Disclaimer: I do not own the Anime/Manga Naruto. I do however own the idea for this stories plot. Please don't steal it.
Authors Note: Everyone, I am so very sorry for the late update. I've been so busy with work and the crappiness that comes with life. I did not mean for this update to take so long. Almost a whole year. I'm so sorry. I promise (and I mean it this time!) I'll update waaaaaaaaaaay more often!
Reviews:
midnight blue08: Yes. He actually does really like Hinata.
Sincerly- MiSS J: Yep there's some Kakashi/Hinata going on. I love the pairing. xD And in a way, Sasuke is kind of stuck on Hitomi, but all will be explain in this chapter.
Metsuki no Shiroi: Thanks! Sorry again for such a late update.
Murasaki Shikibu: Hinata was a preemie, so she was hospitalized most of her life when Hitomi was alive. That's why she doesn't remember her, since she was too sick to do anything. And yes, Shisui died before the massacre. I decided to go with that, since it was in the anime. In chapter three, Sasuke explained that he commeted suicide, but it was really Itachi who killed him. Then a few weeks later, the massacre happened.
winterkaguya: Yeah, poor Hinata. Its sad that she didn't know about her sister. And of course Itachi isn't going to be a good person in her books, and she does want to... but that'll be later!
Estheriana: Thanks. I can't wait to see what happens either. xD
Emmeline Creazil: Yay for long chapters! I try to make all my chapters long. And you're welcome for mentioning you. xD Thanks for reviewing!
Lawliet Tenshi: I know, right? D:
Seraliena: Thanks very much!
Thanks every one for reviewing!!
Special Thanks To: Riayna Darkheart. For kicking my ass into gear to getting this chapter out. Sorry its just barely coming out, and not like I said I was hoping it would be.
Please enjoy this chapter. And also review! I'll love you forever!
From, Somnia.
" I'm sorry, sir, but you cannot go in there. It's very late, and Tsunade-sama is very busy-- " Shizune said as she she tried to push her way past the uninvited guest in hopes of stopping him before he made it to the door to the Hokage's Office, yet even with a slightly hunched back and cane present, he was still faster then her.
The uninvited man reached the office before Shizune could. He opened the door with great force, making it slam against the wall, also making a few picture frames and scrolls fall off of the walls from the impact.
Tsunade sighed from behind a folder she was reading, not even bothering to look up at the unknown man. " What are you doing here, Hiashi? "
Shizune started to spew out a few apologies to Tsunade for letting Hiashi past her desk and to the office, but she decided it would be best to let what Hiashi needed to say. She would deal with Tsunade's wrath another night... or once Hiashi leaves. Her out reached hand that was towards Hiashi's back dropped back to her side before she walked out of the office and closed the door behind her.
" What the hell is your problem? " Hiashi seethed through gritted teeth as he walked in front of Tsunade's desk.
" I really don't know. " Tsunade as she put the folder down on her desk then rubbed the bridge of her nose. " I shouldn't even been here right now. But all this damn paper work just keeps piling up, and Shizune-- "
Hiashi picked up his bamboo cane and smacked it down on top of her desk, then swung it to the right, making all of the papers, folders, and scroll be pushed off of Tsunade's desk. " You know damn well what I'm talking about. What the hell is your problem sending Hinata on such a mission?! "
Tsunade opened her eyes and stared at the Hyuuga leader's cane, then the owner of the cane. Taking notice of the weary Hyuuga eyes, and the slight curve of his back. ' He must be really tired if he came out with a cane... and his posture is slacking... ' Tsunade's eye's narrowed. ' And he must be really pissed to come out here like this... '
" And not only that, but why the hell did you put her in Team Zero?! " The team name was said with such hatred.
Tsunade sighed again. " Hiashi, Hinata could take care of her self. "
" That is besides the point!! " Hiashi slammed his cane on the desk again, earning a hallow smacking sound. " This mission is too dangerous for her-- "
Tsunade stood up from her chair. Placing her hands on her desk, Tsunade's ruby lips opened. " Hinata is capable of taking care of her self. Not only that, but she is teamed up with Uzumaki Naruto, and Uchiha Sasuke. I'm sure no matter what happens they will take care of her, Hiashi. "
" Uchiha... " Hiashi spat out in anger. " Don't get me started on the damned Uchiha. If any thing happens, that punk will probably go after his bastard of a brother. It is bad enough you are putting her in a team with the cursed Kyuubi, but teaming her up with Sasuke... An Uchiha! Need I remind you of what happened-- "
" Hiashi, Black OPS haven't seen Uchiha Itachi with the Akatsuki for the past few months. " Tsunade didn't want Hiashi to question her reasons of her matching up the three. It was best to change the subject. " You know this better than any one else since a few Hyuuga's are in the Black OPS. " Tsunade's lips made a thin like as Hiashi's eyes narrowed. " Even though its against regulations, I know they report every thing to you they know about the Akatsuki when they are on a mission about them. " Hiashi opened his mouth to protest, but Tsunade raised her right hand. " I don't care about that. You get that information for good reasons, so I will not make an investigation on you and the Hyuuga's who are enrolled with Black OPS. " Tsunade sat back down in her chair when she seen Hiashi's posture relaxed. " Now, Uchiha Itachi isn't a threat. I wouldn't of sent Hinata if there was less then 50 percent chance that Uchiha Itachi was going to be a part of the reason one of our spies went missing. "
" Any mission that is connected, or even might be connected with Akatsuki is too dangerous for her. You was there with what happened with Hitomi. You were her doctor for Gods sake! " His words coming out as a low hiss, as if what he just said was a secret. " I do not want a repeat of what happened! " Hiashis' voice raised now as he picked up his cane a few inches up then slammed it back on the ground, a clicking sound echoed through the office. " And as long as the Akatsuki is involved, there is always a major risk of it repeating! " Hiashi did his best to cover up a few hacking coughs, only to fail.
