Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. When you recognize anyone or anything from the anime, I'm just borrowing.
Takes place sometime before Shippuuden. Technically, it takes place in the Naruto world, but without regard to Shippuuden. The Konoha 11 are now 16ish, but I wouldn't call this AU, so I'll call it OS (for Outside of Shippuuden).
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Chapter 21
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Mika gasped for breath as she pulled away from Shibiki. He grinned happily down at her and bent his head forward to kiss her neck.
"M-maybe we'd be more comfortable in the bedroom?" she managed through a breathless moan.
Shibiki stilled and felt a powerful blush paint his cheeks. He hadn't expected things to go so fast. He'd been with women before, but somehow this was different, more important. While he wanted Mika, he knew it might be a better idea to wait. That was the proper way to treat a lady. It was their first date, after all.
"I don't want to rush you," he explained quietly, though he softened his words with tender kisses. Her lips, her cheeks, her temples, the tip of her nose—every part of her called to him for attention.
Mika looked intently at him for several moments, and Shibiki wondered if he'd somehow said the wrong thing.
"You really are a nice man," she commented wistfully. Then she smiled, though her eyes appeared to be shimmering slightly.
Oh, no. Does she think I'm trying to let her down easy? I'm not…I mean…
"Mika, I really like you!" Shibiki hurried to say. "I…I want…"
"Shh," she hushed him gently with a fingertip over his lips. "I know. I can tell. Oh…um…I'm just going to go freshen up. I'll be right back," she said with a sudden coy expression.
Shibiki's cheeks burned even hotter than before. He briefly wondered if Hinata's blushes were contagious, for he'd never blushed so much in his entire life.
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Hanabi stood quietly outside of the Hokage's office. She'd just been dismissed. A warning would be sent to Hinata-neesan via courier ninja. Since there were so many Leaf shinobi already there, Tsunade-sama did not see why a support team should be sent. Hanabi frowned, the wheels and gears turning swiftly in her mind.
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Mika dabbed several drops of the perfume on her neck below her earlobes. Then she carefully stoppered the bottle. She looked at herself in the mirror for several long moments. Could she go through with this? Was it even right anymore? As if in answer, the light glanced off the mirror, and for a moment, she thought she was looking into her sister's eyes. The clan would punish them severely if they failed. She couldn't bear to see Rika hurt, even if Shibiki was the nicest man she'd ever met.
Shibiki smiled shyly when Mika returned to the living room with two glasses of amber liquid in wine glasses.
"In my family, it is customary to share this home-made beverage with loved ones," she explained. "My grandmother made this batch herself."
"Why are they different colors?"
Mika looked down in embarrassment and chuckled at her feet. "I'm kind of a wimp, so I have to water down my portion or mix it with fruit juice if there's any around." As if in demonstration, she took a tiny sip of her lighter drink and two spots of color immediately appeared on her cheeks.
Shibiki experienced a strange sliding of perception. Suddenly, he couldn't look away from Mika's body, and his eyes raked her lithe form hungrily. He swallowed, and his bugs started buzzing with a new and unusual agitation. For a moment, he couldn't hear anything except for their dull roar, but he hushed them and his mind grew silent once more, focused on the elegant lines of Mika's creamy skin.
"Here," she whispered. "It's a bit sweet, but it's nice."
Shibiki took the proffered beverage and downed it in one gulp, never once taking his eyes from her.
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Karika walked in with a rolled-up mat. She unfurled it with a flourish and beamed happily at her family.
"Hinata, why don't we go for a walk?" Shino hurriedly suggested.
"What is that?" Hinata asked at the same time. Her eyes wandered curiously over the green, yellow, blue, and red circles.
"Nothing," Shino assured her. "There's a pretty pond a mile away. I found it when we were looking for the lost knives."
"Come on, Shino, you mustn't be antisocial around your family," Karika admonished.
Shino sighed. "But Karika-bas-"
"Shiinoo…" Karika loomed over him ominously.
"Karika-neesan!" he amended quickly. "I'm not sure this is a game Hinata would enjoy."
"Hm?" Karika cocked her head at the young Hyuuga. "Hinata, show me you can touch your toes."
Hinata bent in half without hesitation and lay her hands flat over her feet. She just happened to be standing right in front of Shino at the time, however, so a light blush graced his cheeks when the material of her pants stretched tight with the movement and her jacket slipped down to reveal several inches of her cream-colored lower back. He averted his eyes, but not quite in time.
"Oh, I'm sure she'll be fine," Karika smirked. "And since your guest is playing, you have to play, too, Shino."
Shino bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from groaning. He hated this game, and they always made him play every year.
"The instructions on the back say it's easier if only four people play at a time," he attempted hopefully. "Hinata and I wouldn't want to take anyone's place."
Karika waved away his excuse. "That's only if you don't want to share spots, but we love sharing in this family, so it's fine."
"No!" her sister argued. "No sharing, or it's too easy!
Inwardly, Shino sighed. He really hated this game. Hinata, however, seemed intrigued, and he watched his teammate as she listened carefully to the instructions. Whenever she listened to people, she always had this sweetly attentive look on her face. It made him want to kiss her.
