Hi again hopefully this ones better, thank you all for reviewing! ^^
This ones still a little slow buuuut my favorit demon-possesed-psycho-killer is in here... not alot but it will be better.
I OWN NOTHING... wish I did but that's clearly a very unfulfilled wish, ne?
READ!
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It…hurt…
To hear such unkind words hurled at her. What was worse was that she couldn't deny it. Couldn't speak up and say that she Was strong and that she Wasn't an embarrassment… because she was.
Hyuuga were supposed to be strong. Fearless. Honored shinobi known for speed, dexterity and tracking usefulness.
What was Hinata?
Nothing.
Warm tears flowed down her cheeks, cooling instantly as they were exposed to the harshly cool wind gusting through Hinata's sliding door and she couldn't for the life of her stop them; even as she knew they would do no good. Her pale eyes looked solemnly out into the night pelted with rain. Was this really destined to be her life? Treated as tainted porcelain, too fragile to let outside and too smeared with dirt to show off?
Hinata trembled, letting her fingertips trace the wood of the door frame. Outside she could catch the faint sounds of Hanabi's and Hiashi's training, carried over by the winds cutting hands of wisp.
'W-why Father? You n-never ev-even gave m-me a chance!' A choked sob caught in her throat and Hinata clapped a hand over her mouth, wincing as the cloth of her crude wound dressings scraped across skin red and raw from crying. Even as a child, Hiashi's eyes had always slid to Hanabi.
Not all beauty's
Hold the same grace
Each fragile flower has
Different petals
Some appeal to others taste
And yet under a single sun all grow
A different kind of secret holds
'M-mother.' She could barely remember the woman who had birthed her. All of the memories were blurred smiles and soft touches; unfortunately the phantoms never crossed the threshold between illusion and substance so she never did remember how it felt.
The wood wind chimes clanked in a chaotic fashion that made Hinata bite her lip. Those had been her mothers' favorite, she remembered them from the sound and how her father looked at them. The word sent a stab through her chest and she gripped her night shirt over her chest. He hated her now, she could see it. Ever since her mother died from the child birth of her sister Hanabi he'd pushed for her to become the best, but when he had started she was still in grieving for her mother. Not understanding why her Father seemed to punish her for the loss of her mother she had broken down. And he had deemed her weak from then on.
Tears burned twin rivers down her delicate cheeks.
Why was it her fault?
Would it not be more Hanabi's by her own birth?
Abruptly Hinata shook her head. That was wrong. It was wrong to blame Hanabi for such a thing when it was no control of hers to have been a problematic birthing. But what was she to do? She tried her hardest and her father looked on with blind eyes. Not seeing her effort, only seeing the Hyuuga failure.
'Per-perhaps it is because I a-am?' she thought unsurely.
Naruto appeared in her mind. 'I Will become Hokage, Be-lieve it!'
She shut her eyes tight, impressing the image deeper within the confines of her mind. Naruto… his circumstances were a lot worse than her own, weren't they? And yet he seemed happier and more driven. How did he do it? How did he live with the entire villages disapproving stares upon him when she, a supposed "grand" Hyuuga, couldn't even handle the disappointment of her own clan?
A bitter pain began to throb inside her chest.
Was it that she was even more drastically lower than him than she had assumed?
He was the class failure; yet, to her, it seemed that he finished so far ahead of her… So far that, try as she might, she couldn't grasp even the back of his shirt to have hope of catching up. A blush stole across her cheeks at the thought of touching his clothing.
"N-na-naruto…" she breathed, swaying slightly. She shook it away.
How was it wthat he was so far ahead? It was crucial to discover so that maybe she… could make her own way… To perhaps…catch his notice. The blush returned with a vengeance.
Hinata's pale eyes went to the turbulent sky. "Pl-please let me have th-the strength to c-continue."
"HINATA COMING AT 'YA!" Kiba's voice echoed through the clearing and Hinata blinked away her thoughts forcibly. How could she have been so stupid as to get distracted during a battle? It was a practice but still…
"Huh-?" She twisted her head to the right slightly and her eyes widened as she caught sight of her feral teammate charging at her, full speed from the trees. Her lips parted. "K-kiba-" She caught herself and her eyes narrowed as she nodded to herself. "Mmm!" Her pale hands clasped tightly together. "Byakugan!" A familiar wave of Chakra flushed out of her system and up to her eyes. The veins in her temples pushed out creating that itching tingle that always accompanied her clans' technique. Around her the world flashed to shades of white and blue. Her lips curled slightly. It was always wondrous to see the world this way; like each time it was a new vision.
