A Demon in my House (Chapter three)
It seemed like an endless dream for both Hinata and Sakura. Their weekend was both joyous and full of unexpected surprises. As promised Naruto and Sasuke showed up as promised to spend the weekend with both girls and were surprised to find how much both boys wanted to get to know them better. Hinata and Sakura wondered how they could be so interesting to two people who were out of their league. But that didn't sway the smile that was on Hinata's or Sakura's face that coming Monday morning. And to Sakura's dismay Ino was curious as to why she looked so enchanted when she walked into the hospital.
"Okay Billboard Brow why are you so happy this morning? You're never this happy especially on a Monday and I would know since no one's happy on a Monday. So spill what happened this weekend that has you so giddy?" Ino was getting tired of the beaming smile on her friends face and was ticked off at the fact that Sakura didn't get angry at her for using that awful nickname that she had given her when they were kids. That and Ino was nosy about whoever this person was that Sakura saw this weekend along with Hinata.
"Well Ino to say that my weekend was like all my other weekends would be a lie. This weekend was different and to be honest I like that it was different. I didn't have to worry about my family, Hinata and I didn't hear a peep out of our landlord and you know how good that felt but most of all, Hinata and I were able to have a wonderful weekend with two wonderful guys that treated us with such kindness and…." Sakura stopped as she gazed at Ino who held a sly look on her face and knew that look all too well and Sakura put on a stern face before she continued.
"Look Ino-pig I know that look in your eye and you can forget about it. If you think that I'm going to introduce you to him so you can scare him off like those boys in high school, you can forget it. It might be hard to believe me but I like this one so just let me get to know him further before you decide to scare him off. I promise to introduce you to him soon." Sakura felt Ino embrace her as they made their way to the pediatric ward to begin their rounds for the day and gave her a smile.
"Don't worry about it Sakura, I promise that I won't scare this one off like I did in high school. Just as long as this guy treats you right and doesn't hurt you then I'll leave him alone. But you must tell me about this guy that has Hinata on cloud nine. I mean she was practically glowing and that smile on her face could light up the town." Ino saw Sakura smile as she too was wondering what had Naruto said and done to make Hinata so happy.
And speaking of Hinata, at this very moment that same smile that Sakura was speaking of was plastered on Hinata's face as she took orders at the diner. Hinata could barely keep her happiness at bay as she took orders, filled and refilled coffee cups and passing Marigold's sour self as she worked. To say that Hinata was glowing was the understatement of the year.
"Hinata table three's order is ready!" the sound of Ling's voice brought her out of joyous haze to get the order all the while thinking of her weekend with Naruto.
*Flashback to Saturday*
Hinata was pacing back and forth rubbing her hands together as she tried to slow her breathing. It would seem as the time that Naruto and Sasuke would show up was drawing near, Hinata was having a panic attack. Hinata was a bundle of nerves and worried what Naruto would think of her on this little outing. Hinata hadn't gone on a date since middle school and the boy she had dinner with was one of her father's business partner's son in hopes of solidifying their partnership. The result unfortunately was the night ending in disaster. So, to say that Hinata was shaky about this gettogether was an understatement. Sakura came in the room after grabbing her purse and saw her friend's nervous pacing Sakura decided to put this nonsense to an end before Sakura had to give Hinata a bag to breath in.
"Hinata just calm down, everything will be fine. Naruto said that they promised not to make us uncomfortable with this get together and promised us a wonderful time. It's not an indication of a marriage proposal." Sakura then looked at herself in the mirror next to her and fixed a stray hair that had fallen in her eyes.
"If what you say is true Sakura then why are you wearing you good red blouse and black dress slacks that you swore you only wear for a special occasion?" Hinata skeptically gazed at her friend as she noticed how dressed up she was.
"What? I just want to look nice and why are you pointing fingers at me when you're the one wearing their good pale lavender sweater and khaki slacks and is that your special perfume I'm smelling?" Sakura grinned in victory as she saw her friend turn a deeper shade of red at being caught.
