with the council." Mameha said rolling her eyes; she knew any and every thing that went on in the estate. "So he and some of the other elders are skipping dinner. Neji's with Tenten so he's out, and one of the guards just told me little Hanabi sneaked out of the estate."
Hinata frowned at this. She couldn't risk having Hanabi follow her like last time. "She sneaked out?"
"Yep." Mameha said nodding her head. "Said she looked suspicious- moving fast and sticking to the shadows- and followed her to the edge of the branch family." Mameha smiled. "He also said he blinked and she vanished. He searched the entire estate and couldn't find her; nobody saw or heard her. She's getting craftier these days."
"Hanabi, moving with stealth?" Hinata asked herself, not quite believing it.
Mameha's smiled widened and her eyes twinkled. "I asked myself the same question. When has little Hanabi ever wanted to be unnoticed. I smell a scandal brewing." Mameha stood up. "I presume you're skipping dinner also?"
Hinata sent her a weak smile. "I'm very sorry Mameha-baa-sama but I've got a mission tonight."
Mameha smirked and narrowed her eyes suggestively at Hinata. "I didn't see any of the hokage's messenger nin today."
"I it's a p personal mission."
Mameha's smirked widen into a smile. "Well have fun and try not to wear yourself out too much now." She wiggled her eyebrows.
Hinata blushed at Mameha's innuendo.
"You can send my dinner to my room please. I'll be back around eleven." Hinata said.
"Oh sure that's no problem. I'll even stay up and warm it up for you. I'm quite sure you'll be starving after your 'mission'."
Hinata gave Mameha a half bow and dashed out of the room, leaving Mameha cackling about how red her face was."
Somewhere on the Hyuuga estate
"I have reason to believe that Hinata may try to eliminate Hanabi to ensure herself the position of clan leader." Hiashi told the occupants in the dimly lit room. He sat at the head of a small oval table. Because of poor lighting everybody's face was hidden by shadows, except Hiashi who sat directly underneath the only working light bulb.
"What do you propose we do about this threat?" One of the shadowed faces asked. "Confine her to the estate?"
"I think it will be in our best interest if we had her shadowed, for protection." Hiashi said, patiently waiting for their feedback.
"Why not confine her?" An elderly female voice asked.
Hiashi was well prepared to back up his motion. "We can't confine her because, one, Hinata will get suspicious, and two, it will be easier for Hinata to dispose of Hanabi if she's closer to her and can predict where she will be. It's been proven that Hanabi can be read like clockwork if restricted to a small area, so I need not go on."
"What's to stop Hinata from attacking her out of the estate?" the same lady asked again. "Wouldn't allowing Hanabi to roam freely as she does now make it easier for Hinata?"
"Actually it wouldn't." Hiashi started, facing the woman. "If you hadn't noticed Hanabi draws attention to herself, even when she doesn't want it."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
Hiashi almost cursed. How could someone so wise be so dense? "It means that people are always watching her. She can't do anything without me knowing it."
"Really now? Then you should know by now that she sneaked off the estate." An old guy said. This gave rise to an outbreak of muttering and silent questioning.
Hiashi's jaw tensed. As far as he knew Hanabi was sulking in her room. He was going to have a little talk with his daughter, whenever he caught up with her. "No, I was not aware."
The old guy smirked. "So much for knowing her every move."
Hiashi tightened his fist under the table. How dare the council mock him? Didn't they know he had the power to kill them all? Hiashi smirked. He'll show them.
"Since you're so informed can you tell us where she's headed?" Hiashi asked the old man.
"I was only told that she got off the estate unnoticed." The old man, sensing that Hiashi was goading him, asked, "Are you sure you are capable of handling Hanabi?"
This question sent everyone's undivided attention to Hiashi. Hiashi smiled at the old man. "Of course I'm capable. Unlike you, I don't need to place spies around or ingratiate people to find out what she's done. You see, I'm so beyond you, I already know where she's headed and what she is going to do. The real question is, are you capable of handling the estate's security?"
"What are you talking about?" The old man narrowed his eyes at Hiashi, who just smugly smirked.
Hiashi, for dramatic effects, folded his hands on the table and said, "How is it that two people, at different times, entered the estate, passed through the branch family, entered the main family, wrote notes and left it in both my daughter's rooms, and had enough time to go down to the kitchen to have a snack. And all of this went unnoticed by the guards. How did these two people breach security without you knowing? Do you care to explain?"
The old man lifted his chin proudly in the air, when everyone turned to look at him. He could feel the questions and reprimands silently being thrown at him. He'd be damn if he let Hiashi destroy the little power and dignity he had left. "If these people supposedly got past my security, how then do you know about them?"