"TAKE THIS!" Fists flaring with blue came streaking towards Hinata and she gasped softly, her body twisting and swaying with rapid fluidity; the only thing keeping her from being hit were her honed reflexes. Her brow creased. 'Again! I allowed myself to be distracted!'
'I am ashamed.'
Pain pinged through her. Her eyes widened. She couldn't allow that!
"Nn!" Her arm swung out, deflecting a powerful blow and she jumped into a flip before landing and springing right back at Kiba. Hinata felt her mind settle into the familiar pattern of her dance.
Block
Hit
Deflect
Bend
Deflect
Deflect
Hit
Hit
Block
Hit
Each time one of her hands connected with Kiba she released her chakra into him like a needle, precisely and affectively shutting off his chakra points with lithe subtlety. A hit skimmed closer than she would've liked to her face and she narrowed her eyes, pumping more chakra into her eyes.
"NO WAY YOU ARE WINNING THIS—" Kiba snarled.
A glint of blue caught Hinata's eyes.
'There!'
She executed a swift duck and, before he could make another attack, she sprung up, catching him off-guard with her closeness and hitting him twice in the chest, palm flat.
"Uh-nng!" Kiba let out a strangled cough, freezing up in place as the blue haired girl watched in twisted fascination as his chakra circulation swirled to a stop within his chest. His arm twitched and before she could comprehend what she was doing she whirled and knocked him to the ground with a kick. Her limbs tensed and she paused in a defensive stance, breathing hard.
"That's enough Hinata."
"Ah- uh-" The girl blinked, her bloodlimit fading, and looked up to find her Sensei standing behind her with their third teammate, Shino. "H-hai!" She bowed quickly and stepped to the side, her hands falling together in front of her to twist together.
Kiba groaned from his place on the ground. "Damn Hinata! It was only a practice!" A small puppy trotted out of the tall grass and let out a few yips in agreement, before sitting amiably next to his master, panting.
Shino glanced at them both, a gleam from the sun reflecting off his glasses the only indication of his movement. "Be quiet, Kiba. You didn't hold back either."
That brought the fiery boy to a sitting position rather fast. "DIDN'T HOLD BACK?" he snarled, hair bristling up in aggravation. "WHAT THE HELL? I HAD AKAMARU SIT OUT!" He jabbed a clawed finger at the dog who flattened his ears and bared his teeth at the mysterious bug- using teammate. "YOU GUYS KNOW THAT I'M ONLY AT MY BEST WHEN I FIGHT WITH HIM!"
From her spot, Hinata cringed slightly and poked her fingers together. "U-uh, we kn-know that Kiba-k-kun." She quickly cut in. "Shino was j-just tr-trying to help me, r-right Shino-s-san?"
The taller boy looked at her then nodded slightly.
Kiba deflated with an easy smile as he got to his feet, a little shaky from all of his chakra path ways that were shut off. "Aw, Hinata, you know I could never stay mad at 'ya!" He slung an arm around her, somehow managing to keep in front of her even with the gesture. "You're just too cute!" He smiled.
"U-u-uh-" Hinata's face flickered from pink, to read, to an awkward magenta at the mere proximity that his face had reached.
Kurnei flicked glances between her two students and extended a wary hand towards the male. "Kiba, maybe you should—"
Hinata's eyes rolled up into her head and she dropped into a dead feint.
"WAAAAAH! Hinata-chan!"
"Too late, Kurenai-sensei."
"WAKE UP HINA-CHAN!"
"Kiba, I don't think shaking her will help any-"
"BARK BARKBARK!"
"Hn."
The first feeling that registered to Hinata was a cool dampness against her brow and she sighed heavily before opening her eyes in drowsy hesitance. "Mmm?"
A furry face was not even an inch away from her nose and the little creature let out a yip. She squealed and flinched back. Her head hit something hard and everything went blurry for a second as she groaned.
"Kiba! If you make her faint again I'm going to have a talk with Tsume."
The puppy was immediately snatched off her and Hinata looked up to see Kiba scratching his head with that fanged sheepish grin on his face. "Hahahah, it was all joking Kurenai Sensei. You wouldn't really tell her about this would you?"
The black haired woman raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms.
His grin shriveled at the edges slightly. "Uh- Kurenai sensei?"
Not acknowledging his inquiry, the kuniochi flicked her eyes to Shino, who was standing beside a tree nearby. "Anyways," She began, "I thought you three might want to know…" She took out three slips of paper. "That I recommended you three for the Chunin Exams."
"The-the Chunin Exams?" Hinata stuttered. Her eyes glazed slightly as she turned her thoughts inward. Was she ready for that kind of thing? She was still so weak… what if she brought her teammates down with her? She frowned. If she failed them she could never forgive herself.
