A/N: I have several things to say: (1) Sorry for those two chapters not being updated as promised. I will no longer set specific times for updates. (2) Due to certain religious beliefs, I have decided against putting any explicit sexual content in any of my fanfics, so ignore my comment from the first chapter. However, the story still may change to an M rating in the future due to violence and/or language. Thank you. This is dedicated to Dotchi and anyone else who still remains with this fanfic. As I have said in the past (though maybe not under this fanfic), I will always complete my fanfics. It just might take years or I will end the fanfic with a summary of what I planned for in later chapters (I won't do that with this one though because I promised it for Dotchi). Please be patient with me folks. I am writing this Author's Note BEFORE I write the actual chapter so I have no idea if this chappie is going to be long or not. Unfortunately, I don't believe it will. I am still pondering on whether or not I want to rewrite the first 3 chapters. I feel there is a great contrast from my writing back then to my writing now. Or maybe it's just me. Anyway, I hope you enjoy whatever I have in store for you, but don't expect too much.
Hinata couldn't stop laughing as the one she loved tumbled backwards, landing roughly on the ground beneath them. "Oof!" He shot her a crooked grin, a light blush covering his cheeks. "Uh..you didn't see that." He rubbed his rear end tenderly. Hinata shook her head, tears almost escaping her eyes. "Are you alright, Naruto - kun?" she asked in between her giggles. "Yeah...haha. I guess you could say I get too carried away sometimes." He suddenly looked apologetic. "Sorry about that."
She waved away his concern, straightening up her posture. "It's fine. I don't expect you to hold back while sparring, Naruto. I...I hope to be strong like you one day actually. You're...always filled with determination. I really do admire you." He blinked at her in surprise. "Really? Uh shucks. But hey, don't let yourself down too easily. You got in a few good swipes too." He winked at her, lifting up his shirt briefly to show her the wounds she had inflicted upon him. She winced.
"S-sorry."
He rolled his eyes. "Again with the stuttering! It's fine Hinata! Remember? I am the Naruto Uzumaki we are talking about here. I can handle anything! If there's anyone we should be worrying about, it's you. Is that scrape doing okay?" He gently grabbed her wrist and scanned it. A concerned look went over his face. He bit his lower lip. "Maybe I should bandage this for you." She began to make a move of protest when he unexpectedly swooped her up in his arms, making her become immobile. He was so...close to her.
She made a loud squeak as he suddenly ran towards a building that manifested out of nowhere in the calm clearing. The warmth she shared with him as he carried her bridal style across the green grass made her feel faint. She loved his aroma; ramen noodles and a sweet natural scent that she could only smell when she was around him. It was very pleasant.
He kicked open the door when he reached his destination. Her eyes widened in realization. This was his house. She quickly observed her surroundings. The walls were decorated in orange and yellow. A dim lit corridor to the north of her led to a single bedroom and a bathroom, while a living room that connected to the kitchen faced her from the right. Everything seemed so petite and clean. He laid her down gingerly on the couch in the living room. "I'll be right back." He disappeared into the hallway.
Hinata only had to wait for a couple of minutes before her blue - eyed angel returned to her with some medical supplies. "It isn't much but it will do." he assured her. She smiled fondly at him. "The thought is what counts." she murmured. He grinned. He dipped her injury into some peroxide before slowly drawing his lips to it, blowing over the wound steadily. She wiggled underneath his grasp. She suddenly felt shy. He smirked at how flustered she was. He ended her torture by finally wrapping the scrape with strips of white cloth. "Better now?" he asked. She nodded her head, his previous action still refusing to leave her mind. She was pretty sure she was as red as a tomato.
He was quiet for a moment. "So...what do you wanna do?"
"I'm not sure."
"How about a game?"
"That's fine. What kind?"
"A competition."
"What competition?"
He waggled his eyebrows. "Who can eat two bowls of ramen noodles the fastest! Loser gets punished."
"Punished? What do you mean by that Naruto - kun?"