Hiashi, satisfied he put the old man in his place, leaned back in his chair and said, "Because most of the time my Byakugan is always on. And I recognized two distinct chakra bodies, different than the average Hyuuga. I didn't pursue it any further because I assumed you let them in for some purpose."
The old man, who was the former clan leader, looked Hiashi in the eye. "How is this relevant to the topic at hand?"
Hiashi sat back up. It was time to end this meeting. He was missing dinner and Mameha's passion fruit pie was on the menu. "It's relevant because if Hinata had sent someone to assassinate Hanabi, they would've succeeded. They'd have slipped right through our so-called impenetrable security."
"He has a point." An old lady said, "We need to wrap this up. I second Hiashi's motion; have Hanabi shadowed."
Hiashi smirked as the majority of the council agreed with his decision. They always did would he want in the end.
"Do you really think Hinata would assassinate Hanabi?" A cheery old voice asked.
Hiashi thought for a second, remembered the conversation He and Hinata shared in the hospital. "I wouldn't put it below her." Hiashi said grimly. "This meeting is adjourned." With this said everyone, except Hiashi, faded into the shadows and disappeared until the room was empty. Hiashi balanced his chin on the palm of his hand and stared at a portrait of Hinata hanging on the wall opposite him. Exactly what are you planning, oh daughter of mine?
Somewhere in Konoha
Hanabi stood in front of a giant iron gate that was shaped like a giant spiral. She glanced around and saw nothing but trees and moonlight. The only thing she saw through the gate was a wall of trees. The closest house was at least two miles away, if she remembered correctly. This was one part of Konoha she'd never seen in her life, and she'd seen plenty. If something was to happen to her, she figured it'd be about a week before anyone found her body.
"You're kinda late –
The kunai came so fast that Naruto barely had time to catch it, much less dodge it.
"Paranoid much?" Naruto asked, holding the kunai between two fingers. He grinned and stood next to her. A small trickle of blood ran down the back of his hand, and glistened in the moonlight.
Hanabi flushed, spotted the trickle of blood on his hand. "What the hell? Why did you catch it?"
Naruto stared at the blood on his hand and wiped it on his shirt. "It's just a little scratch. Besides, you threw it to fast for me to dodge it." He held the kunai out to her.
Hanabi grimaced. "Ah, throw it way. I don't need it."
Naruto shrugged and pocketed it. "This wasn't to hard to find was it?" Naruto asked, while opening the gate. It opened with a little creak. Naruto turned, motioned for her to come, and stopped in his tracks.
Hanabi walked through the gate, which opened to reveal a small clearing. "What?" she said when she noticed Naruto staring at her.
"Any particular reason you're wearing a cloak on such a humid night as this?" Naruto asked.
She'd almost forgotten she was wearing the cloak. She smirked at him and dramatically took off the cloak, and flung it somewhere on the side.
"Wow!" Was all Naruto could say. He needed a few moments to take it all in. The first thing he noticed were the legs, which were encased with fashionably thin, off-white socks that stopped just on top of her knee. Then there was the mini black skirt that stopped barely to her mid thigh. This was then followed by a white shirt with dark red letters that said: CAUTION! Her ensemble was completed with a black mini long-sleeve jacket that stopped mid stomach. She'd given herself a few bangs and pulled the rest of her hair into a ponytail that stopped to the middle of her back. This was too much for him to bear. He scanned her again and felt the blood in his head migrate south. He was going to have a hard time resisting the urge to repeat what happened earlier in the hospital.
Hanabi gnawed on her lip when she realized Naruto was still staring at her. Maybe this wasn't the best thing she should have worn.
"What?" Hanabi asked slightly embarrassed. "It doesn't look good?" If he said yes she was going to go bury herself in small dark hole.
Naruto turned, beckoned her to follow, and set off down a path of night daisies.
Hanabi, mortified that he didn't answer, followed him. "Hey," She started, poking him in his back. "Don't ignore me. Answer the question."
In response Naruto quickened his pace, and Hanabi pursued.
Their shadows danced about them as they traversed the path. It sloped up a hill through a field of moonflowers and giant willow, cedar, and oak tress, leading to a cottage completely covered in vines and leaves. Moonlight filtered through the broad leaves of the trees, casting ominous shadows about the place.
Hanabi suddenly stopped in the middle of the field. The sudden beauty of the field captivated her.
"So…pretty,"
"I know right." Naruto whispered, suddenly behind her. She didn't even hear when he moved, if he moved at all. She turned to face him and he was staring at her with those deep blue eyes. A vivid memory of one of her fantasies flashed in her mind, and she couldn't help but blush.
The wind picked up and blew a few stray clouds, covering the moon. Hanabi looked into his eyes again. Instead of the calm and steady behind them, she saw a maelstrom - a struggle; and she became cautious.
"Hanabi…" Naruto said in a desperate tone.
