~Give Me Love~

~Chapter 11~

It took a good thirty minutes for Sakura to dress Hinata up in her yukata, and another twenty to style her long, shimmering hair into a neat little bun, pinned with various kanzashi. By the time she was done, Hinata was exhausted simply from staying still for such an incessant period of time.

"I'm sorry for taking so long, Hinata-chan! You just have such beautiful hair, it kind of turns me into a little girl again. I haven't had long hair in years," Sakura chirped while dabbing a bit of powder on Hinata's nose.

She leaned back and took a wide look at Hinata's whole look and hummed to herself.

"Something's missing...oh, I know! I have just the thing. You stay right there, I'll be back in just a few minutes."

As soon as Sakura left her sight, Hinata took a moment to observe herself in the bureau mirror. She couldn't remember the last time she had looked this lovely...let alone remember anything, really. She felt as if she had been hatched out of an egg only a day ago and was only aware of so many things. It was at that moment that she saw the wrapped up book in the reflection of the mirror.

She turned to it and contemplated it for a moment, pondering what it would mean if she opened it. What sort of poisonous messages would that betrayer have left her? More manipulation?

Well...what did it matter, she thought to herself. It wasn't like she had anything better to do...as of now, it seemed that she operated on Sakura's suggestions alone. She was nothing but a dandelion tuft floating on the wind with no particular purpose or direction.

With that in mind, she wandered over to the bedside table and carefully unwrapped the package. The brown paper revealed a rather large, aging tome titled "Konoha Myths and Legends." Curiously, Hinata flipped through the first few pages and found a plethora of information about various creatures, ghosts, tailed beasts and the like. It was then she noticed that towards the back, a few of the pages had been dog-eared. When she turned to them, she found all-too-familiar barely legible scrawling along the margins, along with some underlines, circles, and highlights. The chapter was titled "The Hyuga Family...Konaha's Legendary Guardians of the Heart."

Hinata's eyes widened, then darted down the page. It astonished her that these mortals would have known so much about her family, but the descriptions kept including vague, evasive phrases such as legend states that and some experts have suggested that. She almost scoffed at the idea of the whole thing, until she realized that it seemed to have more information then she was even aware of regarding her family. Various rules and regulations, tricks, and loopholes. Surely he would have been reading all this, researching it, studying it...studying her. It made her stomach churn to think of it.

Then, her eyes grazed over a sentence that had been notably highlighted. She had to read it a few times just to let the information sink in. When it did, she kept reading it, repeating the words in her head, over and over and over.

"Hinata? Are you okay?" Sakura asked humbly, now in the doorway holding some kind of decorative comb.

Hinata let go of the book and let it drop to the ground with a great thump.

"I have to find him...I have to see him now..."

Sakura barely had time to ask her what was wrong before Hinata had sprinted past her, as fast as her yukata and geta would allow her.

~o~

It was evening in Konoha, but the streets were lit up with all manner of lanterns, candles, and other lights. There were rows and rows of good luck charms, and an absolute flood of couples dressed in their finest festival attire. The sounds of cheering and laughing, the smells of flower bouquets and freshly steamed dumplings were drowning poor little flustered Hinata as she tried to dart through what empty spaces she could find. She found herself tripping over the clacky little one-size-too big geta that Sakura had let her borrow, but the cobblestone streets were littered with mud, paper, crushed flowers, and leftover bits of food. She could hardly bear to destroy the beautiful kimono that Sakura had bought just for her, but her time was running out.

Eventually, she gave up and simply subjected her feet to the filth, gripping her geta and the edges of her yukata high above it. The crowds didn't seem to pay her any heed...besides the occasional "hey, watch where you're going," by someone standing a bit too close. She was quickly getting winded, and the kanzashi were slipping out of her hair. Her obi was squeezing her lungs, but the words she had read just kept repeating over and over, forcing her to carry on.