Before Hinata could retort the sound of knocking was soon heard causing both girls to grab their bags and make for the door which Sakura opened with a smile. And with good reason since the boys were just as happy to see them.
"I glad to see you both made it here safe. And good to see that Naruto is looking a lot better. The bump on his head has gone down greatly." Sakura then pushed Hinata into Naruto's waiting arms as the shy girl took eternity to move.
"Yes, but the thanks goes to my mother who kept a firm eye on him. Since she's raised two boys of her own, my mother has a way of keeping someone like Naruto to rest and heal." Sasuke grinned as Sakura giggled.
"So how about we get going to the fair before it gets late. I hear that they have food stalls that serve a delicious apple turnover." Sakura smiled as Sasuke took her arm into his.
"Ready to go Hinata? I'm sure we'll have a great time." Naruto put his arms around Hinata as they too began to walk along with his friend.
It took about twenty minutes for the group to reach the park and the rest of the day was nothing short of wonderful. Playing games, drinking homemade lemonade, stopping at every ramen stand where Naruto gorged himself on bowls filled with about twenty different ramen flavors and throughout the whole day, both Hinata and Sakura didn't have a negative thought about their lives or worry about their financial problems. For the first time in months Hinata and Sakura were at peace.
While Sasuke and Sakura were at stall Naruto decided to strike up a conversation with Hinata and decided now was a good as any to find out more about this wonderful girl.
"Say Hinata while Sasuke and Sakura are busy looking at the different stalls why don't we grab a seat and get a snack I want to ask you a few things about yourself," Naruto motioned for Hinata to follow him to a bakery stall where he spotted a bench for them to sit.
"Um…sure Naruto, I wanted to talk to you as well." Hinata then walked with Naruto over to the bench that he saw and sat Hinata down while he went to get them a snack to eat while they talked. And five minutes later Naruto returned with a boxed with mini cinnamon rolls. Hinata was shocked to find that Naruto had brought her favorite treat and smiled sweetly to the blonde boy.
"Thank you, Naruto, but how did you know that cinnamon rolls were my favorite treat?" Hinata saw Naruto blush a healthy shade of pink before he answered Hinata.
"Well I took a wild guess and who could say no to cinnamon?" Naruto then placed the box in front of Hinata to offer her some of the delicious sticky treat which Hinata happily accepted.
"I guess you have a point about that," Hinata then placed the small treat in her mouth as both she and Naruto began to eat the treat.
"So Hinata about what I wanted to ask you earlier," Naruto began to rub his head as he tried to tread lightly on his questions for two reasons; one he didn't know where to start with his question and two he didn't want to offend Hinata. There was something about this girl that drew Naruto to her. She was like a light in his dark world and Naruto liked that.
"Well I was wondering how someone as sweet as you ended up living with Sakura who in my opinion is a joy." Naruto saw the faraway look within Hinata's eyes and figured that maybe he touched on a sensitive subject.
"Well to be honest, I've known Sakura since we were children. She and I grew up surprisingly in the same town and met in a local park. Our mothers were old friends and when Sakura and I met a bond was formed. She and I have been through a lot and have been there for each other for just about everything, including my mother passing away." Naruto saw the misty glaze in Hinata's eyes and guessed that losing her mother was a heavy blow for her.
"Sakura's mother changed a year after my mother passed. She turned cold and became distant from others including Sakura and began to focus more on her shrew of a sister Karin. But the strange thing about it was Sakura's mother never had grey eyes. I remember that Sakura's mother's eyes were a deep shade of green. My mother always said that her friend's eyes always reminded her of a lush green forest in summer. And the change in personality was so sudden I didn't know what to make of it, but I put that aside to help my dear friend. Sakura promised that no matter what that she and I would always be friends. And a friend was what I needed at the time since my father was anything but a comfort after my mother died. My only other light was my baby sister," Hinata felt strong arms embrace her before she could continue with her story.
"Hinata, you don't have to tell me the rest of your story. At least not now anyway. Whenever you're ready to talk and really open about your past let me know. I promise I'll listen to your whole story and be here to hold you should you need it." Naruto felt Hinata shake as he figured the damn of emotions within Hinata had begun to overflow and was flowing from Hinata this very moment. Naruto then felt Hinata return his strong embrace with one of her own and held on to him as if he was her lifeline.
