A/N: Wo! I've finally updated. Gah, Gomem gomen for taking so long! It's just there has been a lot going on ._.; But anyway. I wrote this chapter just last night with in only a few hours, and my lovely beta-reader and one my best friends: Kuki Salazar, finished editing it today! So I'm happy to upload it! Chapter four is finished, but it wont be uploaded until Friday of next week because my Beta is going to be busy for the next week.
But Anyway, the first half of this chapter is rushed, actually this chapter, the next chapter and part of Chapter six will be rushed. Reason: To simply put it, I hate the Chuunin Exam Arc. I've read it so many times, and I know most of you have too, so that's why I'm going through it with such a fast pace. Why did I start during the Chuunin Exam? You may ask. Well to show characterlization, bonds and relationships between the OC's and the Cannons. To introduce them, when all the other characters are, see makes sense. But there is another reason why, and you will soon find out why in later chapters.
Anyway, Neji is probably a little OOC, I tried to make him as much as a jerk as I could, especially at the end; Although I do have to say the second half of this chapter is by far one of my favorite moments that I've created. It not just shows the bond of friendship that Shibano, Kisho and Lina have, but also the moment that Neji and Lina have at the end; hense the title: Hospital Flowers. I do have to say that this chapter was really hard to find a song to fit. It was either between Flower Garden by Ayumi Hamasaki, or Hospital Flowers by Owl City; I obviously chose Hospital Flowers. But anyway; yes the second half of this chapter is one of my favorite, Pre- Lina's Epiphany, moments between Lina and Neji, and there are many more great ones to come but most of them wont come until after the Sasuke Retreval Arc, sad to say. But anyway, you're probably getting bored of me ranting on an on about moments and this chapter and such.
With out further ado, here is Chapter 3.
Song: Hospital Flowers by Owl City.
Preliminaries, that was the next part of the exam. Team five and the other genin were lined up in rows of three. Lina, Kisho, and Shibano stood between Naruto's and Neji's teams. Lina glared at the Hyuuga boy who stood next to her. She didn't want to be anywhere near him, he pissed her off too much. The proctor asked if any of them felt like stepping down from the preliminaries, and the white-haired guy Lina had seen with Naruto earlier opted himself out along with his teammate, Misumi. Now there was twenty-two genin left in the exam, and Lina knew that the number would be cut in half. Hayate Gekkou, their proctor, announced that the preliminaries will be one-on-one matches and the winner of each match will be the one to go on to the third exam. With that being said, a large screen appeared on the left side of the room, behind all the higher ups; Hayate told them that this will decide their fate. The screen then began to randomize everyone's names. When it finally stopped, Lina's eyes grew wide. Sasuke was up first.
"Dang, that's gotta suck for him." Kisho muttered. Lina nodded. "Having to go first, especially when his team were one of the last to arrive at the check point." Kisho continued. Kisho's right, they didn't show up until almost the very last minute. Poor Sasuke. Lina thought to herself.
"Now, for the rest of you, please head up to the upper level so we may begin the preliminary round." Hayate advised. All the genin and their jounin teachers headed up to the balcony above the fighting arena. With their luck, (along with the fact that Kisho and Shibano wanted to be near friends) Lina was stuck near Neji...again. Lina's eye twitched as she crossed her arms; she couldn't wait until he fought so that he'd leave and get hurt. Everyone watched the match between Sasuke and some guy named Yoroi Akadou; Sasuke won, obviously. Now everyone's eyes was to the black screen, awaiting the next pair of names to be shown. Lina held her breath, she hoped that she wouldn't be next, she wasn't ready to fight, granted, she had at least a day or two to rest, but after what she went through in the Forest of Death, she didn't want to fight.
Lina Hawatye vs. Zaku Abumi. Lina's eyes went wide.
"What!" Shibano and Kisho exclaimed. Lina took a deep breath as she made her way towards the stairs, but she was stopped. Lina looked over her shoulder to see Rock Lee with a solemn expression.