After weaving her way through the festival hoards, she finally found a clearing to the training grounds. She panted heavily, trying to catch her breath before making a final sprint to the dark meadows. She pushed herself forward, one foot after the other, until her left foot made an unfortunate contact with a half-eaten stick of grilled squid. The few seconds it took to her to fall back felt like a full minute, her head swarming with thoughts of finding him, and ruining her clothes. As she mentally prepared the impact of her head on the stones below, she felt herself being caught. She looked up into the dim light above her, and saw the face she was all too happy to see.

"Attempting to ruin yet another set of clothes, are we Ga-chan?"

Shino lifted her to her feet, and dusted her shoulders off gently. Hinata just stood there, staring at his black, goggle-less eyes. His hair was just as shaggy as ever, but he managed to tidy up into a presentable men's kimono. To any one else, he was just as ordinary as could be for a festival attendee, but to Hinata, he was practically a seraphim.

"Shino..."she huffed, trying to catch her breath.

"Hi," he replied softly.

"You...you knew..."

He gave her a sad smile.

"You knew...that a cupid...even under a spell...can...can never stay in love with a human."

He continued to stare at her solemnly. Hinata felt her eyes welling up.

"I'm a lonely guy, Hinata. I've been alone for most of my life. I was okay with that, until I met you. You...you make me...warm inside. When you're away, all I want is to be next to you again. It was wrong of me to keep the bow from you...but, I just...wanted...to keep you a little longer...before I had to let you go."

Hinata's heart was tight. It was then she noticed the dark silhouette of an object strapped to his back. He reached behind him, and held a long, thin bundle wrapped in a dark gray cloth. He held it out to her, the same way a thief would hold a loaf of bread if the reason it had been stolen was to feed a hungry mouth.

"It's not too late, you know. To go home..."

Hinata grabbed the bundle and unwrapped it...sure enough, the shining gleam of her beautiful, golden bow hid beneath it, along with her quiver. Hot, salty tears bled down her cheeks.

"You...only need one more couple, right? You can shoot me. There are tons of visitors from out of town for me to be with...I'll walk right up to them and be under the spell. Then you can be a true c-cupid...and g-go home."

His voice was shaking. She hadn't heard that before. Nor had she seen the highlight of a tear in the corner of his eyes before.

"You...you would do that for me?" Hinata asked, in her own trembling voice.

"One of us deserves to be happy."

He reached his hand out to cup her face, then wiped her tears away with his thumbs.

"Don't be sad. Your spell will wear off soon, and you can forget all about me."

"I...but I...don't want to f-forget about you..."

He tried his best to hold a smile up, but his brows pinched together too hard. He looked like he was crumbling from the inside out.

"Don't...get my hopes up. Just take your bow and give me your best shot, okay?"

She bit her lip, trying to hold the tears in. She missed him, so much. It was hard to think that she was just under Neji's malicious spell...just the thought of leaving Shino made her heart scream in agony. Could a cupid's spell really do this?

"I love you, Hinata."

"I...I..." she squeaked.

Shino bent down and gave her the most tender of kisses on her plump little lips. She closed her eyes and tried her best to cling on to the moment, knowing full well it would be the last time she experienced it.

He pulled away all too soon, then took several steps back. She wanted to leap for him with all her being and never let him go, but her feet were frozen to the ground, and her hands were clenched tightly around the cloth of the bow.

Shino held his arms out, exposing his chest to her.

"Go on, do it!" he shouted, his cheeks glistening with tears.

She gulped hard, her legs trembling. He yelled at her once again.

"Do it, Hinata! Load your bow and shoot! Don't think about it!"

Her hands trembled, as she unwrapped the bow. As her fingers made contact with its gilded surface, a strong, painful sting started in her back. She hissed, but continued to prepare her bow. She latched her quiver around her waist, then loaded an arrow into it, then reluctantly aimed it at Shino.

It had occurred to her that his expression had drastically changed. His eyes were wide with awe, and his arms had dropped to his sides.

"Shino...?" she asked quietly.

"Your wings...they're...so beautiful..."

She looked over her shoulder, then gasped. Adorning her back were an enormous set of luminous, light green Luna moth wings.