" Hiashi, I completely understand. " Tsunade started to rub her temples. She didn't want for Hiashi's sickness getting worse and have to heal him. " But getting upset isn't going to help. Now, I give you my word that if something does happen, I'll do every thing in my power to make sure she is safe. That is the best I can do. " Her eyes were stern as they locked with Hiashis' cold, almost dead eyes.
Hiashi snorted as he turned around and started leaving the Hokage's office. " Your best... Lady Hokage, is not good enough for this village. It wasn't back then, and it isn't now. Nor will it ever be. " Hiashi slammed the door behind him, making a few more pictures and scrolls fall off of the walls.
Tsunade sighed as she leaned back in her chair. Eyes closed, she reached over to the intercom button that was located on her desk and pressed it. " Shizune, I need a drin-- "
" I'll be right up with a bottle, Tsunade-sama. " Shizune's voice came crackling through the intercom before Tsunade could finish.
" Good. " Her hand dropped back to her side. " I hope to God that the Akatsuki are not apart of the mission... I would not hear the end of it from that old fool Hiashi. " Tsunade said to her self as she walked to the side of her desk to pick up the scattered papers and folders that held information about various missions and village matters. Every day more and more papers, and scrolls needed her signature, or simply for her to look over them. Tsunade sighed when more then half the papers she picked up where status reports about missions, and decease. So many deaths happened every day. Though Konoha was no longer at war with the Sand, and settled some of their problems with Cloud and Rock, the shinobi rate in Konoha was dropping. And dropping fast.
The Konoha shinobi were still dying at a fast and scary rate. Not only that, but many of the older shinobi would talk their children out of becoming shinobi for the Leaf. Missions were a deadly thing, so, of course no parent would want to send their child into such a world. So there was becoming less and less joining's at the academy, and even lesser challenges to becoming a Genin. ' But beggars can't be choosers. You have to deal with what you have, and try to deal with it the best possible way... ' Tsunade though sadly as she stopped gathering papers when her eyes unwillingly started reading a mission report and request from one of the newer Genin teams. Signed and reported from their Sensei.
' The C Ranked Mission was a failure. 0.1 miles from Lord Omen and Princess Rains' home land, the Village Hidden Inside the Wind, we were ambushed by Rogue Thief Ninja. Four Men with the power and skills of Jounin stature, and two women of at least ANBU skill. Both Lord Omen and Princess Rain were killed by both females by a suffocation genjutsu. Meno Kinga, and Reno Kinga, were also killed in action by one of the male Jounin rogues. Without being able to finish the mission, and not leave with the all three Genin alive, we retreated. Nalari Trigo was badly wounded. Her ingeries were not able to heal correctly, and died only a few hours later in Seed village located 5 miles from Konoha.
Having lost all three Genin subordinates from this mission, I am requesting a short leave of absence.
Sincerely, Ozium Valak.
Rank, Jounin, Status, Previous Leader to Team Four.'
Tsunade stood up from her crouching position and place the papers in her hands on her desk. Taking a pen out from a near by pencil holder, she wrote her signature and agreement to the leave of absence on the previous report she just read.
Being a shinobi was such a cruel fate... Having three Genin... only 12 years of age taken by rare bad luck. The mission was suppose to be simple. Escort the Lord and his daughter back to their village. Nothing else, nothing more. They weren't being targeted by any one. The Lord just wanted a little bit of protection to make sure his daughter would have peace of mind and would be safe. What were the odds that there would be a group of highly trained and powerful rogue thief ninja around? Ozium Valak, their sensei, was a powerful Jounin. But under the circumstances, he was unable to protect two people who knew absolutely nothing of fighting or self defense, and three genin, who just barely started working on chakra control. It was shocking that he even survived.