"Lina, you don't have to. You can forfeit." Lee told her, but Lina shook her head.
"No, Lee. I want to fight." She told him, lying to him and herself. Lee looked at her and nodded. He dropped his hand, and watched the bubblegum-haired girl walk down to the arena. Her opponent, Zaku, looked at her with wide eyes.
"You're the brat that almost tore off my arms during the second exam!" He shouted, and Lina just looked at him slightly shocked.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about, that wasn't me!" She replied as her hands balled into fists.
"Before this goes any further, are you two ready to begin?" Hayate asked, Zaku nodded, as did Lina. "Good, you may begin." Hayate stepped out of the way. Zaku took this as a chance to charge at her, before Lina had a chance to block she was knocked across the arena.
"Lina!" Shibano shouted as she gripped the rail of the upper level. Lina groaned as she stumbled to get up. She glared at Zaku, though all he did was laugh.
"Aw, is the little baby angry? Are you gonna cry because you got hit? You're not so tough now, are you?" Zaku taunted. Lina's hand balled into fists again as she gritted her teeth. She didn't want to fight this guy, she didn't trust herself. "Just like your little friends..." He continued. Lina snarled.
"Shut up you...you...asshole!" Lina shouted.
"What are you going to do? You see, I was sort of scared to fight you because of how you were in the second exam. Now I look at you and I don't know why I was so sca-Ugh!" Zaku was cut off as Lina punching him in the stomach.
"Shut up, you asshole!" Lina shouted again. Shibano gasped, her hands moving to cover her mouth as Kisho took on a look of surprise. He had never heard Lina swear…well, only when she was talking to and/or about the Hyuuga boy.
"Oh, I see I got you angry. Good, maybe you'll be more of a challenge!" He yelled as he punched her in the face, sending her back a little. Zaku punched her over the head, causing her to tumble down to the floor; the dark haired sound ninja kicked her in the stomach, sending her back a little farther; he just kept advancing. Lina tried getting up, but as she rolled onto her hands and knees, Zaku kicked her again. This kept going until Lina was up against the wall. Lina used the support of the wall to stand up, her entire upper torso was killing her. She made to push off the wall to hit Zaku, but he punched her into it instead. Over and over again, he punched her. "Hah! Just like your team mates, a bunch of weaklings." He spat as Lina fell to the ground, breathing heavily. Her head was bleeding and she could feel bruises forming. Zaku turned towards Hayate. "It's obvious, she's in no position to carry on. I'm the better shinobi. This match is finished."
"I-" Hayate coughed, "It isn't your say to declare who wins or looses, or to-cough, cough-determine when the match is finished. It's only finished-cough, cough, cough- when one of the competitors are dead, or incapable of continuing, and since-cough, cough-neither of those apply to Ms. Hawatye, then I see no reason to end this match." Hayate told Zaku.
"What!" Zaku exclaimed as he turned around and saw Lina standing up, breathing heavily and her palms clenched into fists.
"What's going with Lina? Her chakra seems weird..." Kisho asked Shibano, but Shibano didn't have an answer for Kisho, all she could do was turn away from her pink-haired friend and to the Hyuuga boy near her.
"Byakugan!" He exclaimed as he looked at Lina and his eyes narrowed. "It's like it was in the Forest of Death. She's angry, and because she's this angry, her chakra level is rising." Neji explained to the people around him. "And soon, if not already, her eyes are going to change to how they were before." He finished. Lee, Tenten, and Shibano all shared the same knowing look. Kisho and Naruto were utterly lost and confused as to what Neji was talking about.
"What are you talking about? Lina's eyes can't change!" Kisho exclaimed.
"Yes they can, and they did-look." Neji told Kisho as he nodded toward the beat-up girl. Lina lifted her head and glared at Zaku, small veins forming on the sides of her face, near her eyes. Naruto and Kisho gasped.