"Are those...mine?" she whispered to herself.

She reached out to touch them, but Shino was holding her wrist before she could even blink.

"Don't touch them...they aren't like your feathers...they'e covered in a fine dust that allows you to fly."

She turned to him, his face now illuminated in the light of her great, glowing wings.

"You gave me these wings...you, changed them...somehow."

He smiled at her. "They look better than ever."

"Not for long..."

Hinata and Shino turned to the darkness at the same time. Standing a few meters away was none other than Neji, now as solid as the day he left Hinata on the rooftop. His long, silver bow was drawn back, a sinister arrow pointed straight at her.

"I swear, I just can't get rid of you, can I? Look at you, you have your bow and your powers back, but you look like a monstrosity. You call those hideous things wings? You're a disgrace to the Hyugas."

Hinata simply frowned at him. For some reason, it had never thoroughly sunk in that Neji had turned against her. When she looked at him, all she saw was the boy she grew up with, who trained her, who she loved and respected. The fact that he was saying such malicious things to her didn't even seem real. Before she even realized it, Shino was in front of her, surrounded by thick clouds of buzzing insects.

"Don't bother, Shino...he's like a ghost...your bugs will go right through him." Hinata said calmly, while stepping back in place to face Neji's arrow.

"Hinata..."

She looked to him and smiled softly. "Don't worry about me, this is my problem."

With that, she turned to Neji, still scowling, then placed her hands neatly on her hips.

"What are you planning on doing with that arrow, Neji-nisan?"

Neji scoffed. "This isn't a cupid's arrow, this is a real one. I shoot you with this, and you're out of my hair for good."

Hinata had had just about enough of this nonsense. She had gone through the pain of breaking her wings, having them rot off, being betrayed, and pretty much accepting the fact that she was never going to see her family again. Hell, she had even considered ending it all herself, since she had no real goals in life besides tagging couples and flying about in the clouds. Now, her beloved cousin was threatening to murder her in cold blood in front of the only person she had ever experienced the intense emotion of love with, just so he could run the family business?

"You want to be heir so badly?" she snarled, while pulling back the loaded arrow on her bow.

"You can have the damn family. Have my parents' love, have my castle, have my bed with all my stuffed animals. You'd make a better heir anyway."

With that, she aimed her bow directly at Shino, and released her arrow straight into his chest. He stumbled back a bit in confusion, clutching his stomach from the impact.

"Just what do you think you're doing?!" Neji barked, still aiming the arrow at her.

"Letting you win," she declared solemnly. In one swift movement, she withdrew another arrow from her quiver, and without even loading it, she faced the point toward her and jammed it into her heart with the force of both hands. The feeling was great and overwhelming, enough to cause her to fall to her knees. Her eyes were clenched shut, but as soon as she felt Shino's hand on her shoulder, she knew it was safe to look up at him.

"Damn it! That's not fair!" Neji shrieked, slamming his bow to the ground. Shino and Hinata both looked at him in confusion.

"It's not fair! After all my hard work, all my devotion, you abandon your family! You abandon me! You're just like mom...sacrificing yourself for some grubby human! "

He fell to his knees and slammed the ground with his fists. Hinata got to her feet with the help of Shino and took a step towards Neji, reaching a gently hand out towards him.

"Neji...you're not making any sense..."

"Why do you get to live happily ever after...?" Neji whimpered, his face now wrapped in his hands.

Hinata placed a hand on his hunched over body. "What are you talking about?"

"My mother...she struck herself with an arrow to get away from my father...and fell in love with a human...she lost her wings just like you did, and my father, he murdered her...when she turned human..."

He curled defensively at her touch, weaving his hands madly through his tangled hair.

"My father killed himself when he realized what he had done...then I was sent off to live with you...and train you, to be the perfect daughter for your perfect family. I deserve more than that..."

"Neji..."

...

"...Hinata? Is that you?"

The loveliest tinkling of a voice made of obsidian wind chimes sounded from within the woods. Neji, Shino, and Hinata turned their heads to find the most astoundingly elegant creature to ever walk the earth. Hinata instantly began to weep.