" Tsunade-sama! " Shizune came into the room panting, slightly bent over with her right hand on her knee, and the left still clutching the door knob. " Terrible news! Veronia-san has been found dead in her apartment. "
" What happened? " Tsunade's back straightened from the news. One of her personal assistants, one of her favorite. She always sneaked in imported sake when Shizune was off duty...
" She slipped in the shower and hit her head on the tub faucet. The hit didn't kill her, only made her unconscious. How ever, when she landed in the bath tub, her hair clogged the drain. And since the water was still turned on, the bath tub filled up and she drowned. " Shizune took a breath. " We would of never known of her death for weeks since she was taking a few weeks off for personal matters, but since the shower was left running, all of the water was used up in the building, the Super Attendant pin-pointed what apartment the water was leaking out of, and went to her room to check on what the problem was, and he found Veronia-san... " Shizune cleared her throat from its tightening feeling. " Sakura-san is currently working on the autopsy. "
Tsunade sighed again, for what felt like the umpteenth time that day. Maybe if Veronia was a shinobi, even at least to genin status, she might of had better balance and caught her self before she fell and hit her head. ' Then again... life it self is cruel... '
" Something doesn't add up. " Sasuke said after a few minutes when Hinata's sobs died down. " How did you not know about your sister? When you joined the Academy, you were around 9. Your sister died when you were 8 or so. "
Hinata wiped the dried tears away from her face with her jackets sleeve. " I-I was a... preemie. Something went wrong with the pregnancy, and I was born 2 months earlier then what I was supposed to. I... I was in intensive care for the first 8 years of my life. I was never able to leave the outside walls of the hospital room I was being kept in. " Hinata lightly shook her head. " I might of met her once... maybe more. But I-I can't remember though... I really have no memory of being in the hospital. "
Hinata pulled up a few blades of grass and blew them out of her hand. " The doctors told me that being under the stress and strain of being hooked up to so many machines constantly at such a young age, I would make my self forget every thing, so I wouldn't remember the pain. A-A few months after the m-massacre is when I was finally strong enough to be released from the hospital, and by that time... Hitomi-sama... "
" I'm sorry. " Sasuke whispered quickly. The words leaving a weird taste in his mouth. Half hoping she heard, and half hoping she didn't.
The Hyuuga softly shook her head. " Its not your fault, Sasuke-- "
" Not about that. " His onyx eyes glanced at Hinata for a second before returning back to the starry sky. " I hated you. "
Hinata's red veined eyes widened. " W-what? " Did she hear correctly? If so, that was kind of random and... hurtful...
" When you first came to the Academy... Months after her death and I went back to the Academy, you joined shortly after. I hated you. I couldn't understand... how I was still grieving over her death, and yet... you never seemed sad at the fact that your sister died just a few months ago. " His voice was void of any emotion, though his words sounded awkward.
Hinata stayed quiet as she listened to Sasuke's words. Thinking back to her Academy days, she would of never guessed he felt that way towards her. When she first joined, he didn't talk to her, just glared. But then again, no one ever talked to her when she first joined since she was the 'New Kid', and she was the Heiress to one of the most powerful clans, so of course the kids stayed away from her. Hinata just brushed off the glares as him doing that to all of the girls, and also the fact that her Clan was the only powerful Clan in Konoha once again...
" In my mind, I figured you didn't care about her death, that's why I never seen you cry or look sad. I thought you was happy that she died, since she would be out of the way, and you would gain her Title as Heiress to the Clan. I also hated you for the fact that you looked exactly like her. But the main reason why I hated you, was because after Hitomi's death, your so called 'Clan' went into a grieving period of a whole month, then started focusing on making you Heiress. To me, it seemed like they just threw away all of the memories of Hitomi, and forgot her to make room for you. As if you were Hitomi's replacement. "
' Replacement. ' The word echoed in Hinata's head as she frowned. Neji said the exact same thing... That that was the reason Hiashi never told her about Hitomi, her sister.
" But after watching you as the months went by, I learned that you were weren't the kind of person to wish death upon any one. Especially your own sister. But I still couldn't understand why you didn't look at all sad. But then I just brushed it off since I never once seen you with Hitomi, or heard her talk about you. I just figured maybe your father kept you two away from each other for some unknown reason. "
" T-That is something he would do... " Hinata said referring to her relationship with Hanabi. Hiashi always praised Hanabi over the simplest things, and always pitted the sister's against each other, to the point where they didn't want to be around one another. The constant competition weighing heavily upon both sister's shoulders were to much to handle for either sister. ' I wonder... ' Hinata thought. ' If Hitomi-sama was still alive, and was already the Leader of the Clan, would things be different? Would we actually be able to be sister's, and not just people related by blood? Would she have changed the Clan for the better? Or would she of kept things the same...? The way the Clan and my father wanted? '
" So for my sudden and harsh judgment I placed upon you back in the Academy, I'm sorry. " Sasuke clenched his hands when he said 'I'm sorry'. Being an Uchiha, having killed countless people, ranking one of the top assassin's in the Bingo Book, was trained personally under one of the great Sannin, Orochimaru, seen and heard things even the greatest of shinobi Konoha, or any other Great Nation has never had the pleasure of dreaming such horrid nightmares, and being himself, its not easy to say those 2 simple words. Especially to a girl...
