Hey everyone! I'm sorry for not updating in so long, but I had to think about where I wanted this fic to go. Now I know exactly how I want this fic to end, sothe chapters will come more frequently. Thanks for all the support, and the nice, encouraging reviews xD I can't believe I've already reached the 200 mark; I mean, it's all thanks to you guys. You've all helped me reach my goal, and then some! You guys are so awesome you put the "awe" in...awesome! Yeah, I know, but I'm just really excited. So thank you all once again! If you would be so kind as to, keep the reviews coming, please?
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto yadda yadda yabba dabba doo...
Chapter Nine: Your Game
Steam errupted from the bathroom as Hinata ran out, with towel-wrap on her head and all. She batted the steam away, hacking up a storm. All the while Neji was downstairs, sitting on a stool. Every time she would look down at him, she was astounded and how still and motionless he was. With his cream-colored skin and impressive features, one could easily mistake him for the relics that went on display in the finest museums. A sense of pride welled up inside of Hinata at the sight of her handsome cousin.
After hastily changing into a re-chosen outfit (Hinata liked to be prepared), she bustled down the stairs. Neji smirked, pointing to his Rolex. "Four minutes. You're slow, human."
Hinata smiled thoughtfully at the last word. The whole situation was so complicated and difficult that it was hard to deal with. So, they chose the easy way out. They laughed it off.
His smile softened, almost apologetically. He tried to cut through the tension with more of his dry humor. "And that's not counting the half hour it took me to wake you up."
She pouted, crossing her arms. "Well some of us have to brush our teeth, take a shower, and get dressed. We can't not sleep, we sweat, and we have to do a little more than just pop a mint in our mouth after drinking 'protein shakes!'"
The veins around Neji's eyes elevated towards the surface of his skin. "Hey, we brush our teeth just the same. It's only Naruto that pops a mint after every meal and calls it a day." He ruffled the shorter girl's hair, ruining her two-minutes worth of work.
"Fine fine," she sighed. Hinata plopped her floppy hat on top of her head, running her fingers over the petals of the sunflower on it. Neji's eyes widened.
"You still have that old thing? I bought you that, like, three years ago."
She looked up at him from under the brim of her hat. "I know. But I like it."
Smiling, he gently pushed her out the door and closed it behind him.
Humming softly to herself, she walked towards his sleek black BMW. "So, where are we going today?" He simply shrugged, hoping to heighten her curiosity. A victorious smirk formed onto his face when he saw how displeased she looked.
Hinata had her eyes squeezed shut, holding onto her arm rests for dear life. She sighed; this was not a habit she would get accustomed to anytime soon. As Neji made a wide arc at an unhealthy velocity, Hinata yelped. "D-Do all of you d-d-rive this fast?" she choked out.
Neji turned to her (much to Hinata's chagrin, who howled at him to watch the road) and smiled. "Naw, Kakashi's only goes up to 75. He's getting old."
When they screeched to a stop, Hinata exhaled, fanning her face. "I should stick to walking from now on."
There was something about Neji's smile which made her stomach bunch into knots. "It's funny that you mention that..."
"Huh?"
"Nothing. Come along."
As they walked towards their mysterious destination, Neji was saddened at how distant his human memories were. He tried to recall all of the times he and Hinata had walked together like this, but only a few hazy flickers came to his mind. Neji grabbed the back of her collar, pulling her back on the sidewalk as a bus zoomed past her. She gasped, growing pale at the thought of what she had almost done. He realized how much he missed protecting her.
But what saddened him most of all-
"Sasuke did say you were a walking disaster..."
-was that she didn't need him anymore.
She shrugged. "Oh come on, it was one time! It's not like I get run over on a daily basis."
"Oh yeah, like a weekly basis is any better."
They stopped in front of a white bridge that cross a pond. She watched the soft, cream-colored ducks float along the surface. The memory clicked in her head as one of the ducks ducked underwater for a submerged morsel of bread.
Flashback
"Nii-san, why are you throwing bread at the duckies."
He sighed. "I'm not throwing them, I'm feeding them." He ripped off a piece of bread and threw it at the water. Hinata's eight year old brain became obsessed with the idea of feeding ducks. She took to bread from his hands and threw a chunk of it into the dark, murky water.
She deflated when none of the ducks responded to her offering. "Neji, how come t-they're not eating the b-bread?"
Before he could answer, she shredded the bread into her hands and threw some of the crumbs into the water. Her eyes watered as the crumbs slowly sank to the bottom. Hinata looked like she was on the verge of tears. "They won't eat."
"NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOoo!" Neji yelled in slow motion, running towards his determined cousin. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, but he was too late. He helplessly watched as his younger cousin threw the bread as hard as she could, throwing off her balance. Her arms flailed wildly as she tried to realign herself, but the inevitable 'plunk' was heard as she went plummeting into the moldy green water.