"Tha-that looks like..." Kisho stuttered.
"Her eyes look like your eyes, Neji!" Naruto exclaimed, "except they're green and she has pupils." Naruto exclaimed as Neji nodded his head.
Zaku looked at Lina with fear in his eyes. "No way," he muttered. Lina started towards him, cracking her knuckles. Zaku stepped back, stretching out his arm to send his sound waves at her. Lina saw the waves and sent them back to him. Zaku keeled over, holding his hands over his ears. Lina walked closer and kicked him in the groin. Zaku fell to the floor, clutching his private area in his hands. Lina kicked him in the face, which sent him sliding back. Lina kicked him again in the stomach. She stopped for a moment to let him get up. Zaku stood up and staggered backwards until he was about two yards from her; he smirked as he ran towards her, but she did a round-house kick that sent him flying across the arena. Lina ran towards him and forced her foot onto his back and pushed him to the floor. Lina sat on Zaku's back as she punched him in the head over, and over, and over again.
"Who. Is. The. Weakling. Now!" She shouted as she continued to punch him in the head. Zaku tried to use his hands and get her away from him, but she only deflected it-but when his hand accidentally touched her butt, she grabbed his hand and squeezed it. She pulled his arm all the way up and was trying to dislocate his shoulder. She grabbed his other arm and started doing the same thing.
All of Lina's friends were up at the upper level looking at her with fear and sad-filled eyes. "Someone's gotta stop her," Shibano whispered. Neji looked at Lina's best friend, then to his own Sensei.
"Gai-sensei. We've got to intervene." Neji told his Jounin teacher. "We've seen her like this before. If she carries on like this her chakra level will get too high and it could disperse, leaving her dead." He spoke casually.
"D-DEAD!" Kisho exclaimed. Gai looked at Neji, and then at Hayate. Hayate nodded, he knew it was time to step in. Gai and Renji appeared down in the arena, grabbing hold of Lina and pulling her off Zaku.
"I declare this match finished. Winner, Lina Hawatye."
"Let. Me. Go! Let me kill the bastard! He called me weak! He hurt Shibano! He hurt Kisho! Let me at him!" Lina shouted as she flailed and squirmed to get out of the grip of the two jounin.
"Lina, calm down." Renji said to Lina softly, trying to calm her down. He knew what her temper was like, but he had never seen it like this before.
"No! Not until I kill him!" Lina shouted, but Gai and Renji brought her back up to the balcony.
"Lina..." Shibano started cautiously. Lina looked at Shibano for a moment, her eyes not changing, but her chakra level was going down, slowly.
"Lina! Stop it, now!" Neji commanded as he looked at the pink-haired girl that was currently in his sensei's grasp. "If you don't stop, you could hurt Shibano." Lina's eyes grew wide. She had heard that somewhere before.
The opal-eyed boy sighed as he grew closer to her and whispered in her ear, "you need stop, you could kill Shibano..."
Lina calmed down, as did her chakra, and her eyes went back to normal. The green-eyed girl looked at Shibano and jerked out of the jounin's grasp, hugging Shibano tightly. All Shibano could do was pat her friend on the back. "Shibano..." Lina started.
"Yeah, Lima-bean?" Shibano asked using her nickname for her.
"I'm sorry..." Lina apologized before passing out.
"Mmm, what?"
"Oh good, she's awake!" Shibano exclaimed with a smile. "Well,
hello there, sleeping beauty!"
"Wha?" Lina asked as she blinked. She saw Shibano and Kisho staring at her. "What happened? Where am I?"
"You're in the hospital..."
"What!"
"Yeah! You kind of passed out after your match with Zaku, I guess you were beat tired. I would too if I had went through that." Shibano explained.
"Yeah, shame though. You missed some really great matches! Like Kiba and Naruto went up against each other; Naruto won, by farting in Kiba's face! Hah, that was priceless." Kisho laughed. Lina gave Kisho a "What the hell are you talking about" look.
