CHAPTER 2:

AMBUSHED

A/N: I hope you guys like this story. I don't have much to say but I just hope you guys will like the story!

It had been five years since that incident. Hinata had almost forgotten about that time Neji and her were best friends. Well, she remembered it but forgot how strong their bond once was. She was on with her life and didn't regret much of it. Besides, the cousin she once knew was a total different person.

:X:X:X:X:X: on with the story then :X:X:X:X:X

Hinata practiced hitting and punching a tree. She told herself to keep doing this until the tree would break.

"Hinata? What are you doing?"

"I'm….practicing…" she said, hitting the tree some more. She looked and saw that it was Hanabi.

"Hinata, you're going to do this all day?"

"I'm…not…sure…" Hinata stopped and panted.

"Why aren't you sure?"

Hinata sighed, a bit annoyed at her younger sister's questions. "Hanabi, why don't you go back to where Father is?"

"Oh okay…" she walked slowly, departing her older sister with her hands behind her back.

Hinata started practicing again when someone caught her attention.

"Hinata-san. Hey."

"N-N-Naruto-kun!"

"You training?"

"Y-Yeah…" she said, a bit embarrassed.

"No need to be embarrassed. I train a lot too." Naruto smiled.

"Um…yeah." Hinata decided to take a break and sat down on the cold grass. She could see sweat coming down from Naruto's forehead and could tell he had been practicing too.

Naruto sat near Hinata. "Nice day isn't it?"

Hinata could smell Naruto's sweat odor but she didn't mind because she was always near Kiba and Shino when they were training real hard and smelled like sweat. Her face turned red and she didn't want Naruto to see her like this, all sweaty and dirty.

"So, where's Neji?"

"Um…I dunno. We're not…we're not as close so I don't know where he is."

"Oh, I see."

"So, Sasuke and Sakura didn't train with you?"

"No." Naruto sighed. "Sasuke and Sakura had plans. I believe Sasuke was out training with Kakashi-sensei and Sakura was helping Ino with her flower shop."

"O-oh…" Suddenly there was a loud grumbling sound.

"Sorry. That was my stomach…" Naruto chuckled.

"A-Are you hungry? Um…" Hinata could feel her heart beating faster and faster by the minute. Say it, just say it. "D-do you want to go eat r-ramen with me?"

"Ramen noodles! Sure!"

Hinata blushed. "I was just going to go anyways after I finished practicing."

"That's great!" Naruto got up and smiled. "C'mon. Let's go!" he helped Hinata up on her feet and the two started to go to a ramen shop. When they arrived at Naruto's favorite noodle place, he got out his wallet and put it in front of the cook. "I want as many noodle bowls that this will pay!"

Hinata stared at all the money he had saved up. Amazing…that's a lot. Hinata got out her money. "I'll just have one bowl please."

The cook smiled. "Okay." He took the money and put it in a box. Then he started to cook the noodles. "You too on a date?"

Hinata blushed. "D-Date? Oh no…not us."

Naruto burst into laughter. "Date! No way. We're just friends."

Hinata could feel her heart ache for a moment right there. "Yeah…I guess so." She said quietly to herself.

"Naruto-kun? Hinata-san!"

Naruto turned around. "Tenten! Neji! Rock Lee!"

"You're eating here too? That's great!" Rock Lee flashed a thumb at him. "Ha ha! This is great! But…where's Sakura-chan?"

"Huh, oh she's busy so she didn't come. But Hinata and I weren't so we decided to eat!" Naruto laughed.

Neji smirked. "I thought so…" he took a seat near Hinata.

"What do you mean you thought so!" Naruto asked.

"You were lonely and saw Hinata so you decided to eat with her." Neji explained.

Naruto widened his eyes a bit. "Uh…n-no!" He lied. But to be truthful, it was true.

"So…are we going to eat or not?" Rock Lee asked. He took a seat near Naruto and Tenten sat near Neji. "Three bowls of noodles please!" Rock Lee put his money on the counter. "My treat, Neji and Tenten!"

Neji smirked. "Whatever…"

The cook smiled. "Okay. Here we go." he set down the noodles bowls in front of everyone who ordered. "Naruto, I'm still making yours."

"Okay…" Naruto said, slurping up some ramen noodles. Naruto finished slurping and looked at Hinata. "Anything on my face?"

Hinata chuckled. His face had noodle pieces everywhere. "Yes…here." She reached for a napkin and started to wipe his face. "There…all clean."

"Thanks!" he showed her a thumb.

Neji felt disgusted. It's disgusting. He turned the other way and started eating his bowl of noodles. It looks like their on a date…

"More please!" Naruto finished eating his bowl and asked if the cook was done with his other bowl.

"Yes." The cook set it in front of Naruto.

Naruto smiled and was about to eat his bowl of noodles when he noticed that Hinata had finished hers too. "Hinata-san. You want to eat more?"

"No, I'm out of money." She said sheepishly.

"Don't worry." Naruto grinned. "How much noodles can I buy now with my money?"

"Well, you can buy…" the cook counted the money. "About fifteen more bowls."

"Then for the next bowl give it to her please." He pointed to Hinata.

"O-Oh no! Please, Naruto-kun…" her voice lowered and she began playing with her fingers. "No…that's not necessary."

"Don't worry. You're my friend and I want to buy it for you." Naruto began digging into his bowl. "So just eat it." He said while eat his noodles.

"Um…o-okay…" Hinata said, her face turning red. She had to admit, she was pretty hungry after all the training.

Neji finished his noodles. "Finished. Now, I'm leaving." He said coldly.