"What?" She whispered. The calm and steady was no longer there. Instead, there was something she couldn't recognize; anger, lust, frustration? No. A combination, maybe?
"I really like you." He took a step towards her and she took a step in retreat. Her heart was fluttering. She was so not prepared for that. Those simple words could mean a lot. He took another step towards her and she took another step back. He smirked when her back hit the cool trunk of the giant cedar tree.
Hanabi's heartbeat increased. She didn't like the way her body was responding to the way he was looking at her. Who was she kidding? She liked it; she liked it a whole damn lot. Heck, she wanted him to do more than just look at her. He placed his hand on her cheek. It was warm against his hand, and tense. As if he was fighting to restrain his hand from pinning to her the tree. Her heart started beating at impossible speeds when the image of Naruto pinning her to the tree flashed in her mind. Her body wanted to take the next instinctive step, but the logic and common sense in her mind was fighting against it, and losing badly. It was like mentally resisting someone who is physically pulling you away. When he lightly brushed a thumb over her cheek the common sense and logic in her mind was T K O'd.
He gave her a teasing feather kiss, provoking unstable waters. She let out a frustrated growl, wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him to her. Looking into his eyes she kissed him, hard. Naruto responded by cupping his hand behind her neck, angling her mouth, effectively deepening the kiss.
And then they made hot passionate sekihan on the forest floor.
The End Of The Story
(I'm only kidding, I couldn't resist putting it there. )
Naruto ran his hands down her back, and she ran his hands up his shirt. He pressed himself harder to her and she responded by kissing him harder. It wasn't until she patted his back insistently that they broke apart for some air and much needed control.
"Well." Naruto gasped.
Hanabi looked at him incredulously. Never in her life had anyone kissed her like that before. It's a good thing that she ran out of air, she thought, or they would have done naughty things on the floor. She couldn't believe that just happened.
"Wow." Hanabi stated, catching her breath. She looked up at Naruto. She'd slid to the floor sometime after the kiss. He looked even more appealing to her now that she'd messed up his hair a bit. She rubbed her temples, in an attempt to clear her mind and settle her nerves.
"I so want to kiss you again," Naruto started, making her feel all tingly inside. "but I don't think that's so wise right now."
Hanabi slowly stood up, nodding her head in agreement. "I can't believe that just happened." She stated.
"I know right." Naruto chuckled. He was more attracted to her now than ever. He studied her. Her hair was ruffled and her face was flushed. Through in the puffy lips and the way she was provocatively leaning against the tree, and he might not be able to restrain himself. "You're a poor liar."
"What?" Hanabi asked. That particular statement yanked her out of her thoughts and back to reality. "What did you just say?"
Naruto smiled wickedly. He'd successfully distracted them both from thinking too hard about what just happened, and he was about to irritate Hanabi. For some odd reason, he'd grown to like irritating her. It made her more appealing to him.
"I said you are a poor liar, and the moment ago just proved it." Naruto said, walking back up to the cabin.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Hanabi asked, flummoxed.
Naruto stopped suddenly and turned around to face her. "I distinctly remember at the beginning of this story," He pointed a finger at her. "you stating that I was ugly and repulsive. And now you're attracted to me."
Hanabi blushed and raised her chin defiantly in the air. "I haven't the slightest idea what you are talking about."
"It's okay," Naruto said, grinning. "Don't try to deny it."
Mortified, Hanabi shouted, "Just shut up! What the hell did you bring me here for anyway? I could be doing other important stuff right now."
Naruto smirked, "Then why the hell did you come?" She was getting pissed but she wasn't angry yet.
Hanabi paused. No witty remark was popping in her head. "Then what the hell did you bring me here for?"
"Use your empty head." Naruto smirked when her eyes narrowed and she started poking him painfully in the chest. Maybe it wasn't so wise to have an angry Hyuuga poking him in the chest.
"Listen here idiot," Hanabi started. She didn't get far in her rant because Naruto kissed her and tripped her, and in a reflex action, she grabbed on to him and he fell on top of her.
Hanabi stared up at him. She'd kind of gotten use to his weight on top of her. "Why are you always on top?" Hanabi asked, grinning. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stay mad at him.
"Well, well, well," a familiar voice stated. "why are you always on top Naruto?"
Naruto and Hanabi groaned in unison. And to make things even worse another voice asked.
"So the rumors were true?"
Hanabi sighed. She'd bet her whole right arm her that she and Naruto were going to be the hot topic tomorrow. They might even mention them on Konoha Entertainment.
End of Chapter Seven
Once again, sorry for the long wait. I'm swamped with school work. Senior year is bitch. Well R&R again. I'll have the next chapter out as soon as possible. ETA: in a couple weeks.
Shippu jinraikyaku