"Ignore him, he's been obsessing over that match ever since it happened. Anyway! I went up against Shino, he won, it was a good match. Kisho went up against one of the Sand Nin! Kankurou I think was his name, he won too. Then Sakura and Ino dished it out; that was a draw. It was a good match though."
"Yeah! Then that other Sand Nin-the chick-yeah, her and Tenten went up against each other, sand chick won."
"Yeah, then Shikamaru went up against that girl sound nin!"
"Then it was the far-"
"Shut up, Kisho! We already know Naruto won!"
"Hey, stop shouting at me!"
"Well stop obsessing over a fart!"
"But it's funny!"
"So!" Shibano shouted. "Anyway, then Choji and that other sound ninja guy went up against each other; Dosu I think his name was. That was a draw too."
"Yeah and we can't forget those bastards either!" Kisho shouted, noticing that Shibano left out two more matches.
"What?" Lina asked. "What about Lee? Who'd he go up against? And Hinata?"
"Well, you see Lina..." Shibnao started cautiously, thinking of the words that were right to say.
"Rock Lee went up against that Gaara kid, Gaara totally destroyed Lee."
"Kisho!" Shibano and Lina shouted at the same time.
"Is Lee okay?" Lina asked, worried.
"Well, the thing is Lina. Lee can't be a Shinobi anymore."
"WHAT!"
"Well...when he went up against Gaara, Gaara literally destroyed Rock Lee. His muscles and tissue is torn to shreds." Shibano told Lina. Lina's eyes grew wide, and tears started to form. Not Lee, he-he couldn't have been beaten. There's no way that...No! He'll become a Ninja again. Lina thought. Then she thought of something, if Gaara and Lee fought each other…
"Did Hinata fight Neji?" Lina asked seriously as she looked at Shibano and Kisho, they looked at each other waiting for the other to say something.
"Well..." Shibano started.
"The damn bastard almost killed Hinata." Kisho snarled. Lina's eyes grew wide.
"WHAT!"
"Yeah, he started babbling on about how it wasn't fair that she was part of the main branch, while he, the Hyuuga prodigy, was in the second branch or whatever. He was crazy pissed off.
"Is she okay now?" Lina questioned.
"Yeah, we saw her earlier before we came here. She should be fine soon, but Neji did some damage to her, he blocked off all of her chakra points." Shibano replied. Lina clenched eyes shut as she gripped the hospital blanket.
"When I get out of here, I'll give him a piece of my mind." Lina sneered.
"Hey, Lina, cool it. What's done is done. There's nothing you can do to change it." Kisho stated seriously.
"He almost killed Hinata!"
"Yeah, I know! I was pissed too! I wanted to kill him when he walked passed me! I almost punched his lights out; but I didn't, I knew it wouldn't get me any where. Plus, it wouldn't be a good way to thank him for what he did to help you."
"What?" Lina asked shocked.
"You were all scary pissed off. That look in your eye when you looked at him...I've never seen you look that way. I know you hate the ass, but...he got you stop, he 'calmed' you down, so to say. He said something to you, and hell, whatever it was-it worked." Lina looked from Kisho to Shibano, who nodded.
"It's true." Lina looked down to her blanket with confused eyes, thinking about what happened. Her thoughts were interrupted by the door opening.
"Look Neji, she's awake!" Called a familiar female voice. Lina looked up and saw Tenten, followed by the Hyuuga boy. "How are you!" She asked with a smile on her face.
"I'm good. Shibano and Kisho filled me in on what I missed." Lina answered.
"Well that's our cue to leave; Kisho, let's go see Lee." Shibano started as she grabbed Kisho's arm.
"Hey, wait! Shibano, no! I wanna see Lina yelling at Neji!" Kisho whined as he was dragged out of the room. Lina just blinked at her teammates and sighed.