A fresh batch of warm tears feel from the Hyuuga's eyes as she chocked out a sob mixed with laughter. Why the tears came? Hinata had no idea. " Sasuke... Don't be sorry. " She shook her head slowly. " Its completely understandable... about how you felt. You loved Hitomi-sama... she was an important person to you, so its understandable how you would feel when that important person's sister doesn't seem sad or upset over her death. I don't blame you. I would of felt the same way. " Hinata smiled as an unknown impulse made her reached her hand out and placed it on top of Sasuke's head. Always seeing her father do such a personal and loving gesture to Hanabi when ever she did a good job on her training or a mission, made Hinata want to try it on Sasuke.
Sasuke blinked at sudden gesture. Hitomi use to do that to him all the time... His eyes took in Hinata's appearance, while she took in his. The way her indigo hair slightly danced in the light breeze of midnight wind. The light lavender in her moon stone eyes. The curves of her lips, and the pale pink color. And of course, her pale skin. Sasuke barely noticed the Hyuuga's hand slowly going down the side of his face and resting on his shoulder. Her eyes lids slowly dropping in a half lidded state.
It was then, that Sasuke finally realized that Hinata looked exactly like Hitomi, and nothing like her at the same time. That Hinata was exactly like Hitomi, but nothing like her... How that was even possible? Sasuke had no idea. But as moon stone and onyx eyes stayed locked with each other until both sets of eyes closed at the same time, with slowly rising heart rates with every passing second, and both Hyuuga, and Uchiha leaned into each other until their lips were pressed up against each other, Sasuke knew that the girl he was kissing, wasn't Hitomi. He knew the girl he's kissing is Hinata. If any little part of his mind wished, hoped or thought that it was Hitomi he was kissing, or was going to kiss, he wouldn't of. That wouldn't of been fair to either one of them. Especially unfair to Hinata.
Though... Sasuke knew he was in fact being unfair when once their lips touched, he used his lightening speed and reflexes to dominate the small girl and push her on to the ground with him hovering over her. Though she didn't seem to mind. In fact, she seemed to welcome it, literally with open arms, as she pulled Sasuke on top of her.
The dull 'thump' of them landing on the ground echoed around their little camp, making Naruto stir in his sleep. Out of respect of Hinata, Sasuke pulled away from Hinata's embrace and lips and glanced at blond who fell asleep on the ground by the fire, before making it to his tent.
Naruto turned on his right side, his back facing them, with his right arm bent on the ground to cushion his head, while his left hand slid into his shirt, scratching his chest. " No Ero-sennin... I don't want to do that jutsu for your stupid book... its awkward... " Naruto said before his mouth smacked a few times then completely falling back asleep.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed in annoyance on the blond before turning back to Hinata. If he was any one else, his eyes would of widened when he noticed Hinata's pale eyes never left his face once he pulled away. ' I would of thought she'd blush and pull away from me once the dumb ass started moving... ' Sasuke thought before Hinata's arms looped around his neck and brought him back down to her and her waiting lips, shocking the Uchiha even more, though he wasn't complaining.
But since Hinata's bold moves were quite shocking and out of character, the Uchiha couldn't help but question in his mind where this side of Hinata came from. He was well aware that she was still a virgin, only been kissed once or twice from Kiba, and once from Naruto (Which happened during a mission. Hinata and Naruto needed to act like they were a couple, much to Sasuke dislike, since he had to play her older brother). And Sasuke knew that since Hinata was a shy girl, with only a few innocent lip kisses, Hinata wouldn't be so bold as to pull him back down, wanting more. Or maybe he just had her all wrong. Maybe she really wasn't so shy and innocent. ' At least when it comes to this anyways. ' Sasuke thought as his hand started to slowly trail its way up Hinata's left side, his thumb grazing over the side of her breast, making Hinata shiver though the touch was over her clothes, she could still feel his warmth.
Suddenly it wasn't enough. She wanted to feel his bare skin pressed against her own. And the feeling was starting to scare her. Her mind was screaming that she was a virgin, and shouldn't be wanting such a thing, but her bodies scream drowned out her minds screamed, and turned them into whispers. Hinata's right hand slipped through the opening of Sasuke's shirt, her finger tips traced the dips and creases of his chest, while her other set of fingers twisted in the Uchiha's jet black hair. Sasuke pulled Hinata closer to him as his tongue licked across her lips. The Uchihas' hand cupped Hinata's cheek, bringing her a bit closer to his mouth so his tongue could slip into the small gap between her lips.