"Round one!" Karika crowed. "Karimi, Karime, Kaoru, Sora, Soru and Shiribi. Don't worry, Hinata. It'll make sense once you've watched a round or two. No sharing spots. Karimi's fault."
A few minutes later, Shino's aunts and uncles were in an undignified tangle in the middle of the room and Hinata was caught in a vicious fit of giggles. Karime and Soru fell first, followed by Kaoru, Karime, and Sora. Shiribi was the only one left crouching. He sighed and straightened carefully.
"Second round!" Karimi announced, having taken over her sister's place as official spinner. "Karika, Sori, Hinata, Shino, Shinomaru, and Tachoro."
Shinomaru went first because he was the youngest and smallest. Hinata went next because it was her first time. Shino went last and set his foot on an open blue spot with a sigh.
A minute later, everyone was still in the game. Then Sori "accidentally" blew on the back of his wife's knee and caused her to jump and shriek. Karika's foot lashed out and hit his wrist, and the two tumbled to the mat. Luckily, Shinomaru was shielded by Shino's tall form, and Tachoro merely suffered a light elbow to the ribs. Tachoro slipped as he tried to get to a spot beyond the other three players and rolled to avoid squashing his little cousin. He smiled sheepishly and dusted himself off.
"Hinata, how come the spinner never lands on hands for you?" Karimi wondered. That's just weird. I'm gonna spin it again. Aha! Right hand on blue!"
Hinata had, by this time, ended up facing the edge of the mat with several of Shino's limbs going across the board right behind her. She glanced behind her to the left and right before shrugging and bending completely backwards to plant her palm on the closest blue circle. Shino's breath caught in his throat. Hinata was bent completely over his body. Her long, dark hair pooled against his chest. After another cycle, Hinata's hand dropped down to reach the yellow circle behind her, which just happened to place her slim arm right between his thighs.
Shinomaru's arms finally gave out, and he flumped onto his bottom before catching his breath and leaving the board.
"Okay, I give up," Shino conceded.
"No!" Karika yelled. "You have to play until one of you falls. Those are the rules! Don't you even think of pretending to fall, Shino."
Shino sighed. After another minute of turns, he and Hinata were at an impasse. With only two people, there wasn't really competition for spots, and Hinata's natural flexibility made up for any other potential difficulties. He was facing away from Hinata now, so it was a surprise to him when he turned and reached over for the red spot only to find his teammate stretched out beneath him. Hinata's arms supported her weight and she giggled up at Shino's surprised face. He was basically holding a push up above her. If he dropped just a few inches, she would be pressed up against the length of him.
"I think my arms are getting tired," he whispered.
"Really?" Hinata squeaked. It was impossible to miss the husky tone of his voice.
Shino dropped imperceptibly, inch by inch, until Hinata could feel the heat of him radiating through her clothes. Her face glowing, Hinata lowered in response until her back hit the floor and a tiny squeak escaped her lips.
With a hidden smirk, Shino lowered his head to whisper into her ear, "Maybe this game isn't so bad after all."
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Neji stopped abruptly, kicked his foot up, and bent quickly backwards to avoid triggering a hidden note. His right hand landed on the floor behind him to keep him steady. It was a much more complicated looking seal. The Hyuuga prodigy straightened himself with a frown. He'd almost missed it. With a sigh, he realized he'd been looking for the obvious. He would have to do a more thorough sweep and look for what was there, not what he thought would be there. It was careless thinking that got people blown up.
The note itself was impressive. For some reason, the spy had wanted to make sure of this room. Neji looked up and took in his surroundings more closely. It was a large, elegantly decorated bedroom. At the same time, it was furnished for comfort. On the dresser were several pictures. Shino's face caught his attention first. Next, he recognized Aburame Shibi in his wedding photo. Ah, this must be the clan leader's bedroom, Neji concluded. That explains the extra precautions. Still, he would do the more thorough sweep anyway.
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"Ahem," Shiribi coughed delicately. "Shino, I think you win because Hinata's back is on the ground."
Shino stood and helped his red-faced teammate to her feet before straightening his jacket and pushing his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose.
"That was fun," Hinata admitted shyly. "It reminds me of a game Ino-chan thought up at her sleepover.
"Oh? What's that?" Tachoro inquired politely.
"She found some big book with pictures in it. There were all sorts of difficult poses. The object of the game was to see who could copy the most difficult positions."
Sori's eyes shot wide open. He shared a wide-eyed glance with his wife, who quickly brought her fingers to her lips in a hushing motion.
"Did…was there more than one person in a given pose?"
"Sometimes, although Ino described most of the poses so we would have our hands free. I think it must have once been part of a shinobi training manual because some of the poses involved walls and ceilings," Hinata continued innocently.
Shino secretly gulped and tried to picture Lee and Guy-sensei having a stupid contest. Unfortunately, those images kept morphing into Hinata twisted around his torso in an interesting way while being suspended from the ceiling.