Sighing, he dipped his hand into the icky duck-infested water and fished through it for her collar. When he caught the neck of her kimono collar, he fished out his cousin, shaking out the loose water and plopping her onto the pavement. She grimaced and sniffed herself, immediately wishing she hadn't.
End Flashback
Hinata's cheeks reddened, remembering the traumatizing moment. "Err..thanks for that.."
"Just don't expect me to do it the next time you fall in." Hinata's shoulders throbbed her laughing so hard, as Neji joined her. In the midst of his soft laughing, Neji's face froze. Hinata stopped laughing, alarmed by the sudden change in his expression.
It was like ice, spreading through the nerves in his face. He looked so detached that if felt as if he were slipping away from her. Neji's eyes glared at nothing, and his face was contorted in anger, but he was in his own world. Quickly shifting his gaze to a bunch of trees to his right, Neji gave a low, inhumane growl. She winced as the feral sound pounded through her ears. It was such a fierce, threatening noise that Hinata tried to rub away the goosebumps on her arm.
"N-Neji?"
His anger melted away, and he looks at the soft, scared look in her eyes. He turned once again to his right, and slouched. Sighing, he took off without another word and was gone in a matter of seconds. Hinata whirled around in a circle, looking for an explanation. As she came around full circle, she saw his dark, coal eyes and lost her footing.
He reached out to catch her, his hands tightly secured around her waist.
"Boo?"
Hinata breathed a sigh of relief. "Sasuke? W-What are you doing here?" He lowered her to the ground and rubbed the back of his neck (being near Naruto for a century or so did that to you).
"I just had a... discussion with that delightful cousin of yours," he said through clenched teeth.
"Oh, Tenten told me that members of the same coven could communicate telepathically! What's it like? Is there a limit on the distance? Do you hear or, or more like feel it? How can you tell who's talking?"
Hinata didn't realize it in her excitement, but with each question she took a step closer to him. She found herself so close to him that their noses practically touched. He raised a brow at her. Reddening at their proximity, Hinata took a few steps back.
"Sorry." She always got a tad bit excited when dealing with this whole vampire business. She knew what her smell did to him. "I'll be good."
She blinked, and he was right in front of her, towering over her 5'4 frame. "That's a disappointment."
He smirked as her blush intensified, taking a few steps back before the poor girl exploded.
"It's annoying. There isn't really a limit to distance, unless you're on the other side of the world. You can hear their voice, but not in the way humans do. And with Naruto, you can always tell who's talking?"
"...Oh!" Hinata scrunched her eyebrows in concentration. "Well..."
"Hn?"
"How do you hear it?"
"Oh. You don't hear it in your ears, but more like...here." He poked her below her left shoulder, right above her heart. Realizing how dangerously close he had come to touching her..."there," Hinata blushed.
"Y-You did that on p-p-purpose..."
He snorted. "Like I could feel anything under that jacket of yours. It's 84 degrees outside."
She shrugged. "Neji picked it out for me."
"Typical."
Sasuke watched her pick at the loose yarns on the sleeve of her sweater. Hinata always did little things like that when she wanted to ask him something. Irritated, he snatched at her wrist, causing her to jump.
"Just ask me."
She opened her mouth many times in an attempt to speak, but it was futile. She sagged her shoulders in defeat. "I!...I can't."
"?"
"...I want to hear."
"Hear what?"
"Hear you..s-say my name." He looked confused, but opened his mouth to speak. She shook her head, stopping him. "Not through my ears...in here." She shyly poked him in the chest, rubbing her sore finger afterwards.
Sasuke's face grew dark. His jaw became stiff; she was positive that his teeth were clenched. "You'll never get to."
Her eyes fell to the floor as she smiled sadly. "I know..."
They stood there, staring at each other as the wind picked up her hair. The chin-length strands danced through the air; she was close enough that the ends of her hair gently grazed his face. He brushed the stray locks and tucked them behind her ear.
Hinata remembered how stiff his movements were the first time he smelled her. Here, the wind was blowing her smell into all directions, but he didn't finch. She stared at him in wonder. " I guess you're finally becoming immune to my scent."
He smirked. "No...no you still smell the same." He lowered his hand from her hair, lingering on her chin. "I've just gotten better."
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His thin, milk-white tongue flickered into the air, taking a big whiff of her scent.
Those amber, slitted eyes narrowed into a sinister grin. Delicious. The man on his right adjusted his glasses, which glinted in the sun's sparse rays. "So you've confirmed the target?"
The snake grinned, his long fangs shining maliciously. Enhancing his eye sight, he watched the happy couple. His former protege growled playfully at the girl, who ran away. With a huge leap, the boy lunged at the girl, pinning her to the ground.
"Ah, there's nothing quite like young love, is there...Sasuke-kun?"
The unknowing pair rolled through the meadow, laughing, as bits of grass and flowers sticked to their hair. The amber eyes locked onto the retty blue haired girl. His smile was anything but friendly.
Let the games begin...