Hinata whimpered when their tongues touched. Their tongues wrapped together in a heated kiss. Hinata's hand slid down to Sasuke's tie wrapped around his waist. Her hand gripped one of the ends of the ties, and started pulling it, giving the waist band of the Uchiha's pants a little slack, and in that short moment, Sasuke was off of Hinata, with his back pressed up against the nearest tree, and his chest heaving heavily from panting.
Rolling on her stomach, Hinata looked up at Sasuke. Licking her swollen lips, she started talking. " W-What's wrong, Sasuke? Did I-I do something wrong? That I wasn't s-suppose to? "
" No... " Sasuke ranked a hand through his messy hair with a frustrated sigh. " No... You didn't. Trust me, you did every thing right. "
" S-so then... " Hinata sat up on her knees, her legs tucked under her. " W-why did you... ? "
' Why did I, indeed? ' He thought while holding in another sigh. " Look... you... Fuck... " Sasuke mumbled to him self while raking his hair again. ' How to explain? ' " You wouldn't of forgave your self if you... we continued... With Naruto being right there, and being on a mission, and... Its just a bad idea. "
" Oh... " Her eyes looked down to her fisted hand that had more then a few strands of Sasuke's hair wrapped around her fingers. ' Must of ripped them out when he pulled away so fast... ' " S-Sorry... "
Sasuke gritted his teeth, his eyes closed. ' Why'd I stop again? Oh yeah... So she wouldn't regret what we did, and hate her self and I for it. ' " Don't apologize. You did nothing wrong. "
" But I made you-- "
" You didn't make me do any thing I didn't want to do. " He cut her off quickly. Though wishing he didn't once the words left his mouth.
Hinata's eyes snapped up to his black ones, a blush coating her cheeks. So is he saying he wanted to...?
" I just.. " Sasuke looked away from her white eyes. " Don't think now is a good time. " Boy did he feel awkward talking like this... He was Uchiha Sasuke, damnit! He didn't get embarrassed over such things. Nor did he even talk about the current subject, or any where near the subject at hand.
" I-I understand. " Hinata looked back down to the ground, embarrassment written all over her face. ' I can't believe I just... I started un-doing his... ' Her face burned red. ' Stupid hormones... '
" You should get some rest before your shift starts. I don't want my teammates to be tired tomorrow when we get into ----. " Sasuke said in a mono voice, trying his hardest to set her mind at ease about the whole thing, and focus more on the mission.
She raised her eyes to him again. " R-Right. Wake me up t-this time! " Hinata got up and dusted the dirt and dried leaves off her self.
" Yeah, yeah. Will do. " Sasuke said while getting up from his position by the tree to sit on the stone he was sitting on a few moments ago, then closed his eyes.
Hinata walked back to her tent and started pulling the flap up to get in, but stopped. " Promise? " Her soft voice whispered through the small camp sight.
Sasuke opened his left eye to look at the Hyuuga's profile. The outline of her body lit up by the fire. ' Why did I stop again? ' " Promise. " With a smile, Hinata nodded and whispered a good night to the Uchiha before disappearing into her tent. Dark onyx eyes looked up to the starry night once he seen the Hyuugas' form disappear. " Promise...? "
" Tomi-chan! " The little boys mouth was in a shape of a small 'o'. " You don't have to... "
" Of course I do, Ducky-kun! " Hitomi ruffled up the boys hair in a playful manner with a grin on her face.
" Tomi-chan... I told you not to call me that any more... " Sasuke looked down at the ground in embarrassment. The tip of his sandle digging into the dirt.
" Sorry, Sasuke-kun. I just can't help my self. You're too cute! " She hugged him tightly. " I promise I'll stop, ok? " Hitomi said as she pulled away from Sasuke.
Sasuke looked up at Hitomi. " Promise? "
" Promise. " Her grin became wider. " Now, since Shisui and I are going on a mission in the early morning, and we're going to be busy with the plans and what not all day today, the only time I'll have to train you is an hour before I leave. So that'll be around 5am. Will that be ok? I'll get there a bit earlier, since we have to get to the training grounds, then after I train you, I have to leave for the main gates right away. "
His eyes widened with excitement as his little hands balled into fists in front of him. " That'll be fine! But... Can you wake me up? I would set the alarm, but every one would hear it and wake up... " Sasuke's words drifted off.
" Yes, I'll wake you up. Just make sure you go to bed early tonight, ok? I don't want you to be tired while I'm training you, or else everything I try to teach you will be for nothing. " Her head tilted to the side.
" I will! I'll eat dinner really fast then go straight to bed! " Sasuke grinned in excitement.
" Whoa now, you don't have to go to bed that soon. Plus you don't want to get your parents suspicious. " Hitomi winked with a smile.
Sasuke nodded in understanding. " Right. Good thinking... "
Hitomi stood up and patted Sasuke head in the process. " I need to get going now. I'll see you later, ok? "
" Alright, Tomi-chan. " Sasuke watched as she started walking away from his and the Uchiha manor. " Don't be late, ok? " He called out to her.