"Neji-kun! Wait up!" Tenten swallowed up the last parts of her noodles and then ran to Neji. "Lee-san! Hurry up!"

"I'm staying here with Naruto-kun and Hinata-san. I'm starving." He put some more money on the counter. "More please."

Tenten smiled. "Okay. You stay here with Naruto-kun and Hinata-san then. See you later!" she waved.

As she and Neji began walking, Neji finally spoke to her. "It's disgusting isn't it?"

"What is?"

"The way…the way Hinata and Naruto were acting?"

Tenten blushed. "No…I think it was cute, really."

"Cute?" he asked with a bitter tone.

"Yeah. Haven't you noticed? Hinata-san has a crush on Naruto-kun!" she explained.

"She has…a crush?" Neji asked. He felt even more disgusted.

"Yes! She and Naruto make such a cute couple!"

Neji kept quiet. Cute couple? That's foolish… He made himself loathe the way they acted but somehow, he kept feeling an odd feeling inside him.

"Neji-kun? I guess I'll head home. The sun's setting." Tenten said, yawning a bit.

Neji looked up. "That was fast. I hadn't kept track of the time."

"Well, see you tomorrow Neji-kun! Bye!" she said, running off.

Neji sighed. He didn't know what to do now.

"Okay! Bye!" Neji heard somehow call out. He looked ahead and it was Naruto and Rock Lee waving bye to Hinata.

"Bye Lee-san…b-bye N-Naruto-kun!" she said, her face turning pink.

Neji waited for Hinata. He wanted to ask her something. "Hinata-san."

"Oh…Neji-niisan." She said, keeping her head down.

"Do…do you have a crush on Naruto?"

Hinata was shocked at this question. "W-why ask a question like t-that?"

Neji could feel Hinata was feeling tense. "Forget it then. I don't understand how this can be so hard."

"Neji-niisan…?"

"Hinata! Stop."

"Huh?"

"Byakugan!" Neji said, forming his hands into a hand gesture. Suddenly he opened his white pearly eyes. "Move!" he pushed Hinata down, covering herself with himself.

"N-Neji-niisan!"

BOOOOMMMM! A bomb struck right where Neji and Hinata were. "Damn. A trap." Neji looked down at Hinata. She looked terrified.

"I'm sorry…I hate loud noises…" she said, trying to cover her ears.

BOOOOOMMMM! Another bomb hit. Neji could hear screaming from the village. "Hinata. Get up!"

Hinata struggled to get up.

"Don't be afraid of the noises. You're a ninja, remember?"

"H-Hai." Hinata said, gulping.

"Now, we'll run to the village center. Go." Neji began running but he saw that Hinata was lagging behind.

"N-Neji-niisan!" she called silently to herself.

"Hinata!"

BOOOOOMMMMM!

:X:X:X

"Neji." Hiashi called.

Neji walked towards his uncle.

"Hinata was hit by a bomb."

"I know."

"Neji, why did you just watch my daughter get hit?"

"Hiashi-sama…I-"

Hiashi could sense that Neji was not comfortable right now. He decided to change the subject. "Neji, I've watched your strong attacks. They are very mighty."

Neji didn't speak back to Hiashi.

"Well, I talked with Tsunade-sama. Orochimaru has been launched an attack on Konoha. Rumors say he wants to get rid of Konoha and its strong clans. He's trying to get rid of the Hyuugas first though. Neji, you must to risk your life for Hinata. You must, if needed to, die for her protection. I won't be having that accursed Orochimaru harm any of heiress."

Neji nodded. "I will…I will protect Hinata."

Hiashi turned. "Hinata…almost lost her leg." He put his arms behind his back.

"I know."

"It's because that daughter of mine is too weak. Even her younger sister is stronger then her! That daughter is…is…a disgrace to me…to the Hyuugas!"

Neji looked at his uncle's face. It was full of disgust, not hate, but disgust. Neji could tell that his uncle was very angry right now at his own daughter, even when she's in a hospital room right now, almost out of conscious. "I'm going, Hiashi-sama." Neji left his uncle alone.

As Neji walked past the rooms to go to the exit, he could hear someone weeping. When he found the room with the weeping sounds, he suddenly noticed that it was Hinata alone in her room. The door had a was opened a little bit, so Neji decided to see why she had been crying.

Hinata had her hands over her face and her legs close to her. Her face had become red from crying so long and her sleeve was wet with tears.

Neji felt pity for his cousin. He couldn't do anything right now. Neji took one more look at his pitiful cousin and then he parted, leaving the hospital; leaving his cousin.

He took one look at the sky and noticed that it was black. The sky and everything else was dark, black, and lonely. What time was it now? Neji asked himself. He looked at the lonely streets of Konoha. Neji shivered at how quiet it was. In the early morning, the streets would be full of people and it wouldn't be so lonely anymore.

I should go home… Neji started walking back to his home. When he arrived at his lonesome home, he fell into his bed and watched the stars from his bed, staring into the window.

The sky was so…beautiful with the stars that glowed with it. Neji started getting tired and he slowly closed his eyes. His final thoughts were on a Hinata and he remembered how she cried, so sorrowful. Before he had known it, Neji had fallen asleep. He fell asleep, remembering how Hinata had cried. It began to remind him of himself…how he used to cry. Neji would never realize that his cousin and him had a lot in common, oh no, he would never…

A/N: Well, I'm tired right now and I'm really sleepy so my brain is dead. Please read on with the story and thank you for everyone who had been reading. Thank you…:P