*End of Flashback*
As Hinata remembered that wonderful moment she noticed one of her customers wanted another refill of coffee so she rushed to refill his cup. However unknown to Hinata a set of eyes was watching her from a safe distance and watching her every move. But this person was far from wanting to harm the child, in fact it was the opposite.
"So, that's Hinata? It's amazing how much she takes after her mother in not just looks but in her gentle personality. Lord Uchiha was right to call upon us to investigate the girl's background. But what can we find that he can't my friend? Even we sprites have our limits to what our magic will allow." A young female sprite turned to her friend hoping for an answer.
"I don't know my friend but if our services are required to help both this girl and that of the Sakura girl than it must be vital to Lord Uchiha. And per his orders as well as his majesty's we must be as discrete as possible in our search. For not just the girl's sake but not to draw attention to a certain hunter wandering around the area. But first and foremost, we must inform her ladyship of our presence here in the realm of mortals before we get into further trouble with her. Now let's hurry and find her," And in a cloud of dust both sprites were gone before anyone would notice.
Meanwhile in a house far from the city, we find the former Hebi clan leader talking with a certain hunter over a deal that could end everything. And the monster of the house was named Orochimaru, a magical creature that can control snakes and summon them at will.
"So it would seem that those girls have no clue about the power they have within them. And if I had to guess that power has been growing for the past ten to fifteen years." Orochimaru took a sip of his tea as he absorbed this information.
"Yes, and that power of theirs is what is needed to remove that damn barrier, making it open season on every one of those miserable magical creatures. Of course, you would have to hold up your end of the bargain by letting me finish what my father couldn't years ago," Said hunter watched the snake from the corner of the room with a hand on his weapon just in case Orochimaru tried something foolish.
"Trust young hunter, you'll have your pound of flesh. All I ask is that you leave the Uchiha clan to me. I have a bone to pick with their current leader anyway. The fox is all yours to skin and mangle as your twisted black heart desires. But then there's the matter of the girls once they've served their purpose. What will become of them once the barrier has been destroyed?" Orochimaru was rather curious about what they would do with them after the barrier was broken and was pleased with what he heard.
"For all I care they can rot in hell. After the barrier has been broken you can use them to your heart's desire. Just make sure that there's nothing left of those two. I doubt anyone would miss them much." Said hunter then moved from the shadowed corner and began heading for the door.
"Oh, and one more thing Orochimaru," Said hunter then threw a poisoned laced dagger at Orochimaru's head only to have it blocked by Orochimaru's lap dog Kabuto before it contacted its intended target.
"If I find out that you've betrayed me, you will be the first to feel my wrath before the fox feels my vengeance," And then the hunter was gone from the house.
"I don't know why you bothered bringing him here in the first place, you and I both know that he'll kill us once he gets what he wants." Kabuto then placed the dagger in a vase next to an old picture before turning back to his master.
"That may be true Kabuto, but if backstabbing a hunter means that I get my revenge on the Uchiha clan than I will gladly condemn my already miserable soul to betrayal to see to it that they pay for my banishment." Orochimaru then stood up and began to walk into the kitchen to refill his teapot with tea leaves and hot water.
"Besides they girls will be placed right into our hands and after the barriers gone, they are free for us to do as we please with them, so it's not a total lose," Orochimaru than grew a sick sly smirk that would make anyone's skin crawl.
As Orochimaru was plotting away in the forest, back in the city Sakura was about to enter Tsunade's office to inform her of a change in one of their patient's condition. Of course, for some strange reason Sakura kept hearing jingle bells as she approached Tsunade's office. At first Sakura thought she was hearing things but then she shook that idea and figured it must be stress from working for so long.
'I definitely need to relax or get my ears checked once I go to lunch,' Sakura then knocked on the door to signal to her sensei that she was outside.