Hitomi stopped walking and turned a little to look back at Sasuke with a small grin. " I won't. "
With a light pink tint covering his cheeks, he spoke again. " Promise? "
Her smile and eyes became softer, and with a nod, she spoke. " Promise. "
Beige cloth was the first thing the Hyuuga Heiress seen when she opened her sleepy eyes, and smelt the smell of cooked fish. Hiding a yawn with her hand, Hinata sat up before rubbing her eyes. " What t-time is it? " Looking back up, Hinata finally took notice of the bright sun shining through the tent. Gasping, Hinata quickly pulled her pack up onto her lap and ruffled through for a new pair of black capri pants, a form fitting black shirt, and a new pack of wrapping bandages for her chest. Once she was dressed, Hinata quickly unzipped the tent opening, and stumbled out in her haste. Her eyes scanning the area till she found the dark Uchiha. " Y-You promised you'd wake me up! "
" Good morning to you, too. " Sasuke did his best to keep a smirk down when she almost fell out of her tent.
" S-Sasuke! I'm being serious here. "
Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. " It slipped my mind. " Leaning forward a little, Sasuke picked up one of the sticks that had cooked fish squired through it. " Wake up every villages' idiot . We need hurry up and eat so we can get on our way. " Sasuke took a bite out of his fish. " Oh, and you might want to brush your hair first. " This time he let his smirk show.
Hinata's face burned in embarrassment before she ducked back into her tent to brush her hair. ' That's what I forgot to do! ' Her hands patted down her messy indigo hair, in a vain attempt to flatten it out. Thoughts of the previous night with Sasuke played before her eyes. Hinata's busy hands slowed down to drop to her lap, only to raise her right hand back up to her lips. ' I can still feel his lips... and his hands... ' A shiver ran down her spin as she tipped her head forward, letting her hair curtain her red face from... Well no one was in her tent with her, she knew that. But she felt like she had to hide her face. ' Stop thinking about last night... ' She lightly patted her burning cheeks before going through her pack for her brush. Seeing that her hair was perfectly straight once again, from her reflection from a kunai knife, Hinata slipped her brush and kunai back into her back pack before leaving her tent again.
" Welcome back. " Sasuke said while throwing the stick that held his fish away behind him.
" T-Thanks. " Curious Hyuuga eyes looked over the camp site. " Where's Naruto-kun? D-Didn't he fall asleep out here last night? "
Sasuke rotated his shoulders a few times. " Dumb ass was sleeping so close to the fire, he accidentally rolled into it. " Sasuke grabbed another fish and lightly threw it at Hinata, which she caught with some difficulty, since she was worried about Naruto. " I don't see how you didn't wake up from his screaming. You must of been knocked out pretty good. "
Hinata looked down at the fish with some guilt. " I-I didn't hear him. I'm sorry. "
" What are you apologizing for? Not like it was your fault. " Sasuke shrugged. " Besides, he didn't get burned... badly. And his screaming wasn't from the fire, either. It was from your... white cream stuff... that you always use. "
" I-Its not that bad... " Hinata bit into her fish, a little hurt. No one ever wanted to use it when they were wounded. The medicine wasn't that bad. It healed mostly everything up fast, thanks to the Hyuuga's special herb garden. Sure it did hurt a little, but its mainly just fighting off infections and burning medical chakra into the wound to make it heal much faster.
" Tch, whatever you say, Hinata. Anyways, go wake him up. He's over slept long enough. I want to get to Lime-Stone Village before sundown. " Sasuke's eyes followed Hinata's every movement as she went to Naruto's tent, and lightly tapped at the entrance. ' Well at least she isn't acting weird about last night... Where did all of that come from, anyways? ' He stood up once a groggy Naruto came stumbling out of his tent, much like Hinata did just a few moments ago. ' My team mates are ididot... ' Sasuke thought to himself while he started getting his tent knocked down and his things together.
" Hey Hinata-chan. Did you send out the bird already? "
Hinata didn't take her eyes off the bright blue sky, barely hearing Naruto's words. " Yes, I did, Naruto-kun. I did last night after we ate. I'll send one again later tonight. "
" Oh... Ok then. " Naruto moved his sweaty palms on a different part of the handle. Looking back, he sighed. " Sasuke-teme needs to wake up. I'm tired of always pulling his lazy ass. " He grumbled.
" Naruto-kun, Sasuke stayed up all last night, watching over the camp. He didn't want to wake you or me up, so we could get our sleep. Sasuke-kun isn't that bad of a guy, really. He was just looking after us. " Hinata lightly scolded Naruto.