He looked mischievously at her. "You will just have to wait and see." It was obvious he was confident he would win. She gulped. He probably had the right to be. Everyone knew Naruto was notorious for eating ramen.
"Okay..."
He jumped up from the couch and headed for the kitchen. The sound of dishes clanging together and the beeping noise of a microwave going off made Hinata go on edge. She was having second thoughts about this whole ordeal. Would she win? Something told her that was highly unlikely.
Naruto placed the four bowls of ramen on the floor. He gestured for her to come sit beside him and when she did, he handed her chopsticks. "You sure you don't wanna back out of this one Hinata? I mean, no one's going to make fun of you if -"
She shook her head. He smiled. "That's my girl." Her face instantly filled with heat. "Alright. We start...NOW!"
They both began to hurriedly eat. Hinata shoved each noodle into her mouth like her life depended on it. She was almost half way done with the first bowl. She glanced over at her opponent. Her eyes bulged from their sockets. H-he was nearly done with the second! She gobbled the last of the first bowl's noodles before grabbing for the second one, but by that time it was too late. She had already lost.
"Stop!" Naruto exclaimed. Hinata gazed at the brown bowls that had been entirely licked clean. "How...how did you...?" she sputtered, trailing off.
"I'm the master." he laughed. She slightly grimaced. She couldn't help but to get a little jealous. "But now for your punishment." She froze. He suddenly tackled her. She embraced herself, ready for anything. However, what he did next was something that nothing nor no one, including herself, could have prepared her for. He was tickling her. "Tickle fight!" he yelled.
She began rolling around on the carpet, trying to squirm away from his grasp. She attempted to tickle him back. Both of their raucous laughter started to encased his home. "Naruto - kun! Th - that tickles!" She was even having difficulty getting out her words. "This is fun! I - I have never played this game before!" They continued teasing each other. After a minute or two, Hinata lightly nudged him in the side. She giggled.
"If you don't stop Naruto - kun, I might just -"
"B-but she's mine, right...?"
Hinata cocked her head to the side, a small smile still faintly stretched across her face. "What? Haha. What are you talking about Naru-"
"RIGHT?!"
She jumped in fear at his sudden scream. He was staring at her hard now, all amusement gone from his features. He was holding her very harsh. Tight. Rough. She soon became wary. "Naruto? What's wrong?"
A strange feeling drifted through her body as a dark, deep voice that was not his own hissed "She wouldn't dare leave me for that arrogant fool."
Her heart stilled. This voice...this ominous yet terribly familiar presence...
"Run!" she had said. "Before he gets you!"
Hinata was no longer staring into the face of her beloved but of the girl coated in red. The stranger's mouth, which reeked of decaying blood, was agape, revealing to the Hyuuga the many missing teeth she had. One twisted finger pointed at Hinata to step closer before a hand forcefully yanked her forwards, making her lose her balance. "Run."
Hinata jolted upright in bed, entirely alarmed of the area around her. Something was off. She felt an object resting atop the blankets shielding her legs and swiftly glanced down. Confusion swam through her brain. Roses. Red roses. Who on Earth had brought her flowers at this time of night?
Gaara walked stealthily through the silent, dark streets of Konoha. It was going on ten o'clock pm. He shouldn't be out this late past curfew...not that he really cared whether or not someone caught him. He could defend himself easily. But still...there was the mission to think about. He needed to be as inconspicuous as could be until it was accomplished. He didn't need to attract any attention, yet.
He discarded his original plans with Karin. He had much more intriguing business to attend to. Instead he left the flowers with Hinata. Maybe she would like them...he shrugged away that thought. He was already beginning to think of her lips again. He really had to stop this.
A painful throb abruptly struck his head, causing him to pause in mid stride. Dammit. Again, already?
The thirst for blood began to heavily crawl itself inside his body. He was hungry. Gaara moaned. His pupils were beginning to dilate.
"I said give me your money kid!"
"And I said leave me alone, asshole!"