"Oh, we got these for you!" Tenten smiled as she held up a small vase with five pink tulips. "Shibano told me you like Tulips the best, and pink ones mainly; so Neji and I stopped by your aunt and uncle's flower shop to get them for you!" Lina blinked at the flowers as Tenten put them on the table beside her. Lina smiled at the brown-haired girl.
"Thanks, Tenten." Lina thanked the older girl. Tenten smiled and nodded.
"Well, I have to go check on Lee. Plus, Neji has something he wants to talk to you about. I'll see you soon Lina! Feel better." Tenten waved as she exited the room. Lina turned to Neji and glared.
"YOU BASTARD! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO HINATA!" Lina shouted at him.
"Hn. I have my reasons."
"Bull!"
"Whatever."
Lina sighed as she looked at the tulips. "Did Shibano really tell Tenten I liked tulips?" Lina asked.
"No, she was getting some for Lee, then your cousin told me that you liked Tulips and that I should get them for you." Lina blushed.
"Y-you bought them?"
"Yeah. Tenten bought Lee's, I bought yours." He answered. Lina's face redden more; when I go home, I'm going to kill Ino, Lina thought. "It was also cheaper then buying a dozen flowers." Lina's eye twitched at Neji's last comment. That ass! Why can't he just admit that he was okay with buying them!
"We would've gotten you a balloon, but Shibano got you one yesterday and Naruto was being an idiot and accidentally popped it by throwing a kunai at it." Neji told her. Lina looked at him funny.
"THAT JERK! I'LL KILL HIM!" Lina shouted. Neji just blinked. "I like balloons." Neji shook his head. "You can sit on the bed, you know." Lina told him as she brought her knees up closer to her chest. Neji nodded and sat on the corner of the bed. "So what, no cards! What type of friends are you! Get me flowers, balloons but NO CARDS?"
"Well..."
"Oh god, don't tell me, Naruto blew them up?" Lina laughed.
"Well, no. The first day we came, we saw Shibano and Kisho making cards; later after lunch when we all came back. They were gone, we saw them in the trash." Lina just started laughing really hard.
"Oh, oh that's funny. The nurse probably thought it was trash! Shibano and Kisho can't really make cards" Lina laughed. "So what did you need to talk to me about?" Lina asked, remembering why he was there.
"Here." He told her as he handed her an envelope. Lina looked at it weird, then at him. She was going to ask what it was about. "Just, open it and read it." He told her. "I haven't read it so I've got as much as a clue as you do about what it's about."
"But who is it from?" Lina asked.
"My uncle." This sparked as a surprise in Lina. What does Neji's uncle have to say to me? Lina thought as she opened the letter.
Lina Hawatye,
I heard what happened to you at the preliminaries of the chuunin exam. When you are released from the hospital, come and see me.
Hiashi Hyuuga.
Lina just blinked as she read it again. "So, what does it say?" Neji asked her.
"Oh…he knows what happened to me during my match, and told me to come and see him." Lina answered Neji; then she looked up at him. "Did you tell him?" She asked, and Neji just stayed quiet. "You told him didn't you!"
"I told you during the second exam I'll talk to my uncle about it." Neji replied. Lina looked at him.
"I don't get you." Lina told him; he looked at her confused. "When it's just you and me, you're an okay person, someone I enjoy being around, but as soon as someone comes walking over, you change. You go from being decent, to being an ass." She told him as she looked back down at the letter. "Did you mean what you said back there, in the Forest of Death I mean?"
"Which part?"
"About stopping me from hurting..." She didn't need to go on; Neji knew what she was talking about.
"Yeah. I did." He spoke.
A/N: Ah and there is the end. Well like I said at the beginning, I tried making Neji in character as much as possible. He was sort of a jerk at the end with the whole Flower thing. But anyway, Chapter four is going to be posted next week; I PROMISE! D Also, any idea's for songs that relate to family? It would be greatly appriciated. :)
R&R, I love to hear feedback and suggestions for future chapters.