" Oh... " Naruto looked back down at Sasuke. " I didn't know... " He looked forward as he continued pulling the cart. " I still say he's a teme... "
Hinata giggled. " I know, Naruto-kun. You say that every time. " Her eyes moved from Narutos' bright blond hair, down to the sleeping Uchiha. Last night was a really random and weird. One moment he was admitting that he hated her, the next they were making out! Her hands reached up to cup her burning cheeks. ' Where did that come from? I was the one who was pushing it... I didn't care if Naruto-kun was there, only a few feet away sleeping! I... grabbed at his tie and... ' Hinatas' hands moved to cover up her now red face. Her head shaking. ' What brought that on? '
A harsh bump in the road brought Hinata out of her musings, as well as woke Sasuke up. Sitting up while rubbing the new bump on the back of his head, Sasuke glared back at Naruto. " Good job, dumb ass. Nice control of the cart. "
Naruto dropped the handle bar to the cart as he turned around to face the pissed off Uchiha. " Hey! Its not my fault that there was a big rock in the road! "
" Ever heard of moving around it?! " Sasuke slid off the now stopped cart.
" This cart is heavy enough with out having dead weight like you on it, so its hard to move it! I'm SO sorry I woke the princess up from her beauty sleep! " Naruto yelled the last words out loud in a childish manner. Hinata half expected him to stick his tongue out and blow a raspberry, while pulling the skin under his eye down.
This was getting no where fast. Hinata clapped her hands a few times. " Now children, don't make me seperate you two. Remember, I have to report every thing to Hokage-sama. "
The sudden harsh words from Tsunade echoed through both Naruto and Sasuke's minds as they both froze. ' I'll make the both of you go on D-rank mission's for a whole month with out Hinata there to hold your hands!'
" Bah! Fiiiine. "
Sighing, Sasuke put his hands in his pockets. " Yes, mother. " He childishly glared at the smiling Hinata.
Hinata leaned forward with her hands behind her back. " Good boys. " Clapping her hands together one more time, she got an idea. " How about a snack, for my two good boys? " Another grin, but came out as a smile.
" Yeah! " Naruto jumped at the word 'snack'. Sasuke sighed. ' Idiot... '
----
" Hey, is everything alright with Hinata-chan? " Naruto asked while finishing up his last sweet rice ball.
" She just said she wanted some time to her self. Probably to get away from all the stupid radiating off of you. " Sasuke said, still annoyed he got woken up from his nap by the dumb ass.
" Sasuke! I'm being serious here! " Blue eyes looked back to see if they caught view of the female Hyuuga. " She never spaces out when she knows she has to get ready for a mission. Remember yesterday when she walked right past us and through the gate? And she was late. You know she's always the first one there... "
" ...She just has some things on her mind, ok? She said she'll catch up soon. Haven't you ever wanted to be by your self to just think about things? That is if you can think. "
Naruto stuck his tongue out. " But Hinata usually-- "
" Naruto, Hinata isn't super woman. Her life isn't perfect. Her family puts her through hell to see if she'll make a good heiress to the Hyuuga clan, which almost all of her so called family would like nothing more than to rip her apart so she couldn't be the heiress. " Sasuke got quiet for a moment. " You were there durning the Chunin exams. I wasn't, but Sakura told me about Hinata's fight with Neji. How he beat the crap out of her. That's how its like for her, every single day at her home. Except they don't use fists. They use words. I'm sure you more then any one know what that's like. "
' I never thought of it like that before... Where fist and cuts can heal with time, words can't... They take longer to heal... ' Naruto closed his eyes. How could he be such a fool to think that everything in her life could be sunshine and rainbows, just because that's how she is most of the time.
" She's been through a lot. And every one expects her to be happy every waking moment of the day. Doesn't she deserve a least a little bit of time to let her mask down? Again, you more then any one should know about this. " Sasuke knew that that wasn't what she was thinking soley about. She was probably thinking about her sister, Hitomi. And maybe even about what happened last night...
Looking down at the dirt road, guilt started to build within Naruto. His down casted eyes moved back behind him, hoping to see Hinatas' bright smile.
-----
' Hitomi... Hitomi... Why didn't any one tell me about you? ' Hinata stared down at the road and flash's of her dreams of Hitomi came into her mind. ' Tomi-chan... That's what he called her... Why do I have dreams about her? About her and her team? I shouldn't dream these things! This just doesn't make sense... '
Flash Back.
" Hanabi...? "
" Hm? " A young Hanabi mumbled while brushing her dolls hair. It was a secret gift from Hinata when she became genin, and started doing D-rank missions. Hiashi never allowed such pathetic things like 'toys' into his house. 'I don't want any Hyuuga child to be spoiled. We are a proud clan.' is what their father said. So the doll had to be hidden. Not in their house, of course. No. She had to hide it at the Hyuuga temple. Where her father would send both her and Hinata almost every day to pray for strenght, and pray for the Hyuuga. Which was usually spent with them two goofing off. She always wanted a doll. But she couldn't ask for one. She knew better. When Hinata surprised her with it a few months ago for her birthday, it was the first time she ever gave Hinata a hug. It was the first time she smiled with joy. It was the first time she felt like a little girl. Over a simple doll.