Gaara sniffed the air. Two individuals were located three blocks to the left of him. One was hurt. He followed the senses of their chakra and the smell of the blood, spotting them easily in a dark alleyway. Surprisingly, the person who was trying to do the mugging was the one hurt. A trail of blood mixed in with snot was swaying hectically from the man's right nostril. He didn't look the most appetizing but he would suffice.
Sand began to flee Gaara's gourd. He really hated being the hero in scenarios such as these but it was what it was. This mugger decided to rob someone at the wrong place and at the wrong time tonight. The thirteen year old remained hidden in the shadows as his sand stunned the mugger, snatching him by his ankle and repeatedly thrashing him against the opposing wall.
The other boy yelled in fright, taking his chance to ditch the man in his doom and enter back into the street. Gaara almost considered killing the kid too, but decided against it. His fun could wait. He still had one more place to visit for the night. He smirked at the red that littered the gray wall of the building as his sand finally released the dead man. He was content with himself. He turned around. He would take care of disposing the body later when Shukaku was at his finest. He proceeded to a certain blonde haired ninja's house.
Naruto was fast asleep and snoring obnoxiously loud when Gaara landed at his home. In contrary to Hinata's dream, there was no living room or walls decorated in yellow and orange paint. Nor was the place clean. However, it was very tiny. Gaara stepped around piles of dirty clothes and empty ramen bowls, trying to make his way to Naruto's room without drowning himself in nothing but utter filth. Geez, did this guy never hear of hygiene? What did Hinata see in him anyway?
He cracked open the door that led to where Naruto was sleeping and crept in. The blonde had his sheets kicked off of him and a green sleep mask labeled with frogs protected his eyes from the bright moonlight that was being casted through the neighboring window. He looked so much like a dork with that sleep mask on, if Gaara was being honest with himself.
He edged closer towards his rival's bed. "Sakura..." purred the blonde idiot. Gaara's eyes widened. For a split second, he was angry. Very angry. Angry that someone would even dare to think his flower was beneath anybody else. But then joy began to decrease that immediate hatred. If Naruto kept feelings for his aggressive pink teammate then Gaara could have Hinata all for himself. It was perfect! He had to catch himself from sighing in relief. Yes everything would work out...as long as he got Hinata to fall in love with him or was able to break this damn curse. He would definitely pick the latter in a heart beat if the opportunity arose. He still needed more information. Perhaps he would give Karin another visit but it would have to wait for tomorrow evening. He needed to practice his technique and skills. He departed from Naruto's place with this thought in mind, already planning what he'd do to her to make her spill out the detail. What he did not know was that he wouldn't find her there.
Suigetsu sneaked past the reception desk. This hospital was just way too easy to break into, he thought. Now what was her room number again? Oh yeah, 203. He searched around the hallways and doors until he discovered the said number and entered her hospital room. She laid horizontally across the bed, appearing beat up as ever. "Gosh man. How the hell did you get yourself into this mess?" He took notice of the fatal gashes on her arms and legs and cringed. He shook his head mockingly, producing a clicking noise between his teeth. "You silly girl. Trying to impress Sasuke and see? Look where it got you."
"Shut up Suigetsu." he heard her murmur. He pouted. She was annoying to him even in her sleep. "Whatever." he hissed. She didn't respond back. He pulled her towards his body. "Hey, if your awake, I need you to not make noises until we leave the premises of this side of town. It was already a pain enough trying to get here without being found out. I understand your hurting, but once we get you back to Kabuto you will be patched right up! So just don't make any sudden movements while I am trying to break you out of here, alright?"
She muttered out something incomprehensible. He shrugged. "I'll take that as a yes then." He stripped her from the wires and tubes attached to the hospital bed and escaped from the window, disappearing into the darkness of the night. Minutes later, hospital faculty and staff came rushing in, but all that was left of Karin's presence was a single drop of blood that had fallen onto the floor when Suigetsu lifted her from the bed.
A/N: Please review of what you think about this chapter.