"YEAH! WooHOO!" Kiba howled. He hefted Akamaru up into the air and spun him around. "We're going to the chunins' Akamaru!"
"That sounds…interesting." Shino acknowledged, nodding.
A small smile came to the Hyuuga girls' face. 'They're b-both so happy! I c-can't let th-them down! I will t-try my best!'
Hinata shakily sat up, wincing as a throbbing pain started up in the back of her head where she'd hit it. Had she perhaps injured herself more than she first thought? Her pale fingers reached up to brush at the short locks of black-blue shielding the pained area and she cringed slightly. It wasn't an enormous amount of agony by any means but it still provided a wealth of discomfort and ninja shouldn't have such distractions.
"Are you okay, Hinata?" Startled, the young girl jumped slightly before looking at her sensei. Was she alright? She felt like the answer was yes but it was sometimes better to have such things checked out by a Medininja. She opened her mouth to say just that when Kiba scoffed and put his hands behind his head.
"Pfft, it was only a little bump, Kurenai-Sensei. Us genin aren't That weak." He complained loudly.
Kurenai glared at the feral genin, her hair waving slightly in the wind. "Kiba, not all of the team has your endurance," she scolded. "You should keep that in mind or in the exams you'll lead your team to failure. Hinata may have—"
"Iie," Hinata protested softly, poking her fingers together. "I F-feel alright, Kurenai-Sensei. Please, D-don't be displeased with K-kiba-kun."
"Eh?" Kurenai blinked in surprise but then nodded. "Okay Hinata, I trust you to know your body well enough to determine whether or not you're alright." She reached into her side pocket. "But just in case something like this happens during the exams here's some creams for injuries." Hinata looked curiously at the small containers before nodding and taking them.
"Th-thank you sensei."
The woman nodded. "Not a problem." Her amber eyes went to the two boys. "What are you two doing standing around?" she barked. "I don't want to hear grief from your parents that you're not getting home on time!"
Akamaru yipped and Kiba tucked him into his jacket fast. "Y-yeah s-s-sure thing, Sensei!" he rushed out before spinning around and racing towards the village. "See ya guys!" he called over his shoulder.
Shino was already nowhere to be seen.
Hinata blinked. "Ah—"
Kurenai stretched and smiled. "Ah, that was fun." She winked at the bewildered Hinata and held up a finger. "Let's just keep it our little secret okay?" The violet haired girl bit her lip and then nodded. "Great," she patted her students head and headed the way Kiba had. "Travel home safe, Hinata!"
"B-bye!" Hinata called unsurely. Suddenly she was left standing alone in the training area holding two tubs of healing cream. "O-oh," Hinata murmured to herself. "Th-they all l-left." A small smile came to her face and she giggled. "K-Kiba-kun sure ran f-fast when Kurenai-sensei m-mention his m-mother."
"Bye Hinata-chan! Hope to see you in again, we'll have to catch up!" Ino called waving exuberantly as Hinata backed out of the flower shop cheeks pink with embarrassment. She waved back shyly and stood facing the door until it closed. When it did she deflated slightly and blew out a breath. Ino had always been a bit too… energetic for her. That's why they hadn't been the closest of friends at the Academy. Well, that and her and Sakura's obsession over Sasuke. Her cheeks tinged an even darker shade of pink. Sakura…
Naruto liked Sakura…
She shook her head and clasped the paper bag full of flowers to her chest more firmly. 'I'm n-not going to keep th-thinking about that. I n-need to get st-stronger!' Feeling better after her mental pep-talk she nodded in determination and turned to walk down the dirt street towards the compound. Each step made her shoulders feel heavier and heavier. Why was it that every time she headed home it felt like this. Wasn't home supposed to be the place that you go to happily? The place where you find comfort and acceptance?" Hinata stared hard at the ground as she walked. Was it that she was being selfish, wanting something she couldn't have? Shouldn't she be happy that she had such a lavish lifestyle? Surely most girls her age would envy her?
But… Hinata crinkled her brow. She didn't care about the Hyuuga prestige. She just wanted the acceptance of her family. Was that wrong?
"-Ah!" The squeak of surprise that flew from her mouth was barely audible as she was sent roughly to the ground; the form she had come into contact with found un-giving at her slamming into it.
"What the Hell?"
Grunting softly, Hinata looked up from her position curled protectively around the flowers to find three very…strange, people looking down at her. There was a tall blonde girl with her hair splayed out in four spikey pigtails, wearing a netted fighting kimono and a large flat black object strapped to her back sneering down at her. Besides her was a glaring red head who looked to be the youngest and a taller boy who had purple paint smeared all over his face. She shivered. She didn't like the way he was eyeing her. 'These three a-are d-definitely not from Konoha!'