" Have you ever... " Hinata trailed off as her busy hands continued to sew a small dress for Hanabi's doll.
" Ever? "
Hinata put the little dress down on her lap as she looked up at her younger sister. " Have you ever... d-dreamed of a woman that k-kind of looks like me? But older... by a few years. Maybe 5 or 6 years. "
" That's more then a few, Ata-chan. " Hanabi grinned as she poked Hinata's side, earning a small yelp. Hanabi stuck out her tongue childishly.
Hinata fought down her blush as she rubbed her side. " F-Fine. " Hinata also stuck her tongue out. " But really... I've been having these dreams about her... "
" Could she be mom? " Hanabi asked with a tilt of her head. " The pictures I've seen before with mother in them, she's looked kind of like you. " Hanabi put the little brush down.
" I-I suppose... But she's... young. I've dreamed about her and her teammates... Have you ever had the same dreams? "
" Mmm... " Hanabi started moving the dolls arms around. " A few times. But most of them are... of us. The family... Wait... " Hanabi's eyes widened as she looked up at Hinata. " I do remember having a few dreams of some one young who looks like you! I barely remember, but I do! "
Thankfulness was the only thing Hinata could fell. She wasn't going crazy after all!
" What can you remember? Was she our mother? Or some one different? " Hinata asked hastily.
" Mmm... " Hanabi bit the tip of her thumb nail in thought. " These dreams I had were... years ago. Like when I was 3 or 4 years old. " She looked down at the wooden floor, her eyes scanning over the grain. " In the dream... I felt like I knew her. Like... she was... an older sister... Some one to look up to. " Hanabi looked up at Hinata as soon as the words left her mouth. " N-not that I don't look up to you! "
Hinata bit her bottom lip. " I-I know, Abi-chan. You... You don't think she could be... "
" Her? " Hanabi asked in a whisper. 'She' was a taboo subject. Even in the temple, where they spent more of their time goofing off, knowing that no one would see or hear them, they couldn't be allowed to speak of their elder sister.
Hinata gulped and nodded.
Hanabi bit her thumb nail once again. " Maybe... " she started out in a hush tone of voice. Her eyes locked onto her older sisters eyes. " But... How was it that you were able to dream or remember her, since you were in the hospital? "
End of Flash Back.
How indeed, was she dreaming these things? If she was right, in thinking that the girl who's been in her dreams, and the group as well, was Hitomi and her team mates, how was it that she was dreaming about them? Detailed dreams of them on a few missions flashed before her eyes. But how was that even possible? Squeezing her eyes closed tight, Neji's voice sprung in her ears.
' The Hyuuga Heiress... Your sister. '
Hinata never met her. So why? Why was she having these dreams?
' When you were born, you were sheltered away from every thing, because you were born 2 months before your due date. You were so weak, so you never got to know her. '
Even if she did meet her before, how was it she was able to dream such detailed things? Perhaps it was just wishful dreaming? Having never seen her sister before, maybe she wanted to see her so bad she dreamed her? And to dream of her team? Dream of Itachi?
' Your father, my uncle, didn't want to bring up painful memories, since Hitomi-sama was a blessing to the Hyuuga name. She was everything this Clan needed. Hiashi-sama didn't want you to feel as if you were just a replacement. You're lucky he even told you you had an older sister. '
How is that lucky? When every one else was able to meet her... to know her, yet she wasn't able to?
' You're such a slow poke, Hitomi. '
Heavy breathing was the only noise that surrounded Hinata, yet she didn't hear it.
' I knew you were busy, so I wanted to go ahead and get this over with so you wouldn't have to deal with it. '
Why did you leave?
' Oh, did I? '
Why did you leave me?
' I'm sorry. Its just we've been real busy with the clan and all... '
Hitomi...
' Tomi-chan! '
' Tomi-chan... '
' Hitomi..? '
Her legs long since stopped moving. Dropping down to her knees, Hinata's arms reached up to grip her throbbing head. All these voices were making her head pound. As if her mind was going on over load.
' Don't be late, ok? '
Painful tears ran down her reddened cheeks.
' Promise? '
Tears poured down to the ground. Her forehead now pressed against the dirt road. Gasps of air wasn't enough to calm down the burning from her lungs. ' Damn... I'm hyperven... ' Sudden Hinata became that everything around her stopped, and that she wasn't alone.
With a final gasp of air, Hinata looked up in front of her. Her heart rate doubled from the dark figure in front of her.
Light moonstone eyes locked with dark ruby red eyes.
" Hello... Hyuuga Hinata. "
' Promise. '
AN: Toootally stole that second to last line from one of the last episodes of Dexter. .
Hope this chapter was ok! Took me, literally FOREVER to get it out, as I'm sure you all very well know. Wasn't exactly how I wanted this chapter to go, but... Its out. No big deal, what ever. (From Bruno). Anyways! Please review! And again, I'm so very sorry it took me like... a year to get this out. n.n;;