"M...mom!"

Her mind was clear of everything but her mother. She lit up like a candle in the darkest of evenings, glowing like the ever watchful moon. Her golden wings fanned out behind her as she lifted her arms to accept Hinata's embrace. Hinata sprinted to her and crashed into her layers of white velvet and silk.

"Mom...I missed you so much..."

Her mother laid a hand on her head and clutched her gently to her magnificent form.

"I missed you too, my darling Hinata."

It wasn't long before Hinata's father appeared from the woods as well.

"What on Heaven and Earth is going on here? Hinata, what happened to your wings? Why are they...insect wings?"

Hinata looked over her mother's shoulder at her father, refusing to let go of her embrace.

"It's a long, long story, Papa...but it's so good to see you."

"Why do you even still have wings?"

The family turned to Neji, who was now on his own two feet and bitterly wiping his face away on a gray sleeve.

"What is your meaning, Neji?" Hiashi asked sharply.

"Hinata just shot her boyfriend and then stabbed herself with an arrow. She should be human! Why isn't she?"

Hinata looked up at her mother as if she had broken the family vase. Her mother looked to her father, who looked right back at Hinata.

"Well, isn't it obvious? You found the last couple before the end of the Festival of Love. Moth winged or not, you passed your test. You're a true cupid now, Hinata."

The words rang in Hinata's ears like the great clanging bells of a clock tower. She had done it. Unintentionally, maybe, but she had completed her task. She was a true cupid...she could fly, she was with her family...she could go home.

"Congratulations, my darling..." her mother whispered while embracing her once again.

"Though I find it rather odd...if you shot that boy with an arrow, he should be kissing your feet. But he's gone..."

Hinata looked up and turned to where Shino had been standing. Sure enough, he had vanished without a trace.

"Hmm...the poor boy," her mother began, "the only reason he wouldn't be under your spell if he was already in love with you."

Of course...Hinata thought to herself. He's seen me reunited with my family...it's all he ever wanted to do. Now that I'm here, he's gone for good...

"Come now, Hinata. Let's go home...it has been far too long."

Hiashi took her hand, and her mother took the other. The two Hyugas began to spread their glorious wings and ascend to Sky Castle...

But Hinata pulled away.

"Wait..."she said hesitantly.

"What's the matter, dear?" ringed her mother.

Hinata looked to the defeated Neji, still standing in place. She walked over to him, then took his hands in hers. He looked up at her with confusion and a teaspoon of leftover resentment.

"I meant what I said when I told you that you would make a better heir than me."

His eyes widened, and Hinata turned to her startled parents.

"I've learned a lot living on earth among humans...I've experienced fear, pain...but I've also been met with so much kindness and adoration. Even though I passed the test...I'd make a terrible cupid. Being a Hyuga is about ensuring that no one is left alone...but what good is that if our spells are only temporary? If we are truly the Guardians of the Heart...we should be the little bit of magic needed to put a love together that wouldn't have been found otherwise. Neji...he did that for me. Maybe he didn't mean to, but...it doesn't matter."

Hinata's parents exchanged glances.

"What are you trying to tell us, exactly?" Hiashi asked.

Hinata bit her lip. "I guess...what I'm really trying to say is...I'm happier as a human than I am as a cupid. I love you, all of you, but I have friends here, and someone who truly loves me with all their heart. I...I want to stay here."

"Hinata-chan...are you sure?" her mother asked.

"This is quite a serious commitment. If you stay here, it's likely you will never see us or your home ever again. You're certain about this?"

Hinata nodded firmly. "Every bird must leave their next eventually. I already accepted that I wasn't going home...so I'm okay with this."

"So be it." Hiashi stated calmly.

Hinata's mother and father approached her, then embraced her tightly between them.

"We love you...and we are so proud of you. Never forget that," her mother whispered in her ear.

And in the blink of an eye, the three cupids had vanished, along with Hinata's wings.

~End of Chapter 11~