"Lady Tsunade, it's me Sakura. I have something I need to talk to you about," Sakura swore she heard more bells as she entered the room and swore that the sound was getting louder. So, loud in fact that it began to give her a headache. Once Sakura entered the room, her condition was instantly noticed by Tsunade who rushed to her side.
"Sakura, are you alright? You look like you're in pain or something," Tsunade then sat Sakura down in one of the chairs in her office as Sakura tried to wave her off about her condition.
"I'm fine sensei, I just have a bit of a headache that I can't seem to get rid of. But this should go away after I rest for a bit. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about one of our patients. I have good news regarding her condition ma'am." Sakura then pulled out the folder that she was carrying and handed it to her sensei.
"After I checked her vitals I noticed that she had more energy than before. It would appear that our patients' blood sugar has evened out and she's out of the red zone for the moment." Sakura saw her sensei sit down in her chair as she looked over the patients file.
"It's too early to tell whether she's not diabetic just yet though ma'am. Neither Ino or I have heard answer from the lab concerning the blood work but once we have the results we should be able to inform not just her but her family." Sakura saw Tsunade place the file on her desk before she nodded her head in agreement.
"That's good to know, now Sakura was there anything else you wished to talk to me about, like why you're in such high spirits today. Not to be rude but your attitude is a bit infectious. Ms. Wong has told me that she has been smiling all day thanks to you and your bright personality. So, care to tell me what happened this weekend?" Tsunade saw her student smile and turn a shade of pink that rivaled her hair before Sakura burst into a fit of giggles.
"Okay since both you and Ino won't leave me alone about this, I'll tell. This weekend I went out with a guy along with Hinata. And surprisingly the both of us had fun, but that's not why I'm so happy. After the boys dropped us off that evening, I was asked out on a date!" Sakura was bursting with happiness. Who would have thought that Sasuke would want to go on a date with someone like her? In truth Sakura was shock when Sasuke asked to see her again next Friday but was happy none the less.
"That's good to hear Sakura. I'm happy that you've found someone but I would like to meet this person just to make sure he's right for you," Tsunade grinned when she heard Sakura groan as she began to leave her office.
"What is it with both you and Ino and having to investigate this guy I'm seeing? It's not like the guy has anything to hide," And with that Sakura was out of Tsunade's office leaving her alone, or so she thought.
Once Sakura was out of the room Tsunade turned to two small figures that were floating right behind her and Tsunade was not pleased with either of them.
"You two do realize that the more magic that girl is around the greater chances of her powers being discovered by hunter's, right?" Tsunade turned her grim stare to both sprites who looked guilty for coming into the room.
"Please forgive our intrusion my Lady but as the law states we were to come inform you of our assignment before anything else as the law requires. We didn't know that she would be here," both sprites had to jump back thanks to the energy coming off Tsunade in waves.
"Nor were you going to tell me that the people that you two investigating are Hinata and Sakura?! That bastard Uchiha had better have a good reason for dragging my student into this mess along with that brat king. For the past three years, I have tried to keep both girls a secret from that world so why now?" One of the sprites came forward and told her of their mission and why Lord Uchiha wishes for Sakura and Hinata to be monitored and Tsunade doesn't like what she's heard.
"So, that damnable hunter is still out there and seeks my girls. So, Sakura's headache a few minutes ago makes sense now. Their powers are about to reveal themselves and sooner than I thought. Damn it! I thought for sure I had one more year," Tsunade thought for a moment about what she could do and did the only thing she could think of.
"Okay one of you sprites will stay here and carry out your mission while the other will head back to the realm of magic and inform the Uchiha that I must have an emergency meeting with him and that perverted toad. I think it's time that the grand council meet once again and remember, the elders are not to hear a word about any of this," and with that both sprites went in different directions. Tsunade then sat down in her chair and pressed the intercom to summon the only other person she knew she could trust.
"Ino would you please come to my office at once and I MEAN NOW!"
Now it seems that danger is slowly making its way to Hinata and Sakura. But what of the sudden change in Sakura's mother after her friend passed away years ago and what else lies hidden in these girls past that not even they know?
*To Be Continued*