"Well, um, why don't we play another game now?" Karika hurriedly suggested with an embarrassed grin.
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Mika bit her lip hard. Even under the influence of the Lover's Blindness perfume, Shibiki had been so tender with his caresses and kisses. Enough. She'd made her choice, and she would live with it. At least this way he would be spared. She could do nothing for his family, and he would hate her, but he would still be alive.
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It took Neji three hours to fully dismantle the lattice of chakra bombs within the Aburame courtyard. The main work had only taken an hour because most of the notes were in plain sight, of the Byakugan, that is. A good shinobi looks beneath the underneath, however, so he made sure to scan carefully for better concealed traps. He found three more, so it was worth the effort.
The Anbu captain was waiting for him outside of the compound. "Hyuuga-san, were you successful?"
"Yes," Neji sighed. Using the Byakugan for three hours straight had drained him a bit, and he could use a rest.
"Are those the notes? I'll have my squad dispose of them," Yugao offered.
"Thank you."
"You should report to the Hokage immediately."
"Ah," Neji agreed. "I will." Then he bowed low. "Thank you for your assistance in this delicate matter."
Behind her mask, Yugao raised an amused eyebrow at him. These Hyuugas really were a formal lot. "It's my job," she shrugged.
Neji nodded once more before disappearing to make his report.
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"Why are the C and D-rank missions piling up now?" Tsunade grumbled.
"At least the last assignment went smoothly," Shizune pointed out.
"Yeah, yeah." A knock sounded at the door, and Tsunade yelled, "Come in!"
Neji entered quietly.
"Neji, is the Aburame place clean now?"
"Yes, Tsunade-sama."
"Good. I've sent word to the Aburames to be on the lookout. Go get some rest."
With a polite nod, Neji made his exit.
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Neji sighed as he slipped into the hot bath and massaged his scalp with his fingertips. He dunked himself completely before sitting up and shaking the water from his face. Hinata-sama would be fine. She was strong and help was on the way. So why did he still feel uneasy? Ridiculous, he scoffed at himself as he reached for the soap and began lathering his chest.
After a light, solitary meal, Neji retired early and slipped between his cool sheets. Things were quiet and peaceful, and Hinata-sama would be fine. She was surrounded by powerful shinobi and was a notable kunoichi in her own right. He immediately felt the heaviness of sleep calling to him and drifted off gratefully.
Less than an hour later, Neji bolted upright. Peace and quiet. Ever since he'd arrived home, there'd been peace and quiet. Given his recent days, this could only mean that Hanabi-sama was up to no good.
He scanned the compound for her familiar chakra signature. Nothing. He widened the radius and scanned again and again. Nothing. She wasn't in Konoha, as far as he could tell. Neji sighed only a moment before leaping to gather his gear and get dressed.
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"Neji? What are you doing here so late?" Tsunade wondered.
"Hanabi-sama is not in the village."
"Right, she's on a mission."
"Oh," Neji sighed with relief. "She didn't leave a note, so I assumed… never mind, I apologize for interrupting you, Hokage-sama."
"Wait, you were concerned just now. Why?"
Neji hesitated. "Well…Hanabi-sama can be rather impetuous at times. When I realized she was not in the village, I thought she might have gone to try and help Hinata-sama on her own."
"She's on a simple delivery mission. I thought she'd leave tomorrow morning, but she seemed eager to get going. I've got the paper right here somewhere. Here it is. Almost forgot to sign…in the commotion…. DAMNIT!!!"
Ten minutes later, Neji stood at the gates of Konoha with his mission travel pack on his back as he scanned the forest for any sign of his young cousin. Even though the range of his Byakugan was impressive, Hanabi-sama had a significant lead on him, maybe even a two hour head start. At least he knew exactly where she was headed.
"I'll explain to Hiashi that you're on a mission," Tsunade informed him. "Bring Hanabi back and have her report to me first. I don't know how she even pulled something like this, but she's going to be scrubbing the sewers for months. I needed to find someone for that mission anyway, so it's only fair that she volunteer since she made me do extra paperwork for no reason."
Neji simply bowed politely and refrained from commenting that Hanabi thought she had a valid reason for her actions. It wasn't worth the headache. He already had a long night ahead of him. At least there was a full moon out so he wouldn't have to use the Byakugan too often.
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Thanks to calindanaruto for the Twister suggestion.
Author's Notes:
1) I ended the chapter here because I'm going out of town for the next two weeks and didn't want to leave you all with a painful cliffhanger.
2) Please leave me lots of reviews to read when I get back! That being said, I may surprise you with another chapter if I'm able to write while I'm away, but no promises.
3) To make up for the extended absence, I will be posting a mostly complete story before I go. If you can warp reality a bit (the new story is properly set pre-Shippuuden because Naruto has gone away to train with Jiraiya), please feel free to think of it as the prequel to Company, especially with regards to Hinata's training and relationship with Shino. The story's name is Hinata in the Land of Islands. It would be complete except that I've just remembered I meant to add in a chapter near the end to get in some more Hinata/Shino buildup and happy fluff.
Again, reviews are most welcome!