"U-uh, I am v-very s-sorry for running into you," she stammered, quickly getting to her feet and bowing. "I w-was n-not watching where I was g-going and it made me clumsy. I ap-apologise."
The girl arched an eyebrow before crossing her arms and popping a hip out. "Hmmph." Her eyes skimmed up and down Hinata's form, the glint in her eye telling that she was not impressed with what she saw. "Would you look at this, Kankuro?" she called, flicking her eyes to meet the black hooded boys. "Another Leaf Genin." Hinata shrunk down slightly. Her words rang with a lilt of mockery, almost as if she were taking what others said of the proud village and neatly smearing mud down the front of it.
"Heh." The one called 'Kankuro' closed one eye and ran a thumb under his nose. "This one looks even weaker than the others. And I thought that was nearly impossible."
'O-others?' Hinata thought frantically. Had some other unfortunate genins been confronted by the fearsome three? 'N-naruto!' Hinata mentally gasped, eyes going wide. He was always getting into trouble and running into this group of Sand-genin would be quite a plausible situation to find the blonde in.
She blinked rapidly and found her focus split between the three and the fact that the sun was sinking quickly beneath the horizon. Hinata bit her lip slightly. She had to get home soon or else…Father… Her eyes went back to the foreign genin and she slipped one hand into her left jacket pocket to produce one of the tubs of healing solvent that Kurenai sensei had given her. "H-here. Take this a-as an apology f-for running into you."
The blonde took the cream, looking bewildered as it became obvious the action had been reflexive and she had not been expecting to receive anything nor except anything. "Huh?" Hinata, not answering, ducked her head into another bow before running around the group to continue heading on her way.
Only her fast instincts kept her from getting nailed in the head with the tub. "H-hu-h?" she murmmered, looking at the container in her hand before looking back at the group.
"OI! What do you think you're doing giving us that?" The girl demanded harshly. She jabbed a finger in the air at Hinata with a scowl. "Are you calling us weak or something?"
A soft smile came to the Hyuugas face. "N-no, of course n-not. I just figured t-that because someone m-might've gotten h-hurtt when I ran i-into you the fair exchange would be he-healing cream." She carefully set the tub on the dirt before them. "B-besides," she continued, "It will c-come in handy in t-the Chunin E-exams."
With that she disappeared around the corner, leaving an open mouthed blonde, a confused puppeteer and a glaring red head in her wake.
Kankuro cocked his head to the side, eyeing where the blue haired girl had sped off to and then the gift she'd given Temari in apology. That girl was a weird one. A pretty one, but weird all the same. After all, she had been looking at him in fear and not his younger brother. In fact, she had barely acknowledged Gaara in any way. He snuck a glance over to the stoic ten year old and repressed a shiver. If anything he seemed to have gotten more emotionless during the exchange- though the way he was staring at the jar of healing crap was creepy.
"Hey Temari," he finally said, scratching the back of his head. "Are you going to pick that up or what?"
His explosive sister whirled around with eyes flaring. "Shut UP Kankuro!" she snapped. "I know it's still there, I'm not stupid, you know!"
The puppeteer smirked. "I never said you didn't Tema," he taunted, "All I did was ask if you were going to pick it up."
As usual, the outcome of baiting his sister came forward as she growled loudly and raised a hand to knock it into the back of his head. He went to dodge but froze along with Temari as the hissing sound of moving sand hit their ears.
Fearful eyes looked down to find the tinted substance flowing from the mouth of Gaara's gourd.
"A-ah, Gaara?" Kankuro asked, swallowing hard as his voice cracked slightly, "You know we're not supposed to reveal our techniques before the—" his younger siblings eyes cut to him and he shut up.
His eyes found Temari's and they both shared a moment of panic. Was he really going to kill them out in the middle of the street? Not that he had any qualms about where he killed but he had agreed to the plan…then again Gaara had always been unpredictable. What had set off his rage now?
"We're leaving." Gaara grunted suddenly.
Both teens quietly let out a breath.
"R-right." Temari agreed.
Three of them turned and jumped; taking to the roof tops and leaving an empty dirt road behind them.
HI. Sorry for keeping you all waiting (if you even have been .)
Sorry, I've been dealing with bouts of depression and lots of bloodlust Heheh not that you guys need to hear or care about that. Next one coming soon, Please..
R&R
~~~~Oh, almost forgot- P.s- anyone notice anything in the last scene? Review your answers and I'll see if your right (it's pretty obvious, i'